GPIB

What country are you in ??

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the link. They have got some great USB devices.

But why are GPIB-USB adaptors so expensive? Theirs is $399 and you still need one of those unwieldy GPIB 'garden hose' cables at another $59 a pop. I wonder why the interface can't be placed inside a GPIB connector shell.

Regards, Joerg

Joerg,

I'll bet that the reason that they are so expensive is as simple as quantity. Not that much call for GPIB stuff as compared to commercial items like USB and firewire. Lets face it. GPIB is well close to (or over) 20 years old.

I see no reason that the entire thing, including the ugly cable could be designed into a shell including a USB B type connector and possibly a DC voltage input to power the GPIB (never used GPIB and am not sure what kind of of power is required).

Tom Woodrow

Joerg wrote:

Hi Tom,

Yes, the market is limited. But the USB devices exist, albeit not inside the connector. From the myriads of GPIB equipped instruments I have seen or used in labs less than 1% was connected. If they dropped the prices they would sell a lot more adapters since many folks have simply abandoned the GPIB capability of their instruments for cost reasons. The advent of digital cameras for screen shots probably did the rest.

It doesn't require much power.

Regards, Joerg