NI-488.2 Driver Software Configuration in DOS - KnowledgeBase - Support

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NI-488.2 Driver Software Configuration in DOS

Primary Software: Driver Software>>NI-488.2
Primary Software Version: 2.7.2
Primary Software Fixed Version: N/A
Secondary Software: N/A
Hardware: GPIB>>Plug-in Controllers

Problem:
How do I configure my NI-488.2 Driver Software in DOS?

Solution:

After the driver is installed and you reboot your computer, NI-PnP.exe should run and display the following message:

NI-PnP.exe is a National Instruments utility that detects which type of NI boards you have installed. If you have a jumpered non-plug and play board, NI-PnP will not automatically detect that your board is in the computer. You must first tell the driver what type of board you have and what resources it is using. To do this, launch the GPIB configuration utility - ibconf.exe.

The following banner will appear indicating where the GPIB driver (GPIB.COM) resides and how many interfaces it supports.

Press any key to continue on to the GPIB device map. To configure a board or device, navigate to the appropriate description and hit the enter key or F8 function key. To configure the board, make sure GPIB0 is highlighted and press the enter key.

A new window will appear with a board type parameter. By default this parameter is listed as "None". Use the arrow keys to select your board type. You will then see a listing of configurable parameters. It is very important that the DIP switches and jumper settings on your board match the settings selected in the GPIB configuration utility.

GPIB-PCII/IIA Users

The GPIB-PCII/IIA can be configured for one of two board types - GPIB-PCII or GPIB-PCIIA. It is recommended that you use GPIB-PCII mode unless an existing GPIB application requires GPIB-PCIIA mode. The only difference between these modes is how the base I/O address is configured. The GPIB-PCII uses addresses in a consecutive block of eight beginning on any multiple of 8 between 100 and 3F8 hex. In contrast, the GPIB-PCIIA has only four possible base I/O addresses which use 16 bytes spread throughout the upper address space.

Note: You must change the DIP switch and jumper settings on the board to match your software configuration. For more information on hardware settings, please consult the Getting Started with Your GPIB-PCII/IIA and the NI-488.2 User Manual for Windows.

Select a valid Base I/O Address. Use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Base I/O Address and select a valid value.
- For most GPIB boards under DOS, the factory default is 0x2C0. If you are using a Non-Plug and Play board, after selecting an address, change the board's 5 DIP switches to match the diagram in ibconf.
- GPIB-PCII/IIA - The factory default for GPIB-PCII mode is 0x02B8. The factory default for GPIB-PCIIA mode is 0x02E1. You may only use the default values, if they are not already in use by another device in your computer; you may need to try different address values until you find an available address, if the default address is already taken.
Select an available interrupt (IRQ). Again use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Interrupt Level setting and choose a valid IRQ. The factory default is 11. If you are using a Non-Plug and Play board, after choosing an IRQ, make sure the IRQ jumper on the board is properly set. If you run into IRQ resource conflicts or do not have an available interrupt, select "None" in ibconf and take off the IRQ jumper. The board and driver will function properly without this resource.
Select an available DMA channel. If you are using a Non-Plug and Play board, after the DMA channel is selected, be sure to change the DACK and DRQ jumpers on the board to match this setting. If you encounter any DMA resource conflicts or do not have an available DMA channel, select None in ibconf and take off the DACK and DRQ jumpers. The board and driver will function properly without this resource.
- VXIpc-800/700 users need to set the DMA channel to 5.

For more information on hardware settings, consult your GPIB Getting Started manual.

There are several other board parameters you can modify, but for most cases you should leave them at the default settings.

In addition to modifying board parameters, you can also make changes to the software device configurations using ibconf. To change the device settings, choose the device in question from the main device map. Default settings for Dev1 are shown below. If you are writing a new GPIB application we do not recommend using these device templates. Instead you should make device parameter changes dynamically in your application code.

After making all necessary configuration changes, exit ibconf by hitting the Esc key a couple of times. Select "Yes" to save your changes and then reboot your computer.

You can now verify proper installation by continuing to the next step: KnowledgeBase 440CKFGH: GPIB Hardware and Software Diagnostic Tests in DOS.

Report Date: 12/07/2006
Last Updated: 12/28/2006
Document ID: 446ILSGH

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