Instrument connectivity through mixed I/O test systems

As common PC buses make their way into the test & measurement arena, engineers increasingly use these buses along with the traditional instrumentation buses for connecting to and communicating with instruments. The result is instrument connectivity through mixed I/O test systems. In this paper we explore this topic by first surveying and contrasting the most popular traditional instrumentation buses including GPIB and Serial (RS-232), as well as emerging PC buses including USB Ethernet, wireless (Bluetooth and 802.11), and FireWire. The paper then discusses a software architecture that can be used to seamlessly combine these buses into one coherent system. Throughout this discussion, the benefits of such mixed I/O systems is stressed.