National Instruments PCMCIA-488 PC Card

The PCMCIA-488 is a device that interfaces with computers with PC card slots. This card is an ideal PC card for troubleshooting GPIB applications, since it is a combination of the PCMICA-GPIB controller with a GPIB analyzer. High performance with low cost makes the NI PCMCIA-488 a great choice for a PC card. The NI PCMCIA-488 complies with plug-and-play standards. When inserting the card into a computer, the system will autoconfigure the card. The PCMCIA-488 is designed for equipment with low power like battery powered mobile applications.

The NI PCMCIA-488 has a special hot insertion feature, meaning that the card can be inserted without restarting the system. The PCMCIA-488 card has high speed data transfer rates independent of data size. The data transfer rate also depends upon the host computer and system configuration. The NI PCMCIA-488 PC Card is available in many types based upon its thickness. Various types include Type I (3.3 mm thick), Type II (5 mm thick), and Type III (10 mm in thickness). The NI PCMCIA-488 is hot swappable in Windows 2000/XP/Me/9X OS. When the card is inserted into the system, resources are automatically assigned. After the removal of the card, resources are deleted on auto. Under Windows NT, the PCMCIA-488 card is not hot swappable, so the card should be inserted before starting the system.

The NI PCMCIA-488 has the added feature of FIFO for increasing performance. A 32-bit FIFO buffers data sent to or received from the GPIB, thus enabling both the PCMCIA bus and GPIB for overlapping. The PCMCIA-488 additionally has latching connectors, which provides a powerful mechanical setup.

PCMCIA-488 Obsolete Status has been announced by National Instruments, but the card will still be available for purchase and repairs by Apex Waves.