Section 5
Remote commands
In this section:
Introduction to remote operation .............................................. 5-1
About remote commands ......................................................... 5-3
Factory scripts ........................................................................ 5-20
Introduction to remote operation
Keithley Instruments Test Script Processor (TSP
®
) enabled instruments operate like conventional
instruments by responding to a sequence of commands sent by the controller. You can send
individual commands to the TSP-enabled instrument the same way you would using any other
instrument.
Unlike conventional instruments, TSP-enabled instruments can execute automated test sequences
independently, without a controller. You can load a series of instrument control commands into the
instrument and store these commands as a script that can be run later by sending a single command
message to the instrument. You do not have to choose between using “conventional” control or
“script” control. You can combine these forms of instrument control in the way that works best for your
particular test application.
Controlling the instrument by sending individual command messages
The simplest method of controlling an instrument through the communication interface is to send it a
message that contains instrument control commands. You can use a test program that resides on a
computer (the controller) to sequence the actions of the instrument.
Instrument control commands can be function-based or attribute-based. Function-based commands
are commands that control actions or activities. Attribute-based commands define characteristics of
an instrument feature or operation.
Functions
Function-based commands control actions or activities. A function-based command is not always
directly related to instrument operation. For example, the
bit.bitand()
function will perform a
logical AND operation on two numbers. Each function consists of a function name followed by a set of
parentheses ( ). If the function does not have a parameter, the parentheses are left empty. If the
function takes one or more parameters, they are placed between the parentheses and separated by
commas.
