RS232/USB Remote Command Format
RS232 input to the instrument is buffered in a 256 byte input queue which is filled, under interrupt, in
a manner transparent to all other instrument operations. The instrument will send XOFF when
approximately 200 characters are in the queue. XON will be sent when approximately 100 free
spaces become available in the queue after XOFF was sent. This queue contains raw (un-parsed)
data which is taken, by the parser, as required. Commands (and queries) are executed in order and
the parser will not start a new command until any previous command or query is complete. RS232
responses to commands or queries are sent immediately; there is no output queue.
USB input conforms with USB 2.0 Full Speed.
Commands must be sent as specified in the commands list and must be terminated with the
command terminator code 0AH (Line Feed, LF). Commands may be sent in groups with individual
commands separated from each other by the code 3BH (;). The group must be terminated with
command terminator 0AH (Line Feed, LF).
Responses from the instrument to the controller are sent as specified in the commands list. Each
response is terminated by a
followed by 0AH (Line Feed, LF).
<WHITE SPACE>
<WHITE SPACE>
The high bit of all characters is ignored.
The commands are case insensitive.
GPIB Remote Command Formats
GPIB input to the instrument is buffered in a 256 byte input queue which is filled, under interrupt, in
a manner transparent to all other instrument operations. The queue contains raw (un-parsed) data
which is taken, by the parser, as required. Commands (and queries) are executed in order and the
parser will not start a new command until any previous command or query is complete. There is no
output queue which means that the response formatter will wait, indefinitely if necessary, until the
instrument is addressed to talk and the complete response message has been sent, before the
parser is allowed to start the next command in the input queue.
Commands are sent as
more
<PROGRAM MESSAGE UNIT>
elements.
A
<PROGRAM MESSAGE UNIT>
A
<PROGRAM MESSAGE UNIT SEPARATOR>
<PROGRAM MESSAGES>
any of the following:
NL
NL^END
^END
Responses from the instrument to the controller are sent as
consists of one
MESSAGE>
.
TERMINATOR>
A
<RESPONSE MESSAGE TERMINATOR>
Each query produces a specific
remote commands list.
<WHITE SPACE>
<WHITE SPACE>
character (0AH).
The high bit of all characters is ignored.
The commands are case insensitive.
32
<RESPONSE MESSAGE TERMINATOR> which is
is defined as character codes 00H to 20H inclusive.
is ignored except in command identifiers. e.g. '*C LS' is not equivalent to '*CLS'.
<PROGRAM MESSAGES>
elements separated by
is any of the commands in the remote commands list.
are separated by
The new line character (0AH)
The new line character with the END message
The END message with the last character of the message
<RESPONSE MESSAGE UNIT>
<RESPONSE MESSAGE>
is ignored except in command identifiers. e.g. '*C LS' is not equivalent to '*CLS'.
is defined as character codes 00H to 20H inclusive with the exception of the NL
Remote Commands
by the controller, each message consisting of zero or
<PROGRAM MESSAGE UNIT SEPARATOR>
is the semi-colon character ';' (3BH).
<PROGRAM MESSAGE TERMINATOR>
followed by a
is the new line character with the END message NL^END.
which is listed along with the command in the
0DH (Carriage Return, CR)
elements which may be
<RESPONSE MESSAGES>
<RESPONSE MESSAGE
. A
<RESPONSE