5. GPIB bus

5.1 A brief history

In the past, measurement benches were operated by operators. Advances in automation have eliminated the need for operators to handle or read measuring equipment. Since the early 1970s, many measuring devices can be controlled by electrical signals (remote-control) and connected to a computer via a cable. At that time, there was a wide variety of programmable measuring devices on the market, built by different companies and using different control and communication standards.

As early as 1965, the American company Hewlet-Packard was working on an interface standard that would enable the future connection of all the measuring devices it built. This bus is called HPIB for Hewlet-Packard Interface Bus.

In 1972, the IEC...