USB and LAN Interfaces for Connecting Measurement Instruments
应用文章
Introduction
Since the Keysight E4990A and E4991B impedance analyzers were released, all Keysight impedance analyzers, the E4982A LCR meter and benchtop vector network analyzers now have Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Local Area Network (LAN) interfaces (Figure 1). Whether you’re setting up an ad hoc system on a lab bench or designing a permanent solution for a manufacturing line, General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB), LAN, and USB are the most popular interfaces for connecting measurement instruments to PCs.
Although GPIB has been the standard interface for connecting test instruments to PCs and for providing programmable instrument control for decades, no major enhancements have been done since the 1990s. On the other hand, USB and LAN are computer-industry standard I/O technologies, and most of PCs offer built-in USB and LAN interfaces. The USB and LAN standards have been continuously enhanced and the performances have improved rapidly in response to the growing needs for high-speed digital applications (Figure 2). This application note describes the benefits of using modern USB and LAN interfaces compared to GPIB.