Keysight E1463A User Manual

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75000 Series C

User Manual

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel 5-Amp Form C Switch

Notices

No part of this manual may be reproduced in any form or by any means (including electronic storage and retrieval or translation into a foreign language) without prior agreement and written consent from Keysight Technologies, Inc. as governed by United States and international copyright laws.

Manual Part Number

E1463-90004

Edition

Fifth Edition, October 2019

Published by

Keysight Technologies, Inc. 900 S. Taft Ave. Loveland, CO 80537 USA

Sales and Technical Support

To contact Keysight for sales and technical support, refer to the support links on the following Keysight websites:

www.keysight.com/find/E1463A

(product-specific information and support, software and documentation updates)

www.keysight.com/find/assist (world-

wide contact information for repair and service)

Declaration of Conformity

Declarations of Conformity for this product and for other Keysight products may be downloaded from the Web. Go to

http://keysight.com/go/conformity and

click on “Declarations of Conformity.” You can then search by product number to find the latest Declaration of Conformity.

Technology Licenses

The hardware and/or software described in this document are furnished under a license and may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of such license.

Warranty

THE MATERIAL CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” AND IS SUBJECT TO BEING CHANGED, WITHOUT NOTICE, IN FUTURE EDITIONS. FURTHER, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, KEYSIGHT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH REGARD TO THIS MANUAL AND ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. KEYSIGHT SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS OR FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING, USE, OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR OF ANY INFORMATION CONTAINED HEREIN. SHOULD KEYSIGHT AND THE USER HAVE A SEPARATE WRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH WARRANTY TERMS COVERING THE MATERIAL IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT CONFLICT WITH THESE TERMS, THE WARRANTY TERMS IN THE SEPARATE AGREEMENT SHALL CONTROL.

Keysight Technologies does not warrant third-party system-level (combination of chassis, controllers, modules, etc.) performance, safety, or regulatory compliance unless specifically stated.

DFARS/Restricted Rights Notices

If software is for use in the performance of a U.S. Government prime contract or subcontract, Software is delivered and licensed as “Commercial computer software” as defined in DFAR 252.227-7014 (June 1995), or as a “commercial item” as defined in FAR 2.101(a) or as “Restricted computer software” as defined in FAR

52.227-19 (June 1987) or any equivalent agency regulation or contract clause. Use, duplication or disclosure of Software is subject to Keysight Technologies’ standard commercial license terms, and nonDOD Departments and Agencies of the U.S. Government will receive no greater than Restricted Rights as defined in FAR

52.227-19(c)(1-2) (June 1987). U.S. Government users will receive no greater than Limited Rights as defined in FAR

52.227-14 (June 1987) or DFAR 252.2277015 (b)(2) (November 1995), as applicable in any technical data.

Safety Information

The following general safety precautions must be observed during all phases of operation of this instrument. Failure to comply with these precautions or with specific warnings or operating instructions in the product manuals violates safety standards of design, manufacture, and intended use of the instrument. Keysight Technologies assumes no liability for the customer's failure to comply with these requirements.

General

Do not use this product in any manner not specified by the manufacturer. The protective features of this product must not be impaired if it is used in a manner specified in the operation instructions.

Before Applying Power

Verify that all safety precautions are taken. Make all connections to the unit before applying power. Note the external markings described under “Safety Symbols”.

Ground the Instrument

Keysight chassis’ are provided with a grounding-type power plug. The instrument chassis and cover must be connected to an electrical ground to minimize shock hazard. The ground pin must be firmly connected to an electrical ground (safety ground) terminal at the power outlet. Any interruption of the protective (grounding) conductor or disconnection of the protective earth terminal will cause a potential shock hazard that could result in personal injury.

Do Not Operate in an Explosive Atmosphere

Do not operate the module/chassis in the presence of flammable gases or fumes.

Do Not Operate Near Flammable Liquids

Do not operate the module/chassis in the presence of flammable liquids or near containers of such liquids.

Cleaning

Clean the outside of the Keysight module/chassis with a soft, lint-free, slightly dampened cloth. Do not use detergent or chemical solvents.

Do Not Remove Instrument Cover

Only qualified, service-trained personnel who are aware of the hazards involved should remove instrument covers. Always disconnect the power cable and any external circuits before removing the instrument cover.

Keep away from live circuits

Operating personnel must not remove equipment covers or shields. Procedures involving the removal of covers and shields are for use by servicetrained personnel only. Under certain conditions, dangerous voltages may exist even with the equipment switched off. To avoid dangerous electrical shock, DO NOT perform procedures involving cover or shield removal unless you are qualified to do so.

DO NOT operate damaged equipment

Whenever it is possible that the safety protection features built into this product have been impaired, either through physical damage, excessive moisture, or any other reason, REMOVE POWER and do not use the product until safe operation can be verified by servicetrained personnel. If necessary, return the product to a Keysight Technologies Sales and Service Office for service and repair to ensure the safety features are maintained.

DO NOT block the primary disconnect

The primary disconnect device is the appliance connector/power cord when a chassis used by itself, but when installed into a rack or system the disconnect may be impaired and must be considered part of the installation.

Do Not Modify the Instrument

Do not install substitute parts or perform any unauthorized modification to the product. Return the product to a Keysight Sales and Service Office to ensure that safety features are maintained.

