I/O performance is imperative in instrument control. The computer should always be waiting for the instrument and
not the other way around.  The TAMS 81488 can deliver all
the speed that your instruments need.  

By moving software functions into hardware and concentrating on improving the performance of small transactions the 81488 is able to offer real world performance improvements.

General Characteristics

• Ultra fast HP-IB Interface for Red Hat Linux
• Supported on Red Hat Linux 9.0 & RHEL 3.0 (click here to see supported kernel information)
• 3.3v or 5v PCI or PCI-X
• Compatible with PCI, PCI-X, IEEE488.1, IEE488.2, SICL, VISA
• Software compatible with BASIC for Linux and C
• Maximum I/O speed >1 MB/s (large block transfers)

Using a single number to characterize performance of GPIB, or any type of I/O operation can be misleading.  There are many factors that affect actual performance: the amount of data being transferred; the size of data blocks; the difference between read and write speeds; programming language; the computer being used; etc. As a result, we do not recommend basing any decisions on maximum transfer rate.  However, to conform to the industry standard of specifying maximum I/O speed, the TAMS 81488 card can be specified to exceed 1MB/s. In addition, our tests have shown the 81488 to be 4.5 times than the 80488 for small transactions.

The TAMS 81488 is fully compliant with the PCI specifications for 3.3V and 5V PCI or PCI-X slots and delivers the highest possible level of throughput.  The card operates with 32 bit or 64 bit signaling specified at 33, 66, 100 or 133MHz, allowing complete configuration flexibility.  Whether you are using BASIC for Linux or programming in C with the SICL or VISA library, your code will now run at full performance.

TAMS is fully committed to supporting the Linux operating system. By supporting Linux with TAMS products, we are enabling our customers to deploy test and measurement solutions on the lowest cost hardware and operating system infrastructure. We believe that Linux is more attractive today than it ever was, as customers are looking for reliable and cost effective solutions.

System requirements
1 PCI or PCI-X slot
Red Hat Linux 9 or Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3.0  (click here to see supported kernel information)
TAMS I/O Library (SICL) for Linux (included)

Support Information

• Manual       81488-90001.pdf
• Data sheet  81488-012805.pdf

Related Products

• GPIB / HP-IB Interfaces
• GPIO Interfaces
• TAMS LAN I/O Gateway (GPIB/RS232 over LAN)