GPIB-ENET still usable?

[mimmus78]

I brought one of this, thinking it was GPIB-Enet/100 but it turn out it's just GPIB-ENET.



This is a very old piece of GPIB Ethernet adapter ... so old it doesn't support DHCP and must be configured with RARP that is a very old protocol to assign an IP to a mac address.

I managed to configure ip, ping it and connect with telnet to its 5000 port, but it should speak some esoteric protocol that only NI knows.

Tried to install new ni-488.2 drivers/software for Windows, but it doesn't support this old gear. Searched on Linux but info is very fragmented so I almost give up.

Before I put this on ebay again, anyone know if there is a way to use it with a modern Windows 7 (or 10) or in Linux?

[stj]

can you foto the connectors and pcb?

[mimmus78]

Hope it's enough for you curiosity: this is just a general photo from sigrok website ...

[mimmus78]

it seems this py lib has the protocol implemented:

https://code.launchpad.net/~jordens/gpib-devices/trunk

tomorrow I'll check.

[stj]

btw, you can make a usb version for beer money.
https://ringwelt.de/messgeraete/17-gpib/41-gpib-usb-adapter.html

[joeqsmith]

I brought one of this, thinking it was GPIB-Enet/100 but it turn out it's just GPIB-ENET.

This is a very old piece of GPIB Ethernet adapter ... so old it doesn't support DHCP and must be configured with RARP that is a very old protocol to assign an IP to a mac address.

I managed to configure ip, ping it and connect with telnet to its 5000 port, but it should speak some esoteric protocol that only NI knows.

Tried to install new ni-488.2 drivers/software for Windows, but it doesn't support this old gear. Searched on Linux but info is very fragmented so I almost give up.

Before I put this on ebay again, anyone know if there is a way to use it with a modern Windows 7 (or 10) or in Linux?

Search "GPIB ENET".

[mimmus78]

Joeqsmit sometimes I feel stupid: I searched for "GPIB ENET" but found nothing really helpful.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 6P utilizzando Tapatalk

[stj]

maybe refering to this?
http://jgpibenet.sourceforge.net/

[bitseeker]

Thanks, stj. I don't know if that'll help the OP with his NI interface, but it'll work with my ICS 8065.

[joeqsmith]

Joeqsmit sometimes I feel stupid: I searched for "GPIB ENET" but found nothing really helpful.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 6P utilizzando Tapatalk

Search seemed simple enough so I assume then you read the thread, went to the link I provided on NI's site and just found it not be helpful. I have not done anything more with it yet so I can't be  of much more help if you are just looking for a quick solution.   I haven't invested more than a few hours and it looks easy enough to control it.  Too bad NI would just not release the documentation for it.   

[mimmus78]

Well the library I found has a class that implements the protocol, it seems far more complete than the info in this thread.

Hope I have some time to spend trying to make it work.

Already contacted someone on eBay for a classical gpib-usb-hs ... seems far more easier to make it work under Linux.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 6P utilizzando Tapatalk

[joeqsmith]

Yea, my plan was just to roll my own from the ground up.   

I had downloaded source from the link you had provided but it list the GPIB ENET as being supported.  Was hoping someone had already gone down this path.   

The NI libraries I called out would allow you to to run it from older versions of Windows.   I am not sure from the UNIX side. 

I am interested in seeing how far you get with it.  Keep us posted.

[JonM]

Seeing the photo reminded me that I bought one of these NI GPIB-ENET interfaces in 1993 and used it off and on for a few years with a Sun Workstation. It cost US$1700. While I could not find any of the code I wrote for it, I found enough notes to see that there was software support for Solaris 2.x. I also see that it apparently required a boot file that was delivered over Ethernet at power-up.

It's probably better to use a more modern solution if possible...

Jon
 

[mimmus78]

If you search for "libnienet.py" in google, someone using the lib pop out :-)

https://github.com/phsommer/scpi-python/blob/master/agilent-53131A/frequency-channel1.py

 

[mimmus78]

YES it works!!!

Code: [Select]

domenico@grizabella:~/Dropbox/gpib-enet/scpi-python-master/agilent-53131A$ python frequency-channel1.py
Device found:  KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS INC.,MODEL 2001,0649533,B10  /A02

[mimmus78]

Some more complicate script:

Code: [Select]

#!/usr/bin/python

import time
from libnienet import *

# set enet device ip
host = "192.168.1.253"
l = 0
ud = 0

def connect():
global l
global ud

l = EnetLib(host)

# connect to device over GPIB/Ethernet
ud = l.ibdev(pad=15,sad=0, tmo=10, eot=1, eos=0) # primary address = 15 (GPIB)

# clear device
l.ibclr(ud)

# reset device
l.ibwrt(ud, "*RST")

# get device identification
l.ibwrt(ud, "*IDN?")
time.sleep(1)
[status, response] = l.ibrd(ud, 4096)
print "Device found: ", response

l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND:TEXT:DATA '[url=http://WWW.118VOLT.IT;]WWW.118VOLT.IT;[/url]-)'")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND2:TEXT:DATA 'go and visit it'")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND:TEXT:STAT ON")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND2:TEXT:STAT ON")

time.sleep(1)