In Case of Damage

Instruments that appear damaged or defective should be made inoperative and secured against unintended operation until they can be repaired by qualified service personnel

Do NOT block vents and fan exhaust: To ensure adequate cooling and ventilation, leave a gap of at least 50mm (2") around vent holes on both sides of the chassis.

Do NOT operate with empty slots: To ensure proper cooling and avoid damaging equipment, fill each empty slot with an AXIe filler panel module.

Do NOT stack free-standing chassis: Stacked chassis should be rackmounted.

All modules are grounded through the chassis: During installation, tighten each module's retaining screws to secure the module to the chassis and to make the ground connection.

Operator is responsible to maintain safe operating conditions. To ensure safe operating conditions, modules should not be operated beyond the full temperature range specified in the Environmental and physical specification. Exceeding safe operating conditions can result in shorter lifespan, improper module performance and user safety issues. When the modules are in use and operation within the specified full temperature range is not maintained, module surface temperatures may exceed safe handling conditions which can cause discomfort or burns if touched. In the event of a module exceeding the full temperature range, always allow the module to cool before touching or removing modules from the chassis.

Safety Symbols

A CAUTION denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure or practice, that, if not correctly performed or adhered to could result in damage to the product or loss of important data. Do not proceed beyond a CAUTION notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.

A WARNING denotes a hazard. It calls attention to an operating procedure or practice, that, if not correctly performed or adhered to, could result in personal injury or death. Do not proceed beyond a WARNING notice until the indicated conditions are fully understood and met.

Products display the following symbols:

Warning, risk of electric shock

Refer to manual for additional safety information.

Earth Ground.

Chassis Ground.

Alternating Current (AC).

Direct Current (DC)

vii

viii

Contents

2 Getting Started

Using This Chapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Form C Switch Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Basic Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Typical Configurations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Configuring the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Warnings and Cautions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Setting the Logical Address Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Setting the Interrupt Priority. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Installing the Form C Switch in a Mainframe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Configuring a Terminal Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Standard Terminal Module Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Terminal Module Option A3G Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Connecting User Inputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Wiring a Terminal Module. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Protecting Relays and Circuits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Relay Life Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Extending Relay Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Adding Relay and Circuit Protection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Maximum Allowable Module Switch Current . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Programming the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Using SCPI Commands. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Addressing the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Initial Operation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

3 Using the Form C Switch

Using This Chapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Form C Switch Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Power-on and Reset Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Module Identification . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Example: Module Identification (BASIC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Example: Module Identification (TURBO C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Switching Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Example: Opening/Closing Channels (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Example: Voltage Switching (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Example: Controlling RF Switches/Step Attenuators (BASIC). . . . . . . . . . . 42

Keysight E1463A Form C Switch User Guide ix

Example: Digital Output Configuration (BASIC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Example: Matrix Switching (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Scanning Channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Example: Scanning Using Trig In and Trig Out Ports (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Example: Scanning Using the TTL Trigger Bus (BASIC). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Querying the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Example: Querying Channel Closures (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Using the Scan Complete Bit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Example: Using the Scan Complete Bit (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Saving and Recalling States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Example: Saving and Recalling State (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

Detecting Error Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Example: Detecting Error Conditions (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Example: Detecting Error Conditions (Turbo C) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Synchronizing the Form C Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Example: Synchronizing the Form C Switch (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

4 E1463A Command Reference

Using This Chapter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Command Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Common Command Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

SCPI Command Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Command Separator. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Abbreviated Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Implied Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Variable Command Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

SCPI Command Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

ABORt. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

Subsystem Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

ARM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Subsystem Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

ARM:COUNt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

ARM:COUNt? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

DISPlay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Subsystem Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

DISPlay:MONitor:CARD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

DISPlay:MONitor[:STATe] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64

INITiate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Subsystem Syntax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

INITiate:CONTinuous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

x Keysight E1463A Form C Switch User Guide

INITiate:CONTinuous? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

INITiate[:IMMediate] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

OUTPut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Subsystem Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

OUTPut[:STATe]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

OUTPut[:STATe]?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

[ROUTe:]. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

[ROUTe:]CLOSe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

[ROUTe:]CLOSe?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72

[ROUTe:]OPEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

[ROUTe:]OPEN? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

[ROUTe:]SCAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

STATus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

Subsystem Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

STATus:OPERation:CONDition? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

STATus:OPERation:ENABle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

STATus:OPERation:ENABle? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79

STATus:PRESet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

SYSTem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

Subsystem Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

SYSTem:CDEScription? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

SYSTem:CPON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

SYSTem:CTYPe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

SYSTem:ERRor? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

TRIGger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Subsystem Syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

TRIGger[:IMMediate] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84

TRIGger:SOURce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85

Keysight E1463A Form C Switch User Guide xi

TRIGger:SOURce?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

SCPI Commands Quick Reference. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

IEEE 488.2 Common Commands Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

A Form C Switch Specifications

B Register-Based Programming

About This Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

Addressing the Registers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

The Base Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

A16 Address Space Outside the Command Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

A16 Address Space Inside the Command Module or Mainframe . . . . . . . . 94

Reading and Writing to the Registers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Manufacturer Identification Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Device Type Register. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Status/Control Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Reading the Status/Control Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Relay Control Register . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Programming Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Example: Reading the Registers (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Example: Reading the Registers (C/HP-UX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Example: Making Measurements (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

