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Usage Guidelines
2
Usage Guidelines
How to communicate with the XMP 2600
The purpose of this section is to give the user of the XMP 2600 power system basic
guidelines on how to communicate with the Power Supply.
Communicating with the XMP 2600 involves proper usage of the communication
channels (either GPIB or RS232), understanding how the XMP 2600 handles the
communication from/to the controlling computer and learning the recommended way to
communicate with the XMP 2600.
The following sections will tackle the aforementioned issues, in detail.
Using the
To communicate with the XMP 2600 one can use either the GPIB bus or an RS232 link.
Beyond the basic differences between the two communication mediums (not covered in
comm.
this manual) both provide the user of the XMP 2600 full access to the XMP's features.
channels
The only advantage of the GPIB bus (beyond its hardware characteristics) is the ability to
send bus commands, such as DCL (Device Clear).
Using the GPIB bus
There are several options for terminators to use when communicating with the XMP
2600:
1. EOI
2. LF (or CRLF)
3. LF + EOI
We recommend the use of LF (without EOI).
Do not use the "auto serial poll" feature of some GPIB drivers. If you want to use SRQs,
do the serial poll (or use the *STB? Query) in your program.
Using an RS232 link
RS232 is an asynchronous communication link. The XMP 2600 uses a software method
to synchronize communication with it: for every command or query message (ending
with a LF or CRLF) that you send to the XMP 2600 it will reply with the ASCII character
ACK (acknowledge) – 6 Hex.
This method provides assurance that the communication link is working properly and
serves the function of the handshake lines of the GPIB bus.
XMP 2600 Programming Manual
How to communicate with the XMP 2600
rev. 1.1
5
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