Linux Support for GPIB in Native Distributions and National Instruments USB Dongles

Linux Support for GPIB Native Distributions and National Instruments USB Dongles

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on Linux support for GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus) native distributions, with a special focus on National Instruments USB dongles. This article aims to provide you with a detailed understanding of GPIB, its integration with Linux, and the use of National Instruments USB dongles.

What is GPIB?

GPIB, also known as IEEE-488, is a popular interface bus used for communication between instruments and controllers in automated test systems. Developed in the 1960s, GPIB has been widely adopted in various industries such as aerospace, defense, and manufacturing.

GPIB and Linux

Linux has robust support for GPIB through various open-source libraries and drivers. The primary library used for GPIB communication in Linux is National Instruments VISA (Virtual Instrument Software Architecture) library. NI-VISA provides a consistent, high-level API for controlling GPIB devices across different platforms, including Linux.

National Instruments USB Dongles

National Instruments offers USB GPIB controller dongles, which provide a convenient and cost-effective solution for connecting GPIB devices to a Linux system. These dongles are based on the NI-488.2 protocol and support high-speed data transfer.

Building a GPIB Module for the Linux Kernel

To build a GPIB module for the Linux kernel, follow these steps:

1. Install the required dependencies:

   
   # apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) libusb-1.0-0-dev
   

2. Clone the NI-VISA Linux device drivers repository:

   
   $ git clone https://github.com/NationalInstruments/ni-linux-device-drivers.git
   

3. Build and install the NI-VISA Linux device drivers:

   
   $ cd ni-linux-device-drivers
   $ make
   $ sudo make install
   

4. Load the NI-VISA kernel module:

   
   $ sudo modprobe visa
   

5. Verify the installation:

   
   $ lsmod | grep visa
   

Programming GPIB Devices on Linux

Once the NI-VISA library and drivers are installed, you can use a programming language such as Python, C, or C++ to communicate with GPIB devices. Here's an example of programming a GPIB device using Python:

import pyvisa

rm = pyvisa.ResourceManager()
device = rm.open_resource('GPIB0::22::INSTR')

# Send a command to the device
device.write('*IDN?')

# Read the response
response = device.read()

print(f'Device ID: {response}')

• GPIB is a widely-used interface bus for automated test systems.
• Linux has robust support for GPIB through open-source libraries and drivers.
• National Instruments offers USB GPIB controller dongles for connecting GPIB devices to a Linux system.
• Building a GPIB module for the Linux kernel involves installing NI-VISA Linux device drivers and loading the NI-VISA kernel module.
• Programming GPIB devices on Linux can be done using programming languages such as Python, C, or C++ with the NI-VISA library.

References

• National Instruments VISA Linux device drivers
• PyVISA: A Python package for controlling National Instruments VISA resources
• NI-VISA Documentation