Instruction manual

Chapter 1 Before You Start...
Getting Started
Programming Guide 1-3
1
Getting Started
Before attempting to program the Counter, take some time to familiarize
yourself with the content of this guide. The remainder of this chapter
contains the following information:
• An explanation of how you should use the programming guide based on
your experience programming instruments and your testing requirements.
• A description of the guide contents.
• A statement of assumptions that are made in the guide.
• A list of related documentation.
How to Use This Guide
How you use this guide depends upon how much you already know about
programming instruments and how complex your measurement
requirements are. Let’s start by establishing your programming background
and then discuss the type of measurements you want to perform.
NOTE With two minor exceptions, the only difference between programming
the Counter using the GPIB interface and the RS-232 serial interface
is the manner in which you connect the Counter to the computer.
These exceptions are:
1. The Counter sends a command prompt over the RS-232 interface
(but not the GPIB) after receiving and executing each command.
2. When an error is detected (during the Self-Test or during operation),
the Counter automatically sends an error message (or messages) over
the RS-232 interface (error messages must be requested over the
GPIB). For additional information on error messages, see Appendix B
of the Agilent 3150A/151A/152A Operating Guide.