multi GPIB controller

[ghlaah]

Hi Guys,

  I want to build a GPIB structure which will have several controllers to controll several instruments. like the figure shown below. Is it possable?

[cymrieg]

ghlaah,

No you can't do want you have shown above. You can only have 1 GPIB controller-in-charge at a time on a GPIB bus. You want to be able to communicate from Client 12 with the SG at the same time as Client 14 communciates with the DMM - not possible.

To accomplish this you can either make sure all the instruments have LAN ports and just have  a totally Ethernet system or alternatively you could replace the GPIB Hub, you show, with an Ethernet -to-GPIB controller. All the Clients hook up to the Ethernet-to-GPIB controller via Ethernet and all the instruments connect to the GPIB side. This should work according to NI's data sheet for the NI GPIB-ENET/100.

[JasonSmith]

Another option besides the GPIB-ENET/100 controller, is to connect all the instruments to a GPIB interface on one of your computers, then use NI-VISA Server to allow remote access to those instruments over ethernet.

-Jason S. 

[Dennis_Knutson]

And whatever scheme, you had better think about how to prevent user A and user b from trying to program the same instrument.