GPIB to PC interface

[jrz126]

I just obtained a TEK-2430A digital Oscilloscope. I noticed that it has a GPIB interface on the back.

From some of my inital research, you can interface this to your pc using a plugin card thingy.

I found some software that I can use on tektronic's website (see attached)
it says I need a NI488.2 GPIB card from national instruaments. and it also says that it will work with Windows 3.1. Does anyone know if I will be able to use it with windows professional? It looks like the NI card will work with win. 95, so it'll probably work with my windows. I'm just concerned about the tektronics software.

Is there any more recent software that is compatable?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I just obtained a TEK-2430A digital Oscilloscope. I noticed that it has a GPIB interface on the back.

From some of my inital research, you can interface this to your pc using a plugin card thingy.

I found some software that I can use on tektronic's website (see attached)
it says I need a NI488.2 GPIB card from national instruaments. and it also says that it will work with Windows 3.1. Does anyone know if I will be able to use it with windows professional? It looks like the NI card will work with win. 95, so it'll probably work with my windows. I'm just concerned about the tektronics software.

Is there any more recent software that is compatable?

If you're using Windows XP, it's well known for not working well with old hardware, in fact if the card was designed to work with Win3.1, it's quite possible it won't work with ANY later operating system - unless the manufacturer has supplied updated drivers for it.

 

[jrz126]

I'm still researching this, but I'm alittle confused. Can I use this connection to store waveforms to my PC? I was talking to a co-worker and he said that he used this interface to just change the settings on the scopes and other equipment, not to dump waveforms like what i want to do.

I just got a CD with the operators, service and programmers manuals, but I havn't had time to look it over.

Any links or other material on this would be very helpful

 

[Dean Huster]

With most of Tek's better DSO software, you can not only change scope settings, you can poll the scope to see it's current settings; you can upload waveforms from the scope to the computer; you can download waveforms back. The computer can use the waveform calculations the scope provides (amplitude, period, etc.) and work magic of its own. Go to the Tektronix website for your questions. Any interface card you get from National Instruments will be up-to-date. If you get the card off ebay, it may not.

https://www.tek.com

Dean

 

[Dngrsone]

You may not be limited to NI cards and software... depending on how closely the o'scope conforms to IEEE-488, there are a ton of interfaces and software out there.

I've had a hankering to get my hands on Visual ATLAS and see how it differs for the old ATLAS standards I've worked with over the years...