Programming Syntax; Talking To The Instrument - HP 54501A Programming Reference Manual

Programming
Syntax
Talking to the
Instrument
In
general, computers acting
as
controllers
communicate with the
instrument
by
passing
messages over
a
remote interface using the I/O
statements
provided in
the instruction
set
of the
controller's host
language.
Hence,
the
HPSL
1.0 messages for programming the
HP
54501A, described in
this
manual, will normally appear
as
ASCII
character strings
imbedded inside the
I/O
statements
of
your controller's
program.
For
example, the
HP 9000
Series
200/300 BASIC
and
PASCAL
language
systems use the
OUTPUT
statement for sending program
messages
to the
HP
54501A, and the
ENTER
statement
for
receiving
response messages
from the
HP
54501A.
Messages are placed on the bus using an
output command and passing the
device address, program
message,
and
terminator. Passing the
device
address ensures that the program message
is sent to the correct interface
and instrument.
The following command
turns the command headers on:
OUTPUT
<
device address
>
;":SYSTEM:HEADER ON"
< terminator
>
<
device address
>
represents the address
of the device
being
programmed.
Note
The programming examples
in this manual
are written in
HP
Basic 4.0
for an HP
9000
Series
200/300 Controller.
Introduction to Programming an Oscilloscope
1-2
HP 54501A
Programming