OT: Is there any Linux GPIB control software for an HP 8640

GNU Radio
1

Ok, I have my USRP setup understood, now I want to setup a calibration
procedure, using
an HP 8640B Signal Generator. The last time I had an interest in GPIB
was in the early
80’s and programming the TI 9914… (whatever happened to the TI 9900
CPU… but I digress…).

Anyway, I basically want to be able to set the HP for a give frequency
and amplitude, then
acquire a set of FFT samples, then move to the next frequency. Rather
than have someone
take 80 samples per setting, running across the HP output range, and the
USRP ‘gain’, decimation
settings, etc. I would like to automate this.

So, is there some linux package that allows for controlling the HP via a
GPIB interface
card, which does not involve the still expensive LabView?

Thanks.
John C.

2

John C. wrote:

Ok, I have my USRP setup understood, now I want to setup a calibration
procedure, using
an HP 8640B Signal Generator. The last time I had an interest in GPIB
was in the early
80’s and programming the TI 9914… (whatever happened to the TI 9900
CPU… but I digress…).

I’m not aware that the 8640B has any GPIB capabilities; it’s a manually
tuned instrument and doesn’t have a CPU.

But as a general answer for GPIB on Linux, there is the Linux-GPIB
project at http://linux-gpib.sourceforge.net. It supports most of the
GPIB cards (including PCMCIA and USB interfaces) that are out there, and
works pretty well. It provides a C library that’s largely (though not
completely) compatible with the NI interface, and it also has bindings
for several languages, including perl and python.

John

3

John C. wrote:

John Ackermann N8UR schrieb:

I’m not aware that the 8640B has any GPIB capabilities; it’s a manually
tuned instrument and doesn’t have a CPU.

That’ll learn me to physically look at the equipment… but thanks for
the reference for GPIB stuff.

It is a great HF signal generator, though – superb wideband phase noise
and noise floor – the fact that the cavity oscillator is divided by
several decades for HF operation really makes it sing.

John

4

John Ackermann N8UR schrieb:

I’m not aware that the 8640B has any GPIB capabilities; it’s a manually
tuned instrument and doesn’t have a CPU.

That’ll learn me to physically look at the equipment… but thanks for
the reference for GPIB stuff.

John C…