Introduction - Keysight 53147A Operating And Programming Manual

Introduction

This chapter assumes you are familiar with the front-panel operation of the
Keysight Technologies 53147A, 53148A, and 53149A. See Chapters 1 and 2 for
detailed information about front-panel operation. You should use this chapter
together with Chapters 1 and 2. Knowing how to control the instrument from the
front panel and understanding the measurements you want to perform makes the
programming task much easier. Chapters 1 and 2 provide explanations and
procedures for all of the instrument's measurement functions. and contain the
specifications for the instrument.
By sending Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI)
commands, you can remotely operate many of the instrument's front-panel
functions via the General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) or the RS-232 serial
interface. These programming commands conform to the Standard Commands
for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) Standard Version 1992.0. The SCPI
standard does not completely redefine how to program instruments over the GPIB
or the RS-232 serial interface. However, it does standardize the structure and
content of an instrument's command set to reflect the best programming
practices developed by people using GPIB. It also establishes standard command
mnemonics for similar functions in all of the instruments that conform to the SCPI
standard.
If you have programmed any Keysight instruments that have been released over
the last few years, you have probably seen a general trend toward the techniques
specified in the SCPI standard. For example, several instruments are already using
a hierarchy of commands that is similar to the command structure defined by the
SCPI standard.
Keysight 53147A/148A/149A Operating and Programming Guide
Programming 3
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