December 23, 2025
Old gear, new beef
Open source USB to GPIB converter (for Test and Measurement instruments)
Adapter that revives old lab gear triggers praise, Ethernet FOMO, and a nerd fight
TLDR: Open-source USB-to-GPIB gets new firmware and a pre-built buy option, igniting cheers for a cheap, reliable lifeline for old instruments. Commenters split over Ethernet wishlists, a possible one-device limit, and whether keeping GPIB alive in 2025 is genius or nostalgia run amok.
An open-source gadget that lets old lab instruments talk to modern computers just dropped fresh firmware (V2.2) and even a pre-built, plug-and-play option via Elecrow—cue the comments exploding. Fans are calling it a wallet-friendly hero that finally dodges pricey brand-name boxes, with one stan gushing it’s “better than NI or Keysight,” the Apple and Samsung of lab gear. Meanwhile, a practical crowd is laser-focused on the next step: Ethernet. One user cheered a hinted “Rev 3” with network support, basically saying, “wake me when it’s wired.”
Then the fight broke out. A skeptic slammed the vintage GPIB port as “slow and messy,” asking why in 2025 we’re still babysitting 1980s connectors. Legacy lovers clapped back with “because my classics still slap,” happy this adapter works with common lab software and costs about lunch money to DIY. Another flashpoint: a commenter wondered if this device handles only one instrument at a time, which would nix some old-school GPIB group tricks—nerds clutch pearls.
There’s even meta-drama: someone dropped a “better link” because the Markdown didn’t render, which is peak internet. The creator promises it’s still fully open—selling pre-built units is “choice, not change.” Buy it here or build it yourself. Either way, the bench wars are back.
Key Points
- •Firmware V2.2 for UsbGpib was released on 30 Nov 2025; a V2 user manual was added on 23 Nov 2025.
- •Pre-built UsbGpib V2 adapters are available via Elecrow; full open-source design files remain available for DIY builds.
- •UsbGpib uses the USBTMC class to ensure compatibility with NI-VISA, LabVIEW, MATLAB, and PyVISA.
- •Design goals achieved include small size (right-angled USB, roughly GPIB connector length), low cost (~US$14), firmware upgradability, robustness, and features like serial poll and remote enable/disable.
- •The device enumerates on USB only when a GPIB device is connected/powered and is designed to support diverse GPIB implementations; it addresses issues seen in other adapters (Windows 10 driver problems, non-VISA UART designs, excessive length).