Example: Making Measurements (C/HP-UX) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102

Example: Scanning Channels (BASIC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Example: Scanning Channels (C/HP-UX). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

C E1463A Error Messages

Error Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Error Messages. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

xii Keysight E1463A Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

1 Getting Started

Using This Chapter

This chapter gives guidelines to get started using the E1463A 32-Channel, 5 Amp Form C Switch module (Form C switch), including:

Form C Switch Description page 13 Configuring the Form C Switch page 17 Configuring a Terminal Module page 21 Protecting Relays and Circuits page 27 Programming the Form C Switch page 32

Form C Switch Description

The E1463A 32-Channel, 5 Amp, Form C Switch module (Form C switch) is defined as a VXIbus instrument. VXIbus plug-in modules installed in a mainframe or used with a command module are treated as independent instruments each having a unique secondary address.

Each instrument is also assigned a dedicated error queue, input and output buffers, status registers and, if applicable, dedicated mainframe/command module memory space for readings or data. An instrument may be composed of a single plug-in module (such as a counter) or multiple plug-in modules (for a switchbox or scanning multimeter instrument).

Basic Operation

The Form C switch is a C-Size VXIbus and VMEbus register-based product that can be used for switching, scanning, and control. The switch can operate in a C-Size VXIbus or VMEbus mainframe. The switch has 32 channels of Form C relays. Each channel includes a relay with common (C), normally open (NO), and normally closed (NC) contacts.

For the Form C switch, switching consists of opening or closing a channel relay to provide alternate connections to user devices. Scanning consists of closing a set of relays, one at a time.

Getting Started Form C Switch Description

TERMINAL MODULE

C0NO

C0C

C0NC

C0N0

C0C

C0NC

NCNO

Channe l 0

E1463A MODULE

Channe l 15

C15N0

C15C

NO NC

C15NC

C15C

C15NO

Pads

for M OVS

Pads

for M OVS

Jumper

Channel 16

C16C

C16N0

C16NC

C16C

C16NO

Channel 31

C31C

C31N0

C31C

C31NC

C31NO

As shown in Figure 1-1, the Form C switch module consists of 32 channels (channels 00 through 31). Each channel uses a nonlatching relay. Varistors (MOVs) can be added for relay protection and resistors or fuses can be added for circuit protection. See "Adding Relay and Circuit Protection" for more information on protecting relays.

External pull-up resistors can also be added for digital output applications. See "Digital Output Configuration" for additional information about these applications.

Figure 1-1 Form C Switch Simplified Schematic

14 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Form C Switch Description Getting Started

Each channel is switched by opening or closing the appropriate channel relay. Since the relays are nonlatching, the relays are all open during power-up or power-down.

When a reset occurs, all channel commons (C) are connected to the corresponding normally closed (NC) contacts. When a channel is closed, the common contact (C) is connected to the normally open contact (NO). User inputs and outputs to each channel are via the NO, NC, and C terminal connectors on the terminal module.

Typical Configurations

The Form C switch accepts user inputs up to 125 Vdc or 250 Vrms. Maximum rated power capacity (external load) is 150 Wdc or 1250 VA per channel. Per module, you can switch 1500 Wdc or 12500 VA.

As noted, the switch may be configured for general purpose switching/scanning or digital output applications. For general purpose switching or scanning, no additional configuration is required. To configure the switch for digital output applications, install external pull-up resistors as required.

Multiple Form C switch modules can be configured as a switchbox instrument. When using a switchbox instrument, multiple Form C switch modules within the switchbox instrument can be addressed using a single interface address. This configuration, however, requires the use of Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI).

General Purpose Relay Configuration

As factory-configured, the Form C switch module is set for general purpose relay configuration. For this configuration, you can switch channels by opening or closing channel relays or you can scan a set of channels.

Figure 1-2 shows a typical general purpose relay configuration for channel 00. When the relay is open (NC terminal is connected to the C terminal), load 1 is connected. When the relay is closed (NO terminal is connected to the C terminal), load 2 is connected.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 15

Getting Started Form C Switch Description

Channel

C0NO

C0NC

C0C

TERMINAL

MODULE

Relay Load

Open 1

Closed 2

MODULE

TERMINAL

C0NC

C0NO

Closed

Open

Relay

MODULE

E1463A

Channel

C0C

Figure 1-2 General Purpose Relay Configuration

Digital Output Configuration

By installing external pull-up resistors, the Form C switch can be configured as a digital output device. Figure 1-3 shows channel 00 configured for digital output operation. When the channel 00 relay is open (NC connected to C), point 1 is at +V. When the channel 00 relay is closed (NO connected to C), point 1 is at 0V.

Figure 1-3 Digital Output Configuration

16 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Configuring the Form C Switch Getting Started

Configuring the Form C Switch

This section gives guidelines to configure the Form C switch, including the following topics. See "Configuring a Terminal Module" for guidelines to configure the terminal modules. Section topics include:

– Warnings and Cautions

– Setting the Logical Address Switch

– Setting the Interrupt Priority

– Installing the Form C Switch in a Mainframe

Warnings and Cautions

SHOCK HAZARD. Only qualified, service-trained personnel who are aware of the hazards involved should install, configure, or remove the Form C switch module. Use only wire rated for the highest input voltage and remove all power sources from the mainframe and installed modules before installing or removing a module.

