User manual

3390-900-01 Rev. C / January 2009 Return to Section Topics A-3
Model 3390 Arbitrary Waveform Generator User’s Manual Appendix A: SCPI Command Reference
Using the MIN and MAX parameters
You can use MINimum or MAXimum in place of a parameter for some commands. For example,
see the following command:
FREQuency:STARt {<frequency>|MINimum|MAXimum}
Instead of specifying a specific frequency value, use MIN to set the frequency to its minimum value
or MAX to set the frequency to its maximum value.
Querying parameter settings
You can query the current value of a parameter by adding a question mark ( ? ) to the command.
For example, the following command sets the start frequency to 5000 Hz:
FREQ:STAR 5000
You can query the start frequency:
FREQ:STAR?
You can also query the minimum or maximum start frequency allowed for the current waveform
function:
FREQ:STAR? MIN
FREQ:STAR? MAX
Command terminators
A command string sent to the Model 3390 must terminate with a "new line" character (<nl>). The
IEEE-488 end-or-identify (EOI) message is interpreted as a new line character and can be used to
terminate a command string in place of a new line character. A carriage return (<cr>) followed by
a <nl> is also accepted. A command string terminator will reset the current SCPI command path
to the root level.
IEEE-488.2 common commands
The IEEE Standard 488.2 defines a set of common commands that perform reset, self-test, and
status operations. Common commands begin with an asterisk ( * ), are four to five characters in
length, and may include one or more parameters (Table A-1). The command keyword is separated
from the first parameter by a blank space. Use a semicolon ( ; ) to separate multiple commands:
NOTE If you send two query commands without reading the response from the first,
then when you attempt to read the response, you may receive some data from
the first response followed by the complete second response. Typically, the unit
gives a -410 Query Interrupted error. To avoid this error, do not send a
query command without reading the response. When you cannot avoid this
situation, send a device clear command before sending the second query
command.
Table A-1:
IEEE-488.2 Common commands
Command Description
*CLS
Clear the status structure.
*ESE <value>
Set the Standard Event register mask.