National Instruments Releases First PCI Express-Based GPIB Controller

Business Wire, Sept 21, 2004

AUSTIN, Texas -- National Instruments (Nasdaq:NATI) today announced the test and measurement industry's first GPIB controller for PCI Express. With the new NI PCIe-GPIB controller, engineers can take advantage of the latest PC technology to control instruments through PCI Express.

The NI PCIe-GPIB controller interface for PCI Express combines high-performance hardware with a complete suite of software development tools to get applications up and running quickly. The PCIe-GPIB relies on the NI TNT GPIB ASIC, making it a maximum-performance IEEE 488.2 controller for PCI Express. It can sustain data transfer rates of more than 1.5 MB/s using the IEEE 488.1 three-wire interlocked handshake, and implements the high-speed IEEE 488.1 noninterlocked handshake (HS488) for benchmarked data transfers at more than 7.9 MB/s.

Engineers can use the NI PCIe-GPIB with NI-488.2 driver software and any NI development environment including LabVIEW, LabWindows/CVI and Measurement Studio for Microsoft Visual Studio. This GPIB controller complements the NI industry-leading portfolio of GPIB controllers that includes the NI GPIB-USB-B, NI GPIB-ENET/100 and NI PCI-GPIB.

PCI Express is a high-performance, point-to-point serial interconnect that improves PCI by providing scalable bus bandwidth. PCI Express features a layered model that offers backward compatibility with existing PCI applications at the operating system level. In addition, PCI Express offers critical features such as guaranteed bandwidth for demanding data acquisition applications.

About National Instruments

National Instruments (www.ni.com) is a technology pioneer and leader in virtual instrumentation -- a revolutionary concept that has changed the way engineers and scientists approach measurement and automation. Leveraging the PC and its related technologies, virtual instrumentation increases productivity and lowers costs through easy-to-integrate software, such as the NI LabVIEW graphical development environment, and modular hardware, such as PXI modules for data acquisition, instrument control and machine vision. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, NI has more than 3,100 employees and direct operations in 41 countries. In 2003, the company sold products to more than 25,000 companies in 90 countries. For the past five years, FORTUNE magazine named NI one of the 100 best companies to work for in America. Readers may obtain investment information from the company's investor relations department by calling 512-683-5090, by sending e-mail to nati@ni.com or by visiting www.ni.com/nati.>

Pricing and Contact Information

NI PCIe-GPIB controller interface
Priced from $495
Web: www.ni.com/gpib

11500 N Mopac Expwy, Austin, Texas 78759-3504
Tel: 800-258-7022, Fax: 512-683-9300
E-mail: info@ni.com

CVI, HS488, LabVIEW, Measurement Studio, National Instruments, NI, NI-488.2 and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.