Instrument Connectivity

Hewlett-Packard, invented the HP-IB bus for instrumentation control. Also known as GP-IB,  IEEE488 and IEC625, this bus has determined how instruments and computers have been connected for almost the entire history of computing. 

Whilst still a dominant method of connecting multiple instruments in an automation environment today, Ethernet and USB are also widely available on instruments developed in the last decade or more.

In the same way GP-IB shaped instrument connectivity for decades, LXI (Lan Extension for Instrumentation) has become the modern replacement. 

All our suppliers offer a range of interfaces depending on the design age of the product and the intended application.

Software for developing application automation programs has also taken a major step forward in recent years from command line languages such as BASIC and C, to the new visual development languages such as Agilent Technologies VEE (Visual Engineering Environment) where programs are created using function blocks connected together as a flow chart.

We offer a range of interfaces and converter options to help you connect instrumentation to computers including: GP-IB to USB and GP-IB to PCI interfaces, GP-IB to Ethernet hubs, USB hubs, GP-IB cables, LXI timing devices for IEEE 1588 PTP and Trigger and Sync devices for LXI based systems.