T R O U B L E S H O O T I N G
GPIB Troubleshooting Guide
01_10
OMM-6810B
103
C H A P T E R
6
GPIB Troubleshooting Guide
If you have difficulty operating the 6810B via GPIB, refer to the symptoms below:
Symptom
Corrective Action
No response from 6810B upon a GPIB command
(remote light does not come on)
•
Make sure you purchased Option 1268 with your
6810B. A connector on the rear panel does not
necessarily mean the device is GPIB capable.
•
Check that a GPIB cable is connected between the
6810B and the system controller (your computer). This
cable should be less than 3 meters long.
•
Check that the GPIB address is set properly and the
controlling software is sending commands to the proper
address.
•
Make sure no two devices have the same GPIB
address.
•
Check that there are fewer than 15 devices on the bus
and there is less than 20 meters of total cable.
•
Check that the GPIB controller card in the host
computer is configured properly. See Appendix C.
•
Try isolating the 6810B by removing all other
instruments from the bus.
Slow or unexpected response to GPIB
commands
•
Make sure no two devices have the same GPIB
address
•
Check that there are fewer than 15 devices on the bus
and there is less than 20 meters of total cable.
•
Make sure the GPIB controller card in the host
computer is configured properly. See Appendix C.
•
Isolate the 6810B by removing all other instruments
from the bus.
Device does not respond to command (remote
light is on)
•
Read the error queue remotely (Err?). The command
syntax or command structure may be in error.
•
Read the status byte (*STB?) and condition register
(COND?) for possible device problems.
•
Make sure the GPIB controller card in the host
computer is configured properly. See Appendix C.
Bus hangs
•
Place a software timeout around the command in
question to prevent the hang.
•
Check the syntax of the command that is causing the
hangup.
•
Make sure the controlling software is not requesting
information from the 6810B without first sending a
query.
•
Make sure the GPIB controller card in the host
computer is configured properly. See Appendix C.
•
Check GPIB cables and the GPIB address.
