Programming instructions

Programming the Status Register System
Overview
Chapter 3102
Overview
During remote operation, it is important to monitor the status of the signal generator. In most
applications, it is sufficient to use the :SYSTem:ERRor? query (Refer to “:ERRor[:NEXT]” on
page 208) to see if any errors have been posted in the signal generator's error queue.
The status register system, described in this chapter, is an alternative method to monitor the
status of the signal generator. The status register system is more complex than the simple
:SYSTem:ERROR? query, but does provide two major advantages:
• You can monitor the settling of the signal generator using the Settling Bit of the Operation
Status Group.
• You can use the SRQ interrupt technique to avoid status polling, which may give you a
speed advantage.
The signal generator’s instrument status system provides complete SCPI Standard data
structures for reporting instrument status using the register model.
The SCPI register model of the status system has multiple registers that are arranged in a
hierarchical order. The lower-priority status registers propagate their data to the
higher-priority registers in the data structures by means of summary bits. The Status Byte
Register is at the top of the hierarchy and contains the general status information for the
signal generator’s events and conditions. All other individual registers are used to determine
the specific events or conditions.
Figure 3-1 shows the signal generator’s status registers and their hierarchy.
IEEE 488.2 common commands (those beginning with *) access the higher-level summary
registers. To access the information from specific registers, use the STATus commands.