Chapter 1 GPIB Hardware
GPIB Hardware Guide 1-6 ni.com
PCMCIA-GPIB
Caution The PCMCIA-GPIB hardware does not have isolation built into it. If you have a
system where there are different ground potentials involved, the voltage difference could
surge through the GPIB hardware and cause damage. This situation most often occurs
when the PC is a laptop running on a battery and the GPIB device is powered by an AC
wall connection.
To prevent damage to the PCMCIA-GPIB hardware or other components in your system
when different ground potentials are involved, do any of the following:
• Buy a GPIB-120A, which can provide up to 1600 V electrical isolation between GPIB
systems. These are available at
ni.com.
• Buy a pair of GPIB-140A units, which extend a GPIB system using fiber optics.
Because the GPIB signals at each end are transformed into fiber optic signals, each
unit can reside at a different ground potential. These are also available at
ni.com.
• Change the system setup so that all components in the system share the same earth
ground to eliminate the possibilities of voltage differential running through the
system.
Follow these steps to install your interface:
1. Reboot the computer.
2. If the PCMCIA-GPIB is not already inserted, insert it into a free
PC Card (PCMCIA) socket. The card has no jumpers or switches to
set, and you do not need to power down the system when you insert it.
3. Before connecting the PCMCIA-GPIB interface to GPIB devices,
ensure that the computer and the GPIB devices are at the same ground
potential.
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