Xantrex Technology GPIB-M-XFR, GPIB-M-XHR, GPIB-M-XT Configure for Multichannel Operation, Example

Installation and Configuration

Configure for Multichannel Operation

Configure for Multichannel Operation

Multichannel You may remotely control up to 50 power supplies from one GPIB interface by using Connections multichannel addressing via the CANbus.

One power supply will be connected to a PC via GPIB. All other power supplies are connected via CANbus (Controller Area Network) to that unit. SCPI commands that include a channel address will be sent via the CANbus to the other power supplies. (Commands with the local address will be executed locally and will not be sent).

The multichannel address must be appended to the program mnemonic. If no multichannel address is appended to the program mnemonic, the command is executed by the local (directly connected) power supply.

Each unit of the network can send and receive commands to and from other units on the network. It is highly recommended that only one command be sent at a time. Any GPIB timeout settings should be increased when using multichannel commands.

Multichannel If a second power supply that has the same multichannel address as another is Configuration connected to the bus, it will automatically increment its address until it finds a unique

address. If it fails to find a unique address, it will disconnect itself from the bus and you will not be able to communicate with it until you disconnect the other power supplies and cycle the power. Therefore, when configuring a network of supplies, you can make all connections, and power on one supply at a time. They will configure their addresses in the order that they were powered on. Be sure to note the address of each power supply for future reference or in case you want to reorganize the network.

Example:

Connect 3 power supplies for multichannel operation. You have one GPIB-M supply and 2 CAN-only supplies. The GPIB-M supply's multichannel address is set to 1 at the factory. Both CAN-only supplies are set to 2.

Connect all units as described in “Basic Setup Procedure” on page 31.

Power on the GPIB-M supply, then one of the CAN-only supplies. Check that you can communicate with both. Send the *IDN? query to return the identification string from the GPIB-M supply. Send "SYST2:IDEN?" to return the ID string from the CAN-only unit.

Power on the last unit. Since multichannel address 2 already exists on the bus, it will automatically configure itself to address 3. Check that this is the case by sending the command "SYST3:IDEN?"

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