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E1437A User's Guide
Using the E1437A
ASCII Programming
For programmers familiar with instrument control using ASCII string commands, the
E1437A hardware implements a message based interface using ASCII commands
compatible with the IEEE-488.2 standard. This standard defines the command
syntax which is used by the Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments
(SCPI) specification. For consistency with the new VXIplug&play function
definitions, the E1437A ASCII command set does not use the SCPI commands.
Since the ASCII interpreter is built into the E1437A hardware, no host library is
necessary for ASCII programming. Thus, there is no software to install. There is no
need for a separate interpreter in the host computer (CSCPI or ISCPI). There is no
need to download an interpreter to a separate command module. A key advantage of
ASCII programming is that it can be done in virtually any VXI environment which
supports message based I/O. A disadvantage of ASCII programming is the lack of
host-based tools such as diagnostics and demonstration programs. An additional
disadvantage is the reduction in I/O performance due to the character-based serial
message interface and interpreter.
Register Programming
The lowest level of programming supported by the E1437A allows direct writing and
reading to the binary hardware registers. There is no user-level support for register
programming.
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