New PCMCIA Interface Kit Connects Laptop PCs to GPIB Instruments

September 16, 1993 -- Austin, TX - National Instruments announced today a
low-cost, high-performance IEEE 488 interface for the PCMCIA bus. The
PCMCIA-GPIB interface kit includes a PCMCIA-GPIB plug-in board, the
company's NI-488.2 for DOS and Windows software, and a 2 m custom cable
terminated with a standard GPIB connector. A laptop PC equipped with the
PCMCIA-GPIB interface kit is a completely portable, high-performance IEEE
488 Controller used for numerous applications in laboratory automation and
automated testing.

About the PCMCIA-GPIB Board 

The PCMCIA-GPIB, a Type II PCMCIA board compliant with PCMCIA Version 2.01,
is compatible with Card Services 2.0 and Socket Services 2.0. You can use
the PCMCIA-GPIB with I/O-mapped and memory-mapped addressing and 8 or
16-bit data transfers to the PCMCIA bus. The NI-488.2 driver
autoconfigures the base address and interrupt level upon "hot insertion"
of the board into the PC, so users do not have to configure jumpers or
dip-switches.

The PCMCIA-GPIB uses the company's TNT4882C Application-Specific Integrated
Circuit (ASIC) for maximum performance specified by IEEE 488.2. The
TNT4882C chip performs the basic IEEE 488 Talker, Listener, and Controller
functions and those functions required by IEEE 488.2.

About NI-488.2 

The PCMCIA-GPIB includes the National Instruments NI-488.2 software for
MS-DOS and Windows. NI-488.2 is an enhanced version of the company's
NI-488X GPIB driver software that is completely IEEE 488.2 compatible.
NI-488.2 has high-level functions that transparently handle GPIB protocol
and buffered DMA transfers as well as low-level functions for maximum
flexibility and configurability. NI-488.2 software is compatible with
existing NI-488 application programs and automatically handles GPIB
protocols. The NI-488.2 software is portable across many computer
platforms and operating systems.

Pricing and Availability 

The PCMCIA-GPIB kit is available now for $595. For more information,
contact National Instruments, 6504 Bridge Point Parkway, Austin, TX
78730-5039, (512) 794-0100. Or call toll free in the U.S. and Canada at
(800) 433-3488. Fax: (512) 794-8411.

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