User`s manual

How the AFG Generates Arbitrary Waveforms
Refer to Figure 3-2. An arbitrary waveform consists of two parts, a
waveform segment (or all points on a waveform) and a segment sequence.
The segments are the actual voltage points of the waveform. The segment
sequence determines the order in which one or more waveform segments
are output.
To output a waveform, the waveform segment must be stored into the
AFG’s segment memory. To do this, you must assign a unique name
(use
[SOURce:]LIST[1][:SEGMent]:SELect] <name>) for each waveform
segment to be stored into memory. This allows you to select one of many
waveform segments, which may exist in memory, to be output. Legal
names must start with an alphabetic character, but can contain alphabetic,
numeric, and underscore (“_”) characters. The names can have a maximum
length of 12 characters. The AFG generates an error for duplicate names.
Besides the name, the AFG must also know the size
(use
[SOURce:]LIST[1][:SEGMent]:DEFine <length>) of the waveform
segment (that is, the number of points). The assigned segment size must be
equal to or larger than the actual size of the waveform segment. The AFG
generates an error if the waveform segment is larger than the size sent.
The segment values can be either sent as voltage values
(use
[SOURce:]LIST[1][:SEGMent]:VOLTage <voltage_list>)
or DAC (digital-to-analog converter) codes
(use
[SOURce:]LIST[1][:SEGMent]:VOLTage:DAC <voltage_list>). If sent
as voltage values, the AFG converts them to DAC codes before storing them
in memory.
Figure 3-2. Generating Arbitrary Waveforms
86 Generating Arbitrary Waveforms Chapter 3