MAXIMUM VOLTAGE/CURRENT. Maximum allowable voltage per channel

for the Form C switch is 125 Vdc or 250 Vrms. Maximum current per channel is 5 Adc or ac rms (non-inductive). Maximum power of an external load is 150 W or 1250 VA per channel or 1500 W or 12500 VA per module. Exceeding any limit may damage the Form C switch.

STATIC ELECTRICITY. Static electricity is a major cause of component

failure. To prevent damage to the electrical components in the Form C switch, observe anti-static techniques whenever removing a module from the mainframe or whenever working on a module. The Form C switch is susceptible to static discharges. Do not install the Form C switch without its metal shield attached.

Setting the Logical Address Switch

The logical address switch (LADDR) factory setting is 120. Valid addresses are from 1 to 255. The Form C switch can be configured as a single instrument or as a switchbox. See Figure 1-4 for switch position information.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 17

Getting Started Configuring the Form C Switch

8+16+32+64=120

Logical Address = 120

Logical Address

Switc h Loc ation

128

CLOSED = Switch Set To 1 (ON) OPEN = Switch Set To 0 (OFF)

The address switch selected value must be a multiple of 8 if the module is the first module in a switchbox used with a VXIbus command module and is being instructed by SCPI commands.

Figure 1-4 Setting the Logical Address Switch

Setting the Interrupt Priority

The Form C switch generates an interrupt after a channel has been closed. These interrupts are sent to, and acknowledgments are received from, the command module (E1406, for example) via the VXIbus backplane interrupt lines.

For most applications where the Form C switch is installed in a C-Size

18 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

mainframe, the interrupt priority jumper does not have to be moved. This is because the VXIbus interrupt lines have the same priority and interrupt priority is established by installing modules in slots numerically closest to the command module. Thus, slot 1 has a higher priority than slot 2, slot 2 has a higher priority than slot 3, etc.

See Figure 1-5 to change the interrupt priority. You can select eight different interrupt priority levels. Level 1 is the lowest priority and Level 7 is the highest priority. Level X disables the interrupt. The Form C switch factory setting is Level

Configuring the Form C Switch Getting Started

Interrupt

Location

Priority

Using 2-Pin

Jumper

IRQ

Switch Location

Logical Address

Jumper

Using 4-Pin

IRQ

1. To change the interrupt priority, remove the 4-pin jumper from the old priority location and reinstall in the new priority location. If the 4-pin jumper is not used, the two jumper locations must have the same interrupt priority level selected.

The interrupt priority jumper MUST be installed in position 1 when using the E1406 Command Module. Level X interrupt priority should not be used under normal operating conditions. Changing the priority level jumper is not recommended. Do not change unless specifically instructed to do so.

Figure 1-5 Setting the Interrupt Priority

Installing the Form C Switch in a Mainframe

The E1463A may be installed in any slot, except slot 0, in a C-size VXIbus mainframe. See Figure 1-6 to install the Form C switch in a mainframe.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 19

Getting Started Configuring the Form C Switch

in the extraction levers.

Seat the E1463A into the mainframe by pushing

4 Tighten the top and bottom screws

to secure the module to the

To remove the module from the mainframe, reverse the procedure.

mainframe.

Set the extraction levers out.1

Slide the E1463A into any slot (except slot 0) until the backplane connectors touch.

NOTE: The extraction levers will not seat the backplane connectors on older VXIbus mainframes. You must manually seat the connectors by pushing in the module until the module's front panel is flush with the front of the mainframe. The extraction levers may be used to guide or remove the Form C switch.

Figure 1-6 Installing the Form C Switch in a VXIbus Mainframe

20 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Configuring a Terminal Module Getting Started

Configuring a Terminal Module

The E1463A 32-Channel, 5 Amp, Form C Switch consists of a relay switch card and a screw type standard terminal module. In addition, a solder eye terminal module (Option A3G) is available. User inputs to the Form C switch are to the normally open (NO), normally closed (NC), and common (C) terminal connectors on the terminal module. This section shows how to configure the terminal modules, including:

– Standard Terminal Module Description

– Terminal Module Option A3G Description

– Connecting User Inputs

– Wiring a Terminal Module

– Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch

Standard Terminal Module Description

Figure 1-7 shows the standard screw type terminal module connectors and associated channel numbers.

Figure 1-7 Standard Screw-type Terminal Module

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 21

Getting Started Configuring a Terminal Module

Terminal Module Option A3G Description

Option A3G provides a plastic terminal module housing with solder eye connectors (see Figure 1-8) that allows you to solder wires onto connectors which are then inserted directly into the mating connector of the Form C switch. See Figure 1-9 for pin-outs.

