Can an old AT-GPIB/TNT replaced by GPIB-USB-A?

[robbine]

We have an old atomic absorption spectrometer with an old AT-GPIB/TNT card and the application should be 16 bits runs under Winodws 95. We try to upgrade the operation system into windows XP and replace the old AT-GPIB/TNT card by a GPIB-USB-A. The questions: If the GPIB-USB-A support the 16-bits application and will compitible with our current software without modification. Thanks.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

Not sure what you mean by 16-bit applications.

The GPIB-USB-A is obselete. It will work in Windows XP PC, but you can only install up to rev 2.4 of NI-488.2

http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/2D416C7085F40AA88625753F0053A7C2

You need to find out whether your test software will run in XP. That is something only you can find out.

[robbine]

Than you very much for your respones to my question. I mean the software for the atomic absorption spectometer is 16-bit application which run under windows 95. I can install the software on windows xp and run ok, but can not communicate with the instrument becuase the computer don't have a ISA slot for the old AT-GPIB/TNT card, so we are thinking if we can use a USB-GPIB card.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

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@robbine wrote:

Than you very much for your respones to my question. I mean the software for the atomic absorption spectometer is 16-bit application which run under windows 95. I can install the software on windows xp and run ok, but can not communicate with the instrument becuase the computer don't have a ISA slot for the old AT-GPIB/TNT card, so we are thinking if we can use a USB-GPIB card.

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Why USB-GPIB card?  Wouldn't it bring it be simpler to use the PCI-GPIB card

[robbine]

PCI-GPIB is ok. could you recommend which one is compitible to the old AT-GPIB/TNT, so that our 16-bit software can run under winxp.

[Dennis_Knutson]

Any GPIB controller from NI is compatible with XP. All of the commands (i.e. ibwrt, ibrd) are probably going to be compatible though some function calls have been deprecated in the years since the original program was written. The other issue is that I believe a GPIB card for XP uses GPIB-32.dll so if your program linked to something older and 16 bits, you would have to recompile. I'm not sure if any current GPIB controller could be used with the GPIB device driver from a 16-bit os. An expert from NI is needed to answer that question. Simplest would be to recompile. You kept the source code, right?

[robbine]

No, I don't have the source code. The software from the instrument commpany was written for 16-bit os, such as win 3.1, win95, win nt?  that's why i am not sure if we can use the PCI card to replace the original ISA card.

[nyc_(is_out_of_here)]

you might find this previous discussion useful http://forums.ni.com/t5/Instrument-Control-GPIB-Serial/Gpib-32-dll-is-not-found-in-win-32-apps-after...

[Julia2013]

Hmmm... ...

I tried to connect the laptop with Mac OSX 10.6 for Intel, to an audio analyzer called HP8903B,

using a GPIB-USB-A cable from NI.

Softwares are :      labview2012, VISA5.3, and NI488.2 v2.5.6,

I opened GPIB Explorer inside NI-488.2 directory,

but it reminds me that " Error occurred in getting GPIB board properties from the NI-488.2 configuration information file.

Your software may not be installed correctly. Please re-install the NI-488.2 software", so I re-install, it reminds the same

problem...

Then I installed NI488.2 v3.0.1, this time it no more pops out the error msg window as above.

But nothing is found in the GPIB interfaces list window.

Then I search in

http://www.ni.com/white-paper/5326/en

GPIB Driver Versions for Microsoft Windows and DOS

also in

http://www.ni.com/white-paper/5458/en#toc3
GPIB Driver Versions for non-Microsoft Operating Systems

And found that GPIB-USB-A is supported only on windows XP 32-bit & windows 2000,

and it requires version 2.2 for NI488.2

[JasonSmith]

The GPIB-USB-HS is the only NI USB GPIB interface supported on Mac OS X. This support was added in NI-488.2 2.5.5, which released in 2008, about five years after the GPIB-USB-A was discontinued.

-Jason Smith