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The following are two formal documents concerning the HP-IB interface:
♦ ANSI/IEEE Std. 488.1-1987 IEEE Standard Digital Interface for Programmable Instrumentation.
Defines the technical details of the HP-IB interface. While much of the information is beyond the
need of most programmers, it can serve to clarify terms used in this guide and in related documents.
♦ ANSI/IEEE Std. 488.2-1987 IEEE Standard Codes, Formats, Protocols, and Common Commands.
Recommended as a reference only if you intend to do fairly sophisticated programming. Helpful for
finding precise definitions of certain types of SCPI message formats, data types, or common
commands.
The above two documents are available from the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers),
345 East 47th Street, New York, NY 10017, USA. The WEB address is www.ieee.org.
Conventions Used in This Guide
Angle brackets
<
Vertical bar
|
Square Brackets
[
Braces
{
}
Boldface font
Computer font
Types of SCPI Commands
SCPI has two types of commands, common and subsystem.
♦ Common commands generally are not related to specific operation but to controlling overall dc
source functions, such as reset, status, and synchronization. All common commands consist of a
three-letter mnemonic preceded by an asterisk: *RST
♦ Subsystem commands perform specific dc source functions. They are organized into an inverted tree
structure with the "root" at the top. The following figure shows a portion of a subsystem command
tree, from which you access the commands located along the various paths. You can see the complete
tree in Table 8-1.
>
Items within angle brackets are parameter abbreviations. For example,
<NR1> indicates a specific form of numerical data.
Vertical bars separate alternative parameters. For example, NORM |
TEXT indicates that either "TEXT" or "NORM" can be used as a
parameter.
]
Items within square brackets are optional. The representation [SOURce:].
VOLTage means that SOURce: may be omitted.
Braces indicate parameters that may be repeated zero or more times. It is
used especially for showing arrays. The notation <A>{<,B>} shows that
parameter "A" must be entered, while parameter "B" may be omitted or
may be entered one or more times.
Boldface font is used to emphasize syntax in command definitions.
TRIGger:COUNt:CURRent <NRf> shows command definition.
Computer font is used to show program lines in text.
TRIGger:COUNt:CURRent 10 shows a program line.
Introduction to Programming - 6
*IDN?
*SRE 8
49
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