Hi VibrantNDT,
I haven't examined the instructions myself for a while now, but there are a couple basics that are common to all systems.
1.) The controller and target device must not have the same buss address. To put this another way, each device on a data bus must have a unique address on that buss.
2.) The software would target an address of the actual device, not the controller. It is only the driver that needs to know what the address of the controller is. Your capture software wants to talk to the device (your HP 3577A in this case), not the controller. The driver translates the request from the software through the controller seemlessly, and onto the device.
Have a read on how to set up a GP1B buss. There is probably a default address for a controller. Set it to what is normally used in the industry to reduce the amount of configuration you need to do. Study the installation guide for both your adapter card and the application software. If your adapter card must use a specific address, then set it there and note this in other places so you can remember.
Once you have the system working, do take the few minutes to create an installation guide for yourself using the specific addresses and settings you did use. Print it and place that copy with your other GP1B documentation. Save the file in with the directories where your application software and driver(s) are stored. This is almost as important as getting it al to work in the first place. I also keep a Linux driver in case I change things over. That is actually my intent as windows has not proved itself to be stable over the long term. I do not trust Microsoft at all anymore.
-Chris
I haven't examined the instructions myself for a while now, but there are a couple basics that are common to all systems.
1.) The controller and target device must not have the same buss address. To put this another way, each device on a data bus must have a unique address on that buss.
2.) The software would target an address of the actual device, not the controller. It is only the driver that needs to know what the address of the controller is. Your capture software wants to talk to the device (your HP 3577A in this case), not the controller. The driver translates the request from the software through the controller seemlessly, and onto the device.
Have a read on how to set up a GP1B buss. There is probably a default address for a controller. Set it to what is normally used in the industry to reduce the amount of configuration you need to do. Study the installation guide for both your adapter card and the application software. If your adapter card must use a specific address, then set it there and note this in other places so you can remember.
Once you have the system working, do take the few minutes to create an installation guide for yourself using the specific addresses and settings you did use. Print it and place that copy with your other GP1B documentation. Save the file in with the directories where your application software and driver(s) are stored. This is almost as important as getting it al to work in the first place. I also keep a Linux driver in case I change things over. That is actually my intent as windows has not proved itself to be stable over the long term. I do not trust Microsoft at all anymore.
-Chris