Agilent Technologies E1301B, E1300B user manual System Instrument Command Reference, Command Types

Chapter 7

System Instrument Command Reference

About This Chapter

This chapter describes the Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) command set and the IEEE 488.2 Common Commands for the System Instrument. The System Instrument is part of the Agilent E1300/E1301 Mainframe’s internal control processor and is therefore always present in a Mainframe. This chapter contains the following sections:

• Command Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

• SCPI Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

• Common Command Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-65

• GPIB Message Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-72

• Command Quick Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-75

Command Types

Common Command Format

Commands are separated into two types: IEEE 488.2 Common Commands and SCPI Commands.

The IEEE 488.2 standard defines the Common commands that perform functions like reset, self-test, status byte query, etc. Common commands are four or five characters in length, always begin with the asterisk character (*), and may include one or more parameters. The command keyword is separated from the first parameter by a space character. Some examples of Common commands are shown below:

*RST, *ESE < mask> , *STB?

SCPI Command Format The SCPI commands perform functions like closing switches, making measurements, and querying instrument states or retrieving data. A subsystem command structure is a hierarchical structure that usually consists of a top level (or root) command, one or more lower level commands, and their parameters. The following example shows part of a typical subsystem:

[ROUTe:]

CLOSe < channel_list>

SCAN < channel_list>

:MODE?

ROUTe: is the root command, CLOSe and SCAN are second level commands with parameters, and :MODE? is a third level command.

System Instrument Command Reference 7-1