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1256E User Manual
Racal Instruments
©
2002
SCPI Command Basics 5-5
Because of the wide variability in termination schemes in serial
mode, the 1256 must be configured through the front-panel user
interface to indicate whether it should expect carriage returns only,
linefeeds only, or carriage returns followed immediately by
linefeeds.
To make a termination election, select
SETTINGS
on the top most
line, select
Type: RS-232
on the second line, and
Option: EOL Mode
from the third line, and then choose the
appropriate setting. The default power-up state of the instrument is
linefeed only. To elect a different power-up state, this setting like
all other menu options can be saved to non-volatile memory. For
further details on front-panel usage refer to
Chapter 3: USING
THE FRONT PANEL CONTROLS
.
The 1256 has the ability to interface with terminals and terminal
emulation software. Unfortunately, a wide variation of capabilities
exists in terminal/terminal emulators. Most terminal/terminal
emulators generally treat the “ENTER” key as a carriage return,
will operate in half-duplex mode, and have the ability to add
linefeeds to incoming carriage returns.
To minimize frustration and obtain the most legible
communications, set the terminal/terminal emulator to operate in
half-duplex mode and add linefeeds automatically to incoming
carriage returns. In this configuration, the 1256 should be
configured to expect a carriage return only. Using this method, the
terminal display will not have any overwritten lines and be much
easier to read and use.
Another option for terminal/terminal emulators that support
character translation is to have carriage returns translated into
linefeeds. In this scenario, the terminal/terminal emulator still
needs to operate in half-duplex mode, however, the 1256 if
configured to accept linefeeds only, will now send a linefeed with
replies. This eliminates the need to add linefeeds to carriage
returns since no carriage returns come into play on either side.
The two methods mentioned here are only suggestions and do not
cover all possibilities. The 1256 is a flexible instrument and will
work in nearly all configurations.
IEEE-STD-488.2
Common
Commands
The IEEE-STD-488.2 standard defines a set of common
commands that perform functions like reset, trigger and status
operations. Common commands begin with an asterisk ( * ), are
four to five characters in length, and may include parameters. The
command keyword is separated from the first parameter by a blank
space. A semicolon ( ; ) may be used to separate multiple
commands as shown below:
*RST; *STB?; *IDN?