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Is there a way to use a National Instruments GPIB-1284CT on modern OS and hardware?

I picked up a National Instruments GPIB-1284CT parallel port GPIB interface at a swapmeet cheap.

NI quit supporting it on windows 98. I did get it running in win98 on an ancient laptop that's maxed out at 128MB of RAM.

I'd like to get it running on modern hardware.

Modern hardware lacks a parallel port and drivers for win98.

Virtualbox has hidden support for the parallel port, but it's unclear whether that mode supports whatever NI uses to access that port.

Second problem is the missing physical parallel port. I have a pile of usb/parallel adapters. Virtualbox should present virtual win98 with a parallel port, but it's not clear whether that supports the methods used by NI. I don't expect there's any way to get win98 to recognize the usb dongle directly in virtualbox??

Google seems to have reached a dead end on that subject. I haven't found much relevant on the NI site.

Another option is to bit-bang the parallel interface. I've successfully implemented enough of the api to get serial to GPIB working for my application using a PIC and a USB/serial adapter or Bluetooth/serial adapter.

The GPIB-1284CT has an ASIC between the parallel port and the GPIB chip. Haven't found documentation on how that interface works. Even if I know how to program the GPIB chip, I still don't know what to tell the ASIC to make that happen. That doesn't solve the issue of whether the usb/parallel adapter can do what is required.

Yes, somewhere in this pile-o-stuff I have a logic analyzer that can decode GPIB and parallel port. I'd rather not repeat what's already known.

Before I dive down that rat hole, has anybody made the GPIB-1284CT work with modern hardware and OS? How?

Reply to
mike
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Before you go too far down that rabbit hole, check out Prologix. They make nice GPIB-USB and GPIB-Ethernet dongles for fairly cheap, and you don't have to use crusty 16-bit software.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Reply to
Phil Hobbs

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 04:33:42 -0800 (PST), Phil Hobbs Gave us:

Even Tektronix makes one. I have the one you mention as well as a Tek model.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

It's not about needing another gpib interface. It's about having another gpib interface that I'd like to make useful. I hate to see $2 go to waste and end up in the landfill.

Reply to
mike

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 05:29:50 -0800, mike Gave us:

You waste more than that in personal time... all the time.

Then you ask stupid f*ck questions about USB to parallel interfaces and virtual machines and cannot grasp the fact that it wants hard, BIOS recognized pots.

You are a true nutcase.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 08:40:40 -0500, DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno Gave us:

ports

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

No problem. I gots 100% personal time.

If you KNOW that for a FACT, that's the answer to the question. If you're GUESSING, please stop wasting my personal time. Based on your usual responses, I'd predict the latter and heavily discount your terse response.

Reply to
mike

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 06:49:39 -0800, mike Gave us:

Must be only worth about $0.02 per hour. Perhaps even less.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

Typing 'gpib' in the HackaDay search box pulls up a few articles.

formatting link

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: snipped-for-privacy@netfront.net ---

Reply to
Randy Day

Probably less. But you have do do something while waiting for the grim reaper. I find experimentation far more rewarding than calling people names.

Reply to
mike

Thanks, I'd found those. None help with making the existing GPIB-1284CT work.

I know how to talk to GPIB. What I don't know is how to talk to the parallel interface of the GPIB-1284CT.

Reply to
mike

On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 16:03:30 -0800, mike Gave us:

You are what YOU bleat, sheeptard.

Stop bleating stupid troll horseshit in the Linux group, and folks might stop referring to you as a troll. That isn't name calling, that is accurate characterization. Big difference.

I took 50 strips of Silicon steel and made a laminated core antenna yesterday. 120 turns of 12 Ga wire on it pitch spaced. Huge gain over the previous and ferrite core versions pale by comparison.

I don't sit around either, but GPIB is easy.

Reply to
DecadentLinuxUserNumeroUno

If you are determined to do it then disassemble the driver for the original hardware as supplied with it. Back then ISTR they even provided a really ugly basic program that gave some strong hints about how the peeky pokey stuff was done. I second the suggestion to get something more modern that works via ethernet or USB today.

--
Regards, 
Martin Brown
Reply to
Martin Brown

***** OUR HERO *******
Reply to
Rheilly Phoull

Do you have a bus analyser so you can see what you are getting through?

Chances are the data/command is the 8bit parallel I/O and the control signals for the data are in some permutation the 3 wire handshake. The printer port will have to be bidirectional to support read and write.

Putting different patterns out and wiggling the likely control lines up and down would be the most obvious way to proceed if you are determined to do this. Find and disassembling the original driver would be quicker.

--
Regards, 
Martin Brown
Reply to
Martin Brown

If my original post hadn't been snipped in its entirety, you'd know that I have logic analyzers up to the task. But that won't fix any issues with using a usb/parallel adapter to get there with a modern computer. I'd rather build on someone's previous work than to start from scratch. It does work on my win98 laptop. That meets my anticipated needs. If someone hasn't already addressed the issues, I may just leave it at that.

Reply to
mike

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