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1256E User Manual
Racal Instruments
©
2002
SCPI Command Basics 5-41
System
Commands
The 1256 instrument supports several system commands. These
commands generally access errors, SCPI standard information, as
well as user-interface issues. Additionally, the 1256 uses a special
command to update non-volatile memory.
Reading Error
Messages
Whenever an error is encountered by the 1256, it will perform two
actions:
1. One of the bits of the
Standard Event Status Register
will be
set. This register may be read using the *ESR? query
2. An error message will be added to the error message queue.
The error message queue may be read using the
SYSTEM:ERROR? query (or SYST:ERR?).
Consult Appendix B for a list of error messages and more detailed
explanations.
The error queue holds up to 15 error messages. Each time an
error is detected by the 1256, it adds a new error to the error
queue. Each time the SYSTEM:ERROR? query is received, the
oldest (least recent) error message is returned.
The syntax for this command is shown below:
:SYSTem
:ERRor?
The reply to the SYSTEM:ERROR? query uses the format:
<error code> , “<error message>”
where:
<error
code>
This parameter is a numeric
value. This value is “0” if there
are no errors remaining in the
error queue. This value is
negative when an error exists on
the error queue.
<error
message>
This parameter is a string
enclosed in double quotes. The
error message provides some
additional information about the
error.