I struck gold, I got two brand new units in original packaging with manuals and cables for $90 on eBay a year ago or so... The seller had 2 in a Dutch auction for $90 each, and I was going to buy one but I missed the deadline and the units did not sell... As I was writing him an email to ask if he was still willing to sell one unit at that price, I saw he had reposted them at $90 for 2, BIN. I jumped on it.
Actually, my favorite is the Black Box Serial-488 Controller (it was designed by IOTech, who sells essentially the same unit as the Serial488A). It's a monster compared to the IOTech Micro488/P, but the separate power supply eliminates the requirement for modem control lines and I can use a simple 3 wire cable, and the unit don't care how many unpowered devices there are on the bus. Since I have a dozen or so instruments daisy chained at all times, it's a little more convenient. I replaced the 3 terminal 5V linear regulator inside with a small switcher, so it runs cool from a standard wall wart instead of a 1A supply. My logging software can handle either controller though, so with my setup, it does not really matter which one I use. The Micro488/P is neat though, I must admit. Didier KO4BB Tom Van Baak wrote: >> As someone pointed out, a Serial-USB adapter cost only about $10 >> (www.geeks.com), and I would not mind having a GPIB-Serial device, and >> attach a Serial-USB if I want to. Once you provide USB only, that's it, >> it will be USB or nothing. The one drawback of a Serial only controller >> is that you probably need a separate power supply. It's not the end of >> the world though. It's not an absolute obligation either. I have a pair >> of IOTech Micro488/P controllers that are powered from the serial port. >> They use a Motorola 68HC05 chip internally and work well, even with the >> serial port from my Dell laptop. The command set is simple and >> effective, I would recommend it. When bought new, these IOTech serial >> controllers cost an arm, both legs and an eye... eBay to the rescue :-) >> >> Didier >> > > I'm happy to hear someone else is using the IoTech > Micro488/P. It's my all-time favorite GPIB controller. > > /tvb > > > _______________________________________________ > time-nuts mailing list > time-nuts@febo.com > https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts > > _______________________________________________ time-nuts mailing list time-nuts@febo.com https://www.febo.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/time-nuts