R&S AFQ100A
AFQ Commands - Signal Generation
1401.3084.32 6.18
E-3
Baseband Block - ARB Waveform and List Format
ARB Waveform and List Format - Introduction
The instrument loads waveform files and multi segment waveforms generated by:
R&S WinIQSIM
Matlab
R&S vector signal generators, such as SMU
The instrument uses a tag-oriented format for externally or internally generated waveforms. The data
can be transmitted via the IEC bus from an external computer to the instrument and vice versa. For
these purposes the file is transmitted as a binary data block, using GPIB command
SOUR:WAV:DATA
.
Note:
A waveform version number is not necessary due to the flexible, tag-based form.
Tags are self-contained information units. Their general format is:
{Name: Data}
or
{Name-Length: Data}
The colon separates the name part and the data part. The colon can be followed by a space for the
sake of legibility.
The
Name
identifies the tag. It is always expressed in capital letters.
The
Data
is tag-specific, and in most cases it is in ASCII plain text.
The
Length
specifies the number of bytes in a WAVEFORM tag (from ':' to ''}, ASCII integer)'
Each waveform file must begin with the TYPE tag. The sequence of the remaining tags is arbitrary. For
each tag an indication shows whether it
must
be included in the file concerned (mandatory) or
may
be
included (optional).
Unknown tags are not analyzed by the Instrument. On the other hand they are left unchanged, are
saved without an error message and can be read back again.
Waveforms generated for R&S AMIQ can also be loaded on the Instrument, where they are converted
internally into an R&S Signal Generator waveform.
The following sections first describe the mandatory TYPE tag which identifies the file and is always
located at the start of the file. The rest of the tags used in the R&S Signal Generator are then described
in alphabetical order. Most tags are valid for all three file types. If a tag is valid only for a single file type,
e.g. only for a waveform, this fact is indicated in the description.
