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Keysight InfiniiVision M9241/42/43A PXIe Oscilloscopes SCPI Programmer's Guide
3
Getting Started
Basic Oscilloscope Program Structure
The following figure shows the basic structure of every program you will write for
the oscilloscope.
Initializing
To ensure consistent, repeatable performance, you need to start the program,
controller, and oscilloscope in a known state. Without correct initialization, your
program may run correctly in one instance and not in another. This might be due
to changes made in configuration by previous program runs or from the front panel
of the oscilloscope.
• Program initialization defines and initializes variables, allocates memory, or
tests system configuration.
• Controller initialization ensures that the interface to the oscilloscope is properly
set up and ready for data transfer.
• Oscilloscope initialization sets the channel configuration, channel labels,
threshold voltages, trigger specification, trigger mode, timebase, and
acquisition type.
Capturing Data
Once you initialize the oscilloscope, you can begin capturing data for analysis.
Remember that while the oscilloscope is responding to commands from the
controller, it is not performing acquisitions. Also, when you change the
oscilloscope configuration, any data already captured will most likely be rendered.
To collect data, you use the :DIGitize command. This command clears the
waveform buffers and starts the acquisition process. Acquisition continues until
acquisition memory is full, then stops. The acquired data is displayed by the
oscilloscope, and the captured data can be measured, stored in acquisition
memory in the oscilloscope, or transferred to the controller for further analysis.
Any additional commands sent while :DIGitize is working are buffered until
:DIGitize is complete.