# Setup Keithley 2001
l.ibwrt(ud, "*RST")
l.ibwrt(ud, "*CLR")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SYST:AZER:TYPE SYNC")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SYST:LSYN:STAT ON")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SENS:FUNC 'VOLT:DC'")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SENS:VOLT:DC:DIG 9; NPLC 10; AVER:COUN 50; TCON REP")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SENS:VOLT:DC:AVER:STAT ON")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":SENS:VOLT:DC:RANG 20")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":FORM:ELEM READ")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND:TEXT:DATA \"               \";STAT ON;")
l.ibwrt(ud, ":DISP:WIND2:TEXT:DATA \"               \";STAT ON;")

def disconnect():
global l
l.ibonl(ud, 1)

connect()

i = 0

while i <= 10000000:
try:
i+=1
l.ibwrt(ud, "READ?")
status = 0
while status <> 8448:
[status, response] = l.ibrd(ud, 4096)
time.sleep(0.1)
print time.strftime("%d/%m/%Y-%H:%M:%S ") + ("%2.7f" % (float(response)))
except:
print "ERROR!"
time.sleep(1)
disconnect()
connect()

[JonM]

Surprising, but very nice!

Too bad I sent my unit and a pile of GPIB cables to recycling. I never loved GPIB, but there used to be no choice.

Jon

[mimmus78]

Surprising, but very nice!

Too bad I sent my unit and a pile of GPIB cables to recycling. I never loved GPIB, but there used to be no choice.

Jon

O nooo why you trashed it. I spent 2 hours to bodge a gpib cable, soldering those 17 wires two times! Those GPIB cables are like gold, cannot find one here in Italy for less than 50 USD ... I need to order 10 cables from Hong Kong now...

[joeqsmith]

YES it works!!!

Code: [Select]

domenico@grizabella:~/Dropbox/gpib-enet/scpi-python-master/agilent-53131A$ python frequency-channel1.py
Device found:  KEITHLEY INSTRUMENTS INC.,MODEL 2001,0649533,B10  /A02

Nice!

[joeqsmith]

Seeing the photo reminded me that I bought one of these NI GPIB-ENET interfaces in 1993 and used it off and on for a few years with a Sun Workstation. It cost US$1700. While I could not find any of the code I wrote for it, I found enough notes to see that there was software support for Solaris 2.x. I also see that it apparently required a boot file that was delivered over Ethernet at power-up.

It's probably better to use a more modern solution if possible...

Jon

There is some sort of initialize going on when it is first connected.  This may explain what I was seeing.  I just captured it and played it back.  It's only done once and after this, everything seems pretty simple but I never went any further than just using the basic read write.

[mimmus78]

There is some sort of initialize going on when it is first connected.  This may explain what I was seeing.  I just captured it and played it back.  It's only done once and after this, everything seems pretty simple but I never went any further than just using the basic read write.

Yes you set parameters like read timeout and other stuff during initial setup.

What I don't understand is why NI doesn't support it anymore. The protocol is very simple, TCP stack hasn't changed for decades on operating systems so it must be some marketing bullshit trying to force you to buy new ENET models.

Inviato dal mio Nexus 6P utilizzando Tapatalk

[JonM]

NI probably does not support it since the GPIB-ENET/1000 is the current product and even the 100 Mbps version is now obsolete. Few people would be happy with the 10 Mbps Ethernet version (although it would have been a faster interface than my old Agilent scope's serial port). I also note that the current version costs US$450 less than I paid for my GPIB-ENET.

Sorry that I threw out the pile of GPIB cables, I would have brought a few to Switzerland for transfer to Italy. I did see that there were quite a few cables available on eBay before I re-cycled them.

Jon

[stj]

i wonder how hard it would be to convert the gpib to lxi using a nucleo-144 or similar with it's onboard ethernet.

[jpb]

I've acquired one of these and have got stuck trying to get any compatible software.

In particular the NI utility IPassign that can be used to set an IP address.

Does anyone know how I can assign an IP address?

I suspect that I wasted my money on this (£30 plus another £10 to get an adapter to connect a normal RJ45 ethernet cable) but I'm reluctant to give up completely.

[HalFET]

I've acquired one of these and have got stuck trying to get any compatible software.

In particular the NI utility IPassign that can be used to set an IP address.

Does anyone know how I can assign an IP address?

I suspect that I wasted my money on this (£30 plus another £10 to get an adapter to connect a normal RJ45 ethernet cable) but I'm reluctant to give up completely.

For the newer ones it wasn't described too well either, but I remember you could do it from NI Max with those. Might be worth checking if you can find it in there somehow.