Newport MM4006, User Manual

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MM4006 Remote Mode
3.4 Communication Principles
The MM4006 controller follows simple conventions when interfacing with a
computer or terminal. Please read them carefully since they are the basis
of the remote mode operation.
RS-232-C or IEEE-488?
The MM4006 always listens to one of the two remote interfaces but never
to both in the same time. This is done to avoid potential conflicts that
could occur if two computers are trying to control a motion device at the
same time.
Command lines
The MM4006 responds only to command line instructions. This means that
no single or multiple character command is executed until a line terminator
is received. Section 3.4.1 describes in detail the rules associated with the
command format.
Controller responses
The MM4006 does not send any data out over the communication line
unless asked to do so. Even in the case of an
error, the controller does not
send anything back. If an error is suspected, the user must query the
controller, usually with the TE command. This is particularly useful when
designing complex programs using custom environments. There is no need
to constantly check the communication buffer if no transmission request
was made. During the application development, the error buffer can be
continuously checked. When the program is finished and everything works
fine, the error queries can be eliminated to reduce unnecessary overhead.
Communication buffer
The controller has a separate input buffer and output buffer, each 4096
characters wide. A single command line, however, may not exceed 110
characters.
ED1-10181En1020 — 03/03
3.16 N e V V p O r t .