HP 59000 Series HP-IB Accessory Modules

When HP first came out with HP-IB they also offered a line of HP-IB "Glue" accessory modules to help in constructing automated test systems.  All these instruments predated IEEE-488.1 and do not have any of the IEEE-488.2 capability.  That's to say they all use the "R2D2" type of commands.  The example code is typically based on something like a 9825 calculator.

Most of these modules have their covers held on with Pozi Drive 2 screws.  Instead of trying to use a Philips and doing a poor job, get a set of "secruity" bits that includes Posidrive and Torx.

Used to add HP-IB drive capability to instruments that have parallel external programming, typically by means of large pin count connectors.
No front panel controls.  On and Listening lamps.

Front panel range switch and output 5-way binding posts.  On, Remote, Listening and Local lamps.

Has 6 front panel independent latching push button switches to allow manually controlling the relays which can also be controlled remotely.

Two SP4T switches that can be controlled either from the front panel radio buttons or remotely.  Very handy to have for signal routing.
BNC connectors on the rear panel.

Month-Day as well as HH:MM:SS LED clock on front panel with backup battery provision as well as the ability to use an external 1, 5 or 10 Mhz frequency standard as it's heartbeat.  The lower front panel hinges up (notch in lower right corner) and there are:
Ext or Int oscillator selection, Push to Read button, 365/366 Days in the year switch, Reset button, Run/Hold switch, Set Day Button, Fast set time button and Slow set time button.  Setting time is tricky since the buttons only increment the time and MM:DD is one button and HH:MM:SS is either a fast or slow button.  But note that the clock is in hold mode during setting so you want to overshoot the time, then switch to run when the clock time matches the actual time.

  Provision for internal 9 Volt battery for a 1 day backup or an external 9 Volt supply via a BNC connector for longer term backup.  Will send the time stamp when queried via HP-IB.

Manual scanned and cleaned & has bookmarks.

This is a general purpose instrument.  One of it's applications was for the automated version of the HP 8410 Network Analyzer.
In addition to the 4 input analog channels there is one reverse channel that's an open collector transistor rated up to 80 V that can be turned on and off from the bus.  This could be used to press the button on a polar display the centers the beam.  When using the polar display manually you press the button and then adjust the Hor and Vert controls to  bring the beam to the center of the polar chart overlay.  But in an automated system you "press the button" by using the output from the 59313A and then read the X and Y voltages.  Later when a reading is taken the measured voltages have the zero voltages subtracted prior to making any computations to correct for the zero offests (beam centering).

3 Dec 2007 - The manual has been scanned and cleaned working on the bookmarks.

Could be used to monitor the HP-IB bus, but a much much better way is to use one of the NI interface cards in the TNT family.

Can be use to link two HP-IB systems using either two pair of dedicated lines or the POTS.

This interface was specifically made for the HP 6940 Multiprogrammer card cage.  The 6940 could be controlled by the HP 1000 computer or an HP calculator like the 85, 86, 87, 9826 or 9836.  The 1987 HP catalog page for the 6940 mentions the "GP-IB" as being a 16 bit interface bus.  Note HP-IB is an 8 parallel bit but with additional control lines.

HP power supplies (and the Harrison line they acquired) typically have on the rear panel provision for external programming.  This could be done using a remote pot or a remote voltage source.  Some power supplies also allowed for programming of both current and voltage.  The manual for the 59501 has many pages devoted to the many ways of connecting the 59501 to most of the HP line of power supplies then offered.

But in addition the DAC can be used in stand alone modes.  0 to 1 Volt, 0 to 10 Volts, -1 to +1 Volt and -10 to +10 Volts.  When in the bipolar modes you loose 1 bit of resolution in exchange for the wider range.  This is a very handy way to get an HP-IB analog voltage output.

.pdf version of Manual on CD-ROM
Title: 59501B
for serial prefixes 2308A-00101 and above
pub # 59501-90004
April 1983
See Product page for ordering information.

A handy instrument when working with Attenuators and/or switches.  Includes driver circuits for the current latching type switches and attenuators and there are cables that are specific to many of them making it very easy to use.  10 independent push buttons with LEDs in each.  11707A Attenuator/Switch Rack Mount Kit

The unit shown in the photos has the feet removed and so will fit into a rack.  In the rear view you can see the upper left two plug-in cards have the wire interfaces but the top two cards on the right are missing the wire interfaces, making it near impossible to use these two.  The bottom left slot is has the 44472A Dual 4-way VHF switch (same function as the 59307A above)

I used many of these in various test systems.  There are a number of plug-in cards that are very flexible.  The manuals for the 3488A are the best HP manuals I have seen for telling you what you need to know in a clear and concise manner.  The box is a 2 unit rack size, much smaller than the multiprogrammer boxes and the rack ears are optional, so it makes a convenient bench top instrument (has the slot on top front and mating feet to allow stacking).  Will accept up to 5 cards.

Keithley and Racal Dana make similar boxes but for most things they don't equal the cost performance product of the 3488A.

Plug-In-Cards

HP 44470A Multiplexer DP10T Switch
HP 44471A General Purpose Relay10 each SPST Switches
HP 44472A Dual SP4T Coax Switch
HP 44473A Matrix Switch 4 pair x 4 pair
HP 44474A 16 Bit Digital I/O + 4 handshake lines
HP 44475A Breadboard