[time-nuts] Prologix GPIB-USB vs. GPIB-LAN

[Bruce Griffiths]

Chad Simpson wrote:
> Hello all, this is my first post to the list...
>
> Like many of you, over time I've acquired enough test equipment with the
> GPIB interface that I'm wanting to make use of it.  I have narrowed the
> choice down to one of the Prologix devices (GPIB-USB or GPIB-LAN), but I
> haven't found much information about the differences between the two.  Apart
> from the obvious (price, tether distance from the PC), can anyone comment on
> the pros & cons of the two?  I am running all Macs, so anything pertinent to
> using these interfaces under OS X would be especially welcome.  I do have
> Win XP running under vmware, so if necessary I can use that, though I prefer
> to try and run everything under OS X.
>
> Some specific questions I have:
> - How well do the different drivers work?
> - Is one faster than the other?
> - What about compatability with various software?  Are the software
> interfaces really different, or similar enough that either could be used
> with minimal tweaking?
>
> Thanks, and have a great 4th of July everyone!
> Chad.
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>   
The GPIB-LAN device doesn't require drivers so it should work on any
modern OS (and hardware) that implements networking via UTP cable and
uses TCP/IP.
The GPIB-USB adapter needs a driver for the OS in use.

Thus the GPIB-LAN device should work with OS-X whereas the GPIB-USB
device will need a driver (currently there doesn't appear to be one so
you would need to roll your own).

The configuration tool for the GPIB-LAN device is a Windows program but
you should only need to use it to initially configure the device.
The critical configuration parameters are stored in non volatile memory.

Bruce