Programming instructions

Programming the Status Register System
Accessing Status Register Information
Chapter 3106
Accessing Status Register Information
1. Determine which register contains the bit that reports the condition. Refer to Figure 3-1
on page 103 or Figure 3-2 on page 104 for register location and names.
2. Send the unique SCPI query that reads that register.
3. Examine the bit to see if the condition has changed.
Determining What to Monitor
You can monitor the following conditions:
• current signal generator hardware and firmware status
• whether a particular condition (bit) has occurred
Monitoring Current Signal Generator Hardware and Firmware Status
To monitor the signal generator’s operating status, you can query the condition registers.
These registers represent the current state of the signal generator and are updated in real
time. When the condition monitored by a particular bit becomes true, the bit sets to 1. When
the condition becomes false, the bit resets to 0.
Monitoring Whether a Condition (Bit) has Changed
The transition registers determine which bit transition (condition change) should be recorded
as an event. The transitions can be positive to negative, negative to positive, or both. To
monitor a certain condition, enable the bit associated with the condition in the associated
positive and negative registers.
Once you have enabled a bit via the transition registers, the signal generator monitors it for a
change in its condition. If this change in condition occurs, the corresponding bit in the event
register will be set to 1. When a bit becomes true (set to 1) in the event register, it stays set
until the event register is read or is cleared. You can thus query the event register for a
condition even if that condition no longer exists.
The event register can be cleared only by querying its contents or sending the *CLS command,
which clears all event registers.
Monitoring When a Condition (Bit) Changes
Once you enable a bit, the signal generator monitors it for a change in its condition. The
transition registers are preset to register positive transitions (a change going from 0 to 1).
This can be changed so the selected bit is detected if it goes from true to false (negative
transition), or if either transition occurs.