Figure 1-8 Option A3G Terminal Module

22 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Configuring a Terminal Module Getting Started

A32

00NO

01NO

02NO

03NO

04NO

05NO

06NO

07NO

08NO

09NO

10NO

11NO

12NO

13NO

14NO

15NO

15C

14C

11C

13C

12C

10C

09C

06C

08C

07C

05C

04C

C32

01C

02C

03C

00C

15NC

14NC

11NC

13NC

12NC

10NC

09NC

06NC

08NC

07NC

05NC

04NC

E32

01NC

03NC

02NC

00NC

31NO

30NO

31C

30C

31NC

30NC

27NO

29NO

28NO

26NO

25NO

22NO

23NO

24NO

21NO

20NO

27C

29C

28C

26C

25C

22C

24C

23C

21C

20C

A32

18NO

19NO

17NO

16NO

C32

17C

19C

18C

16C

27NC

29NC

28NC

26NC

25NC

22NC

24NC

23NC

21NC

20NC

E32

17NC

19NC

18NC

16NC

Connecting User Inputs

Figure 1-9 shows the front panel of the E1463A and the Form C switch connector pin-out that mates to the terminal module. Actual user inputs are connected to the applicable terminal module.

Figure 1-9 Form C Switch Pin-outs

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 23

Getting Started Configuring a Terminal Module

Tighte n wraps to

secure wires

Remove Clear Cover1 Remove and Retain Wiring Exit Panel2

Make Connections3

Route WiringInstall Connectors (Solder Eye Only)45

A. Release Screws

B. Press Tab Forward

and Release

Tab

Remove 1 of the 3

wire exit panels

Size 16-26

AWG

5mm

0.2"

Use wire

VW1 Flammability

Rating

Insert wire into terminal. Tighten screw.

Screw Type Solder Eye Type

Wiring a Terminal Module

Figures 1-10 and 1-11 show how to connect field wiring to the terminal module. When making wiring connections, be sure the wires make good connections on screw terminals. Maximum terminal wire size is No. 16 AWG. When wiring all channels, a smaller gauge wire (No. 20 - 22 AWG) is recommended. Wire ends should be stripped 6 mm (0.25 inch) and tinned to prevent single strands from shorting to adjacent terminals.

Figure 1-10Wiring a Terminal Module (continued on next page)

24 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Configuring a Terminal Module Getting Started

Module

E1463A

Replace Wiring Exit Panel

for wire exit

holes in panels

Cut required

Install the Terminal

Module

possible

hole as small as

Keep wiring exit panel

Extraction

Levers

Terminal Module onto the E1463A

tighten screws

B. Press down and

Push in the Extraction Levers to Lock the

onto the fixture

A. Hook in the top cover tabs

Replace Clear Cover

Figure 1-11Wiring a Terminal Module

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 25

Getting Started Configuring a Terminal Module

to free it from the Form C switch module.

levers and push both levers out simultaneously

use a small screwdriver to release the two extraction

To remove the terminal module from the E1463A,

onto the E1463A module.

Push in the extraction levers to lock the terminal module

the terminal module to the

Apply gentle pressure to attach

Align the terminal module connectors to the E1463A module connectors.

E1463A module.

extraction levers

to release the two

Levers

Extraction

Module

E1463A

Extraction Lever

Extend the extraction levers on the1

Use small screwdriver

terminal module.

Extraction Lever

Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch

Figure 1-12 gives guidelines to attach a terminal module to the Form C switch.

Figure 1-12Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch

26 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Protecting Relays and Circuits Getting Started

Protecting Relays and Circuits

This section gives guidelines to protect relays and circuits in the Form C switch, including:

– Relay Life Factors

– Extending Relay Life

– Adding Relay and Circuit Protection

– Maximum Allowable Module Switch Current

Relays that wear out normally or fail due to misuse should not be considered defective and are not covered by the product's warranty.

Relay Life Factors

Relays have a shorter life span than other electronic parts, such as ICs. Because of their mechanical nature, relays usually have about 10 million operations (at 30 operations per second) which is not quite 100 hours. Therefore, to get the full life out of a relay in a switching module, you must protect the relay.

Loading and Switching Frequency

Electromechanical relays are subject to normal wear-out. Relay life depends on several factors. The effects of loading and switching frequency are:

Relay Load. In general, higher power switching reduces relay life. In addition, capacitive/inductive loads and high inrush currents (for example, turning on a lamp or starting a motor) reduces relay life.

Exceeding specified maximum inputs can cause catastrophic failure.

Switching Frequency. Relay contacts heat up when switched. As the switching frequency increases, the contacts have less time to dissipate heat. The resulting increase in contact temperature also reduces relay life.

End-of-Life Detection

A preventive maintenance routine can prevent problems caused by unexpected relay failure. The end of the life of the relay can be determined by using one or more of the following three methods. The best method (or combination of methods), as well as the failure criteria, depends on the application in which the relay is used.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 27

Getting Started Protecting Relays and Circuits

Contact Resistance. As the relay begins to wear out, its contact resistance increases. When the resistance exceeds a predetermined value, the relay should be replaced.

Stability of Contact Resistance. The stability of the contact resistance decreases with age. Using this method, the contact resistance is measured several (5-10) times and the variance of the measurements is determined. An increase in the variance indicates deteriorating performance.

Number of Operations. Relays can be replaced after a predetermined number of contact closures. However, this method requires knowledge of the applied load and life specifications for the applied load.

Replacement Strategy

The replacement strategy depends on the application. If some relays are used more often, or at a higher load, than the others, the relays can be individually replaced as needed. If all the relays see similar loads and switching frequencies, the entire circuit board can be replaced when the end of relay life approaches. The sensitivity of the application should be weighed against the cost of replacing relays with some useful life remaining.

