HP's PC Link to VXI via FireWire is Five Times Faster than Predecessor

Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, CA) introduced a PC link to VXI that transfers data blocks greater than 64 kB at 14 MB/s, which is five times faster than its predecessor. The HP E8491B IEEE-1394 PC link to VXI provides a direct connection from a personal computer to a VXIbus mainframe via FireWire interface bus.

The HP E8491B includes a C-size VXI module with software and an IEEE-1394 cable. Option 001 provides an open host computer interface (OHCI) card that is installed in the PC. HP also offers an upgrade kit for users of the HP E8491A that includes the new OHCI PC plug-in card and new software.

The new version supports up to 16 VXI mainframes with one PC. An HP E8491B must be installed in each mainframe, and the mainframes can be connected in a daisy-chain, tree or star configuration. This reduces the cost of a large interconnected system because additional IEEE-1394/PCI cards are not needed for each mainframe.

The high data-transfer speeds that are possible with FireWire make it ideal for test systems used in high-volume manufacturing of wireless and automotive electronic devices. The HP E8491B also has been incorporated into several commercial HP test systems including the HP E9812A DAC Express analog data logger, the HP E5022A hard disk read/write test system, and the HP TS-5500 cellular-phone functional test platforms. Benchmarks are available at http://www.hp.com/go/vxi.

The HP E8491B is $2,000 and Option 001 (OHCI) plug-in card is $500, and the upgrade kit HP E8491B Option UP1 is $500

Hewlett-Packard Company, Test and Measurement Organization, 5301 Stevens Creek Blvd., MS54LAK, Santa Clara, CA 95052. Phone: 800-452-4844 extension 6534