Technical data

Programming Fundamentals 2
Programmer’s Guide 11
Common Terms used in this Book
The SCPI Consortium or IEEE can provide detailed information on the
subject of SCPI programming. Refer to IEEE Standard 488.1-1987,
IEEE Standard Digital Interface for Programmable Instrumentation.
New York, NY, 1987, or to IEEE Standard 488.2-1992, IEEE Standard
Codes, Formats, Protocols and Common Commands for Use with
ANSI/IEEE Std 488.1-1987. New York, NY, 1992.
Ter m s
Description
Controller
Any computer used to communicate with an instrument. A controller can be a
personal computer (PC), a minicomputer, or a plug-in card in a card cage.
Some intelligent instruments can also function as controllers.
Instrument
Any device that implements SCPI. Most instruments are electronic
measurement or stimulus devices, but this is not a requirement. Similarly,
most instruments use a GPIB or RS-232 or USB interface for communication.
The same concepts apply regardless of the instrument function or the type of
interface used.
Command
An instruction. You combine commands to form messages that control
instruments to complete a specified task. In general, a command consists of
mnemonics (keywords), parameters and punctuation.
Query
A special type of command. Queries instruct the instrument to make response
data available to the controller. Query keywords always end with a question
mark, ? .