Extending Relay Life

To help ensure full life for the relays, you should consider the following items.

Be aware of non-resistive loads. When switching inductive loads, high voltages (thousands of volts) are produced across the relay contacts. This causes arcing and transfer of material between contacts. Oxides and carbides from components of the atmosphere coat the contacts and cause high contact resistance.

The transfer of material creates hills and valleys that lock together to "weld" contacts. Motor loads, for example, produce large inrush currents that can be 5 to 10 times greater than the steady state current. Table 1-1 summarizes inrush current magnitudes for different types of loads.

Table 1-1 Inrush Currents

Type of Load

Resistive 1 Incandescent Lamp 10 - 15

Capacitive 20 - 40 Mercury Lamp 3

Solenoid 10 - 20 Sodium Vapor Lamp 1 - 3

Inrush Current Times Steady State

Type of Load

Inrush Current Times Steady State

Motor 5 - 10 Transformer 5 - 15

28 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Protecting Relays and Circuits Getting Started

Be aware of heavy current applications. When a relay is used in heavy current applications, the thin layer of gold plating on the contact may be destroyed. This will not affect the heavy current application. However, if you go back to a low current application, a high contact resistance may be present and the relay cannot be used for low current applications.

Use protective circuits with relay connections. The relay manufacturer (Aromat) recommends some protective circuits that can be used with your relay connections. See the Aromat Technical Data Book (AGC-C0064-A-1) for additional information. Contact Aromat at (408) 433-0466 for more information.

Do not use capacitors. Capacitors are not to be placed across the load or relay contacts. Capacitors may suppress arcs, but the energy stored in the capacitors will flow through the relay contacts, welding them.

Adding Relay and Circuit Protection

The Form C switch has space for adding relay and circuit protection. Relay protection can be added by placing a protective device across the specified pads. This is done by adding metal oxide varistors (MOVs) between the common (C) and normally open (NO) or normally closed (NC) terminals. As the voltage goes up, the varistor draws current to protect the relay.

Circuit protection can be added by placing a protective device in series with the common lead. This is done by adding a resistor between the common (C) terminal and your circuit. When installing circuit protection, a jumper must be removed first.

To install these protective devices it is necessary to remove the sheet metal covers from the module. The locations for installing the devices are labeled as shown in Table 1-2, where xx = the channel number. Do not install a capacitor in any of these locations. Figure 1-13 shows locations where these protective devices can be added.

Table 1-2 Protective Devices Board Locations

Relay Protection Circuit Protection

VxxO Varistor location across common (C) and normally open (NO).

VxxC Varistor location across common (C) and normally closed

(NC).

Circuit Protection

JMxx Resistor or fuse location in series with common (C).

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 29

Getting Started Protecting Relays and Circuits

Relay

NCNO

VxxC

VxxO

xx = Channel Number

Figure 1-13Adding Relay and Circuit Protection

Maximum Allowable Module Switch Current

The Form C switch has an individual channel current specification of 5A. However, if you apply 5A to all the channels with a relay contact resistance of .25 Ohms, the power dissipation is 200 W. Since, for example, the E1401B mainframe can only provide cooling for 55W per slot (to keep the temperature rise to 10

A reasonable maximum current for the entire mainframe is 50A. That is, 10 channels each carrying 5A or some combination of channels and currents that total 50A. This will produce about 67.5 W of internal dissipation, leading to an approximate 15

Figure 1-14 shows a typical way to derate the channels, in terms of current throughout the channels, to keep internal power dissipation under 45 W and

67.5 W or 10

C and 15oC temperature rise, respectively.

C), this cannot be allowed to happen.

C temperature rise.

30 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Protecting Relays and Circuits Getting Started

1230 4 5 6 7 8 9 101112131415161718192021222324252627282930 31

No. of Switches Carrying Current

itc

=45 Watt MF Diss =67.5 Watt MF Diss

E1401 B Mainframe and .25 Relay Contact Resistance

Figure 1-14Typical Form C Switch Allowable Switch Current

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 31

Getting Started Programming the Form C Switch

Programming the Form C Switch

This section gives guidelines to program the Form C switch, including:

– Using SCPI Commands

– Addressing the Form C Switch

– Initial Operation

Using SCPI Commands

There are several ways you can program the Form C switch. One way is to write directly to the registers. This method can provide better throughput speed. However, it requires more knowledge of the Form C switch design.

Another way to program the Form C switch is to use an E1406 Command Module and SCPI commands. With SCPI commands, the command module parses the commands and writes to the appropriate Form C switch register.

You can use different controllers and different programming languages. However, most examples in this manual use SCPI commands and an HP 9000 Series 200/300 (or equivalent) computer running BASIC or a PC with an 82350A (or equivalent) Interface Card (with command library) running Borland



Turbo C.

Most examples in this manual use SCPI commands. See Appendix B for information on writing directly to the registers.

To address specific channels (relays) within a Form C switch, you must specify the SCPI command and switch channel list. Table 1-3 lists the most commonly used commands.

Table 0-1. Typical SCPI Commands

SCPI Command Description

CLOSe <channel_list> Connects the normally open (NO) terminal to the

common (C) terminal for the channels specified.

