TE S T & ME ASUREMENT HANDBOOK
Remote Communication with USBTMC Simple connections employing USB can replace more expensive GPIB setups in test instrumentation.
Engineers from a variety of industries
AARON FERNANDO B&K PRECISION CORP.
test and measurement instruments from
use USB and USBTMC (USB Test & Measurement Class) to remotely control a host computer. It is useful to compare USBTMC to the widely used GPIB interface. The process of setting up an instrument for remote communication using USBTMC is relatively simple.
Host PC with USBTMC driver (VISA software)
USB cable
Typically, end-users are looking for a simple way to connect test instruments to a computer for automated control and measurement recording. For many years, these connections typically followed the IEEE 488 format. This is a short-range digital communications eight-bit parallel multi-master interface bus specification first created as HP-IB and now commonly called GPIB. In recent years, it has also become attractive to make simple test-instrument
USBTMC compliant device
VISA write VISA read
The USBTMC communication setup using a PC with supporting VISA software and a standard A-to-B USB cable as it would take place with a B&K 9115 Multi-range DC Power Supply.
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