The National Instruments GPIB-232CT-A and GPIB-485CT-A can
turn any computer or terminal with an RS-232 or RS-485 port into
a full-function IEEE 488.2 controller. With the flip of a switch, the
GPIB-232CT-A and GPIB-485CT-A can make any RS-232 or
RS-485 device appear as a GPIB device. The small size of these
controllers makes it ideal for use with laptop computers or other
computers that have no internal I/O slots available.
The NAT4882 IEEE 488.2 ASIC implements the full range of GPIB
controller functions, including those controller functions required and
recommended by IEEE 488.2. All GPIB sequences and operations
conform to IEEE 488.2. External DIP switches set the operating
mode, the GPIB primary address, and serial port parameters.
Depending on the version, the GPIB-232CT-A and GPIB-485CT-A
controllers can accept either AC or DC power input. You can
connect both the GPIB-232CT-A and the GPIB-485CT-A to
up to 14 GPIB instruments. In addition, when you pair the
GPIB-485CT-A with an RS-485 board for the PC, such as the
National Instruments AT-485, you can use it as a cost-effective
GPIB extender up to 1.2 km (4,000 ft)