4 Operating the Power Supply Remotely

SCPI Commands – an Introduction

SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) is an ASCII-based instrument command language designed for test and measurement instruments. SCPI commands are based on a hierarchical structure, also known as a tree system. In this system, associated commands are grouped together under a common node or root, thus forming subsystems. Subsystem commands perform specific power supply functions. A portion of the SOURce subsystem is shown below to illustrate the tree system.

[SOURce:]

CURRent

[:LEVel]

[:IMMediate] <NRf+> :TRIGgered <NRf+>

:PROTection

:STATe <Bool>

 

SOURce is the root keyword of the command, CURRent is a second-

 

level keyword, LEVel and PROTection are third-level keywords, and

 

IMMediate, TRIGgered and STATe are fourth-level keywords. Colons

 

(:) separate higher-level from lower-level keywords.

Syntax

 

 

The following command syntax is used in this manual:

Square Brackets [ ]

Items within square brackets are optional. The representation [SOURce:]VOLTage

 

means that SOURce: may be omitted.

Angle brackets < >

Items within angle brackets are parameter descriptions. For example, <NR1>

 

indicates a specific form of numerical data.

Vertical bar

Vertical bars separate alternative parameters. For example, VOLT CURR indicates

 

that either "VOLT" or "CURR" can be used as a parameter.

 

The syntax characters cannot be included in the command string.

Multiple Commands in a Message

Multiple SCPI commands can be combined and sent as a single message with one message terminator. There are two important considerations when sending several commands within a single message:

Use a semicolon (;) to separate commands within a message.

There is an implied path that affects how commands are interpreted by the power supply.

The command path can be thought of as a string that gets inserted before each keyword within a message. For the first command in a message, the path is a null string. For each subsequent command the path is defined as the characters that make up the keywords of the

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Series N5700 User’s Guide

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Agilent Technologies 5749A, 5752A, 5744A, 5743A, 5748A Scpi Commands an Introduction, Syntax, Multiple Commands in a Message
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5751A, 5744A, 5743A, 5750A, 5749A specifications

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