DH Instruments COMPASS FOR MOLBOX, User Manual

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COMPASS

for molbox™ User’s Manual
Page 151
© 1998-2003 DH Instruments, Inc .
commands to send prior to entering command information into any of the Command Editors. If a command
issued to a device does not give the desired results, refer to the device documentation for information.
[Tools] , [Remote Communications] allows the desired interface type to be selected and interface
parameters to be specified. IEEE-488 communication assumes the computer is using the IEEE-488 card
selected in the System Configuration
(see Section 10.2). Enter the command to be sent in the command
field. Clicking <Send> , causes the command to be sent using the current <Interface Setup> . Results
and return strings are displayed in the <Last Command Reply> box. These return strings are logged as
read and unmodified by COMPASS . The communications time-out is fixed at 10 seconds. A time-out is
indicated by displaying <COMPASS Time-Out> . If the command does not have a response or the target
communications device does not normally respond to commands, click the <Send Only> check box or
COMPASS will expect a response and time-out if none is received. Commands sent are automatically
added to the drop down <Command> list; the list is cleared each time COMPASS is rebooted.
Some RS-232 instruments automatically output data without requiring a command response pair. To test
these interfaces, check the
<RS232 Poll> option. When active, this feature causes COMPASS to poll the
selected RS-232 port and automatically log any response. Polling will occur only after a command has
been sent. If no command has been sent, press the
<Send> button to begin polling. After a command
has been issued, the selection can be toggled without any other required actions.
Figure 88. Remote Communications Tool