R&S AFQ100A
Introduction - Remote Control Basics
1401.3084.32 5.1
E-3
5 Remote Control - Basics
Introduction - Remote Control Basics
This chapter provides:
Instructions on how to set up the modulation generator for remote control operation.
A general introduction to remote control of programmable instruments. This includes the description
of the command structure and syntax according to the SCPI standard, the description of command
execution and of the status registers.
A description of the remote control interfaces.
In chapter 6, all remote control functions are described in detail. All commands and their parameters are
listed by alphabetical order in the command list at the end of chapter 6.
The instrument is equipped with the following interfaces for remote control:
IEC/IEEE bus interface according to standard IEC 625.1/IEEE 488.2
LAN interface: the network card uses 10/100/1000Mbps Ethernet IEEE 802.3u; the protocol is
based on the VXI-11 standard.
USB interface (slave USB)
The master USB interfaces can be used for a firmware update and for connecting peripherals such
as mouse and keyboard.
The connectors are located at the rear of the instrument and permit a connection to a controller for
remote control either directly or via a local area network (LAN). The remote control interfaces and their
interface functions are described in section "
Remote Control Hardware Interfaces
SCPI (
S
tandard
C
ommands for
P
rogrammable
I
nstruments) commands are used for remote control.
Commands that are not taken from the SCPI standard follow the SCPI syntax rules. The instrument
supports the SCPI version 1999. The SCPI standard is based on standard IEEE 488.2 and aims at the
standardization of instrument control commands, error handling and the status registers. The tutorial
"Automatic Measurement Control – A tutorial on SCPI and IEEE 488.2" from John M. Pieper (R&S order
number 0002.3536.00) offers detailed information on concepts and definitions of SCPI.
Not all of the commands supported by the instrument are taken from the SCPI standard, but their
syntax follows SCPI rules.
This section assumes basic knowledge of programming and operation of the controller. A description of
the interface commands can be obtained from the relevant manuals.
The requirements that the SCPI standard places on command syntax, error handling and configuration
of the status registers are explained in detail in the following sections. Tables provide a fast overview of
the bit assignment in the status registers. The tables are supplemented by a comprehensive description
of the status registers.
The program examples for IEC/IEEE-bus programming are all written in VISA. VISA is a standardized
software interface library providing input and output functions to communicate with instruments. The I/O
channel (LAN, GPIB…) is selected at initialization time by means of a channel-specific resource string.
For more information about VISA refer to that user documentation.