drivers/gpib/lpvo_usb_gpib · keep-annotate

LPVO USB-to-GPIB laboratory instrument adapter

A small FTDI-based USB dongle that bridges a PC to the IEEE-488 (GPIB) bus used by older laboratory and test instruments such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, and multimeters. It was designed by the LPVO laboratory at the University of Ljubljana and is still sold as an assembled kit for researchers who need to script measurements from Linux.

keep-annotate conf=0.86 deploy=low replacement=none subsystem=gpib category=bus-other

86%

recommendation

Worth keeping but flagging as niche: the driver was only just promoted out of staging into the mainline kernel in late 2025 and has already received follow-up binding and memory-leak fixes, so it is actively maintained rather than abandoned. The hardware remains obtainable new from the LPVO lab and is still listed by the linux-gpib project as supported, though real-world deployments are limited to specialist measurement and instrumentation users.

repository signals

2 files

2,026 source lines

5 commits, 5y

+2,038 / −9 lines added / removed, 5y

4 authors, 5y

monthly commits · 2021-04-21 → 2026-04-21 · 5 total · active in 3/61 months

sources

git.kernel.org
The driver entered the main kernel tree when linux-gpib was destaged on 2025-11-24, so it is a recently promoted in-tree driver rather than abandoned legacy code.
git.kernel.org
The driver received a substantive binding fix on 2026-03-11, showing active post-merge maintenance.
git.kernel.org
The driver received a substantive memory-leak fix on 2026-04-02, indicating current upstream attention rather than removal prep.
lpvo.fe.uni-lj.si
The vendor/lab page says the newer LPVO controller version is sold as an assembled kit, so hardware is still obtainable new, albeit as a niche product.
linux-gpib.sourceforge.io
Linux-GPIB still lists the LPVO self-made adapter as supported hardware, which points to ongoing niche lab deployment rather than zero usage.

codex reasoning notes (technical)

Real driver directory: one kernel module source under drivers/gpib with USB driver structure and module metadata, confirmed by local shell inspection (`rg`, `sed`). Upstream activity was checked with local `git log`/`git show`; no removal signal surfaced, and the only recent changes are functional fixes after mainline inclusion. The three git.kernel.org commit URLs were added by canonical recall from the commit IDs obtained via shell. The LPVO and linux-gpib URLs were obtained via web search results. Conclusion: niche USB-GPIB lab hardware, still obtainable new as a kit and still seeing active fixes, so removal/deprecation is not justified; annotate as low-deployment specialist hardware.