Manual

C HAPTER O NE : Overview
WM-RCM-E Rev D ISSUED: February 2005 9
N
N
O
O
T
T
E
E
:
: If you use one of the older trace labels, for example "TC", any
response from the scope uses the new label; for example, it substitutes
F3 for TC.
DATA
Whenever a command or query uses additional data values, the values are expressed as ASCII characters. There
is a single exception: the transfer of waveforms with the command/query WAVEFORM, where the waveform
can be expressed as a sequence of binary data values. See Chapter 4, “Wavefor m St r ucture.” ASCII data can
have the form of character, numeric, string, or block data.
CHARACTER DATA
These are simple words or abbreviations to indicate a specific action.
Example: F3:TRA ON
In this example, the data value ON commands the trace F3 to be turned on (the data value OFF will have the
opposite effect).
However, this can become more complex. In some commands, where you can specify as many as a dozen
different parameters, or where not all the parameters are applicable at the same time, the format requires pairs
of data values. The first value names the parameter to be modified, while the second gives its value. Only those
parameter pairs that are to be changed need to be indicated.
Example: HARDCOPY_SETUP DEV,EPSON,PORT,GPIB
In this example, two pairs of parameters have been used. The first specifies the device as an EPSON (or
compatible) printer, while the second indicates the GPIB port. While the command HARDCOPY_SETUP
allows many more parameters, either they are not relevant for printers or they are left unchanged.
NUMERIC DATA
The numeric data type is used to enter quantitative information. Numbers can be entered as integers or
fractions, or in exponential representation:
F1:VPOS -5 Move the display of Trace A downward by five divisions.
C2:OFST 3.56 Set the DC offset of Channel 2 to 3.56 V.
TDIV 5.0E-6 Adjust the timebase to 5 µsec/div.
Example: There are many ways of setting the timebase of the oscilloscope to 5 µsec/div:
TDIV 5E-6 Exponential notation, without any suffix.
TDIV 5 US
Suffix multiplier U for 1E−6, with the (optional) suffix S for
seconds, or TDIV 5000 NS or TDIV 5000E-3 US