ICS Electronics 4835 Serial IEEE 488 GPIB Bus Controller RS-232 RS-449 115VAC

ICS Electronics 4835 Serial IEEE 488 GPIB Bus Controller RS-232 RS-449 115VAC

The ICS Electronics Corporation Model 4835 is a standalone Serial to IEEE 488 (GPIB/HPIB) Bus Controller that adds complete IEEE 488 bus controller capability to any host computer equipped with an RS-232 or RS-449 serial interface. The 4835 acts as the system controller on the IEEE 488 instrument bus, handling all GPIB handshaking and protocol so the host computer can communicate with GPIB-equipped instruments through a standard serial port. It supports both a CPU port and a terminal port on each serial interface, giving it flexibility for a variety of host and terminal configurations.

Specifications & What's Included

• Manufacturer: ICS Electronics Corporation
• Model: 4835 Serial IEEE 488 Bus Controller
• IEEE 488 / GPIB / HPIB interface: J1 — 24-pin GPIB connector (AH1, SH1, C1, 2, 3, 4, 25, E1)
• RS-232 ports: J2 (CPU RS-232 I/O), J4 (TERM RS-232 I/O) — DB-25 connectors
• RS-449 ports: J3 (CPU RS-449 I/O), J5 (TERM RS-449 I/O) — DB-37 connectors
• AC power input: IEC inlet, 50/60 Hz line
• Line voltage selectable: 100 VAC / 115 VAC / 200 VAC / 230 VAC
• Fuse ratings: 100 VAC — 1/2A 3AG; 115 VAC — 1/2A 3AG; 200 VAC — 1/4A 3AG; 230 VAC — 1/4A 5×20 mm
• Front panel indicators: PWR, CPU RDY, TERM RDY, TALKING, LISTENING LEDs
• Front panel controls: Power / Reset / Standby switch (green rocker)
• Rear panel: Escape Character DIP switch block (configurable)
• Form factor: Benchtop / desktop enclosure
• Includes: Unit and loose DB-25 connector visible in photos

Applications

The IEEE 488 bus — also known as GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus) or HPIB (Hewlett-Packard Interface Bus) — was the dominant instrument interconnect standard from the 1970s through the 1990s and remains in active use today wherever legacy test and measurement instruments are maintained. Instruments from Hewlett-Packard, Keithley, Tektronix, Rohde & Schwarz, Fluke, and many others were built with GPIB as their primary remote-control interface. A serial-to-GPIB controller like the ICS Electronics 4835 allowed host computers equipped only with RS-232 or RS-449 serial ports — the dominant PC and minicomputer interfaces of the era — to serve as full IEEE 488 system controllers, automating instrument data acquisition, calibration routines, and production test sequences. The 4835 is particularly useful in legacy ATE (Automated Test Equipment) environments where GPIB instruments are still in service but the controlling computer no longer has a native GPIB card. It also finds use in industrial metrology labs, university physics and engineering labs, and by collectors and restorers keeping classic HP, Tektronix, and Keithley instruments operational. The multi-voltage power supply (100–230 VAC) makes it suitable for worldwide deployment.