OPEN <channel_list> Connects the normally closed (NC) terminal to the

common (C) terminal for the channels specified.

SCAN <channel_list> Closes the set of Form C relays, one at a time.

32 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Programming the Form C Switch Getting Started

Command

Module

Note: Physical placement of the Module in the Logical Address

order is not required, but is recommended.

Switch Module

Logical Address = 120

Secondary Address = 15

Card Number 01

Logical Address = 121

Switch Module

Logical Address = 122

Card Number 02

641

32841

Card Number 03

641

Addressing the Form C Switch

Relays (channels) within the Form C switch are addressed using the channel_list statement. The channel_list is a combination of the switch card number and the channel numbers. The channel_list takes the form @ccnn where cc = switch card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31).

Card Numbers

The card number (cc of the channel_list) identifies the module within a switchbox. The card number assigned depends on the switch configuration used. Leading zeroes can be ignored for the card number.

In a single-module switchbox configuration, the card number is always 01. In a multiple-module switchbox logical addresses.

The module with the lowest logical address is always card number 01. The module with the next successive logical address is card number 02, etc. Figure 1-15 illustrates card numbers and logical addresses of a typical multiple-module switchbox configuration.

configuration, modules are set to successive

Figure 1-15Typical Card Numbers in a Multiple-module Switchbox

Channel Addresses

The channel address (nn of the channel list) determines which relay on the selected card will be addressed. Form C switch channel numbers are 00 through

31. The channels can be addressed using channel numbers or channel ranges:

– single channels (@ccnn);

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 33

Getting Started Programming the Form C Switch

– multiple channels (@ccnn,ccnn,...);

– sequential channels (@ccnn:ccnn);

– groups of sequential channels (@ccnn:ccnn,ccnn:ccnn);

– or any combination of the above.

Use a comma (,) to form a channel list or a colon (:) to form a channel range. Only valid channels can be accessed in a channel list or channel range. Also, the channel range must be from a lower channel number to a higher channel number. For example, CLOS(@100:215) is acceptable, but CLOS(@215:100) generates an error.

Initial Operation

Two example programs follow to help get you started using the Form C switch. The first example assumes an HP 9000 Series 200/300 controller running BASIC and a GPIB interface. The second example assumes a PC running Borland Turbo C and an 82350A (or equivalent) Interface Card (with command library)

Example: Closing a Channel (BASIC)

This program closes channel 02 of a Form C switch at logical address 120 (secondary address = 120/8 = 15) and queries the channel closure state. The result is returned to the computer and displayed (1 = channel closed, 0 = channel open). See Chapter 3 for information on the SCPI commands.

10 OUTPUT 70915;"*RST" ! Reset the module

20 OUTPUT 70915;"CLOS(@102)" ! Close channel 02

30 OUTPUT 70915;"CLOS?(@102)" ! Query channel 02 state

40 ENTER 70915;Value ! Enter result into Value

50 PRINT Value ! Display result

60 END

Example: Closing a Channel (TURBO C)

#include <stdio.h> #include <chpib.h> /*Include file for GPIB*/

#define ISC 7L #define FORMC 70915L /*Form C default address*/

34 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Programming the Form C Switch Getting Started

#define TASK1 "*RST" /*Command for a reset*/ #define TASK2 "CLOSE (@102)" /*Command to close channel 02*/ #define TASK3 "CLOS? (@102)" /*Command to query channel 02*/

main() { char into[257]; int length = 256;

/*Output commands to Form C switch*/

error_handler (IOTIMEOUT (7L,5.0), "TIMEOUT"); error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK1, 4), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK2, 12), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK3, 12), "OUTPUT command");

/*Enter from Form C switch*/

error_handler (IOENTERS (FORMC, into, &length), "ENTER command"); printf("Now let's see if the switch is closed: %s",into); return;

}

int error_handler (int error, char *routine) {

char ch; if (error != NOERR) {

printf ("\n Error %d %s \n", error, errstr(error)); printf (" in call to function %s \n\n", routine); printf ("Press 'Enter' to exit: "); scanf ("%c", &ch);

exit(0); } return 0;

}

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 35

Getting Started Programming the Form C Switch

36 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

2 Using the Form C Switch

Using This Chapter

This chapter uses typical examples to show ways to use the E1463A Form C switch module for switching channels and scanning channels. See Chapter 3 for command information. Chapter contents are:

Form C Switch Commands page 38 Power-on and Reset Conditions page 38 Module Identification page 39 Switching Channels page 41 Scanning Channels page 47 Querying the Form C Switch page 51 Using the Scan Complete Bit page 51 Saving and Recalling States page 53 Detecting Error Conditions page 54 Synchronizing the Form C Switch page 55

All examples in this chapter use GPIB select code 7, primary address 09, and secondary address 15 (LADDR = 120).

Using the Form C Switch Form C Switch Commands

Form C Switch Commands

Table 2-1 explains some of the SCPI commands used in this chapter. See Chapter 3 for more information on these commands.

