Agilent Technologies 86100A, Programmer'S Manual, Page: 29 / 366

1-25
Introduction
Command Syntax
Numbers
Some commands require number arguments. All numbers are expected to be strings of ASCII
characters. You can use exponential notation or suffix multipliers to indicate the numeric
value. The following numbers are all equal:
28 = 0.28E2 = 280E-1 = 28000m = 0.028K = 28E-3K
When a syntax definition specifies that a number is an integer, any fractional part is ignored
and truncated. Using "mV" or "V" following the numeric voltage value in some commands will
cause Error 138–Suffix not allowed. Instead, use the convention for the suffix multiplier.
.
Infinity
Representation
The representation for infinity for this instrument is 9.37. This is also the value
returned when a measurement cannot be made.
Sequential and
Overlapped
Commands IEEE 488.2 makes a distinction between sequential and overlapped commands. Sequential
commands finish their task before the execution of the next command starts. Overlapped
commands run concurrently. Commands following an overlapped command may be started
before the overlapped command is completed. The common commands *WAI and *OPC may
be used to ensure that commands are completely processed before subsequent commands
are executed.
Table 1-7. <suffix mult>
Value Mnemonic Value Mnemonic
1E18 EX 1E-3 m
1E15 PE 1E-6 u
1E12 T 1E-9 n
1E9 G 1E-12 p
1E6 MA 1E-15 f
1E3 K 1E-18 a
Table 1-8. <suffix unit>
Suffix Referenced Unit
V Volt
s Second
W Watt
BIT Bits
dB Decibel
% Percent
Hz Hertz