Ni 488.2 Software Overview; Plug And Play Overview - National Instruments AT-GPIB/TNT Getting Started

Chapter 1
You can use standard GPIB cables to connect the AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) with up to 14
instruments. If you want to use more than 14 instruments, you can order a bus extender
or expander from National Instruments. Refer to Appendix A, Specifications, for more
information about the AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) board specifications and recommended
operating conditions.
NI-488.2 Software Overview
The NI-488.2 software, along with the AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) hardware, transforms a
general-purpose PC into a GPIB Talker/Listener/Controller with complete
communications and bus management capability. The NI-488.2 software includes the
following components:
• Device driver
• Language interface libraries for the following languages:
– BASICA
– GWBASIC
– Microsoft QuickBASIC
– Microsoft Professional BASIC
– Microsoft Visual Basic for DOS
– Microsoft C
• Configuration utilities
• Hardware and software diagnostic tests
• Interactive control program
• Utilities for software development
• Example programs that use NI-488 functions and NI-488.2 routines
Refer to Appendix A, Specifications, for more information about the NI-488.2 software
specifications and recommended operating conditions.

Plug and Play Overview

The term Plug and Play refers to a new industry standard designed to help you add
peripheral boards in a personal computer system. With Plug and Play you can configure
a new add-on board entirely from software, without moving jumpers or changing DIP
switches on the board.
A Plug and Play ready system is one in which cooperation takes place between the
hardware, the operating system, device drivers, and applications. Most add-on boards
need system resources (DMA channels, interrupts, I/O space) in order to interact with
© National Instruments Corp. 1-3 AT-GPIB/TNT (PnP) for DOS
Introduction