Table 2-1 E1463A Form C Switch Commands Used in Chapter 2

SCPI Command Command Description

[ROUTe:]CLOSe <channel_list> Closes the channels in the <channel_list>

[ROUTe:]CLOSe? <channel_list> Queries the state of the channels in the <channel_list>

[ROUTe:]OPEN <channel_list> Opens the channels in the <channel_list>

[ROUTe:]OPEN? <channel_list> Queries the state of the channels in the <channel_list>

[ROUTe:]SCAN <channel_list> Closes the channels in the <channel_list>, one at a time

INITiate[:IMMediate] Starts scan sequence and closes first channel in the <channel_list>

TRIGger:SOURce BUS | EXT | HOLD | IMM | TTLT

Selects the trigger source to advance the scan

Power-on and Reset Conditions

Since the Form C switch module has nonlatching relays, all relays condition are in the normally closed (NC) position at power-down and power-up. The *RST command opens all channels, invalidates the current channel list for scanning and sets the conditions shown in Table 2-2.

Table 2-2 Reset Conditions

Parameter Default Description

ARM:COUNt

TRIGger:SOURce IMM Will advance scanning cycles automatically

INITiate:CONTinuous

OUTPut[:STATe]

OFF

Number of scanning cycles is 1

Number of scanning cycles is set by ARM:COUNt

Trigger output from EXT or TTL sources is disabled

38 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Module Identification Using the Form C Switch

Module Identification

The following example programs use the *RST, *CLS, *IDN?, SYST:CTYP?, and SYST:CDES commands to reset and identify the E1463A Form C switch module. A typical print for the E1463A Form C switch is:

HEWLETT-PACKARD,SWITCHBOX,0,A.04.00

32 Channel General Purpose Relay

HEWLETT-PACKARD,E1463A,0,A.04.00

Example: Module Identification (BASIC)

10 DIM A$[50], B$[50], C$[50] IDimensions three string variables to fifty characters

20 OUTPUT 70915;"*RST; *CLS" !Outputs the commands to reset and clears the status register

30 OUTPUT 70915; "*IDN?" !Queries for module identification

40 ENTER 70915; A$ IEnters the results into A$

50 OUTPUT 70915; "SYST:CDES? 1" !Outputs the command for a card description

60 ENTER 70915; B$ !Enters the results into B$

70 OUTPUT 70915; "SYST:CTYP? 1" !Outputs the command for the card type

80 ENTER 70915; C$ !Enters the results into C$

90 PRINT A$, B$, C$ !Prints the contents of variables A$, B$, and C$

100 END

Example: Module Identification (TURBO C)

#include stdio.h #include chpib.h /*Include file for GPIB*/

#define ISC 7L #define FORMC 70915L /*Form C default address*/ #define TASK1 "*RST;*CLS;*IDN?" /*Reset, clear, and query id*/ #define TASK2 "SYST:CDES? 1" /*Command for card description*/ #define TASK3 "SYST:CTYP? 1" /*Command for card type*/

main( ) { char into1[51], into2[51], into3[51]; int length = 50; /*Output and enter commands to Form C*/

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 39

Using the Form C Switch Module Identification

error_handler (IOTIMEOUT (7L,5.0), "TIMEOUT");

error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK1, 15), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOENTERS (FORMC, into1, &length), "ENTER command");

error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK2, 12), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOENTERS (FORMC, into2, &length), "ENTER command");

error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK3, 12), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOENTERS (FORMC, into3, &length), "ENTER command");

printf("IDENTIFICATION: %s",into1); printf("CARD DESCRIPTION: %s",into2); printf("CARD TYPE: %s",into3); return;

} int error_handler (int error, char *routine) { char ch; if (error != NOERR) {

printf ("\n Error %d %s \n", error, errstr(error)); printf (" in call to GPIB function %s \n\n", routine); printf ("Press 'Enter' to exit: "); scanf ("%c", &ch);

exit(0); } return 0; }

40 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Switching Channels Using the Form C Switch

Switching Channels

For general purpose relay operation, you can connect or disconnect a load by opening or closing specified channel relays. By adding exterminal pull-up resistors, the switch can be configured for digital output operations.

Use CLOS <channel_list> to connect a channel's normally open (NO) terminal to its common (C) terminal or use OPEN channel_list to connect a channel's normally closed (NC) contact to its common (C) terminal. The channel_list has the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31).

To OPEN or CLOSe multiple channels place a comma (,) between the channel numbers. For example, to close channels 101 and 103 execute CLOS (@101,103). To OPEN or CLOSe a continuous range of channels place a colon (:) between the first and last channel numbers.

Example: Opening/Closing Channels (BASIC)

This BASIC program shows one way to close and open channel 2 on an E1463A Form C module (card #1).

Implied commands are those that appear in square brackets ([ ]) in the command syntax. The brackets are not part of the command and are not sent to the instrument. For example, in the following program, ROUTe can be eliminated and just the CLOSe command can be used.

10 DISP "TEST E1463A Module"

20 OUTPUT 70915; "ROUT:CLOS (@102)"

30 OUTPUT 70915; "ROUT:OPEN (@102)"

40 END

Example: Voltage Switching (BASIC)

This example closes channel 00 of a Form C switch module to switch the load voltage (E) from load 1 to load 2. When the channel relay is open, the load voltage is applied to load 1. When the relay is closed, the voltage is applied to load 2. See Figure 2-1 for typical user connections. The program shows how to close channel 00 of the E463A Form C Switch. To open channel 00, use OPEN (@100).

10 DISP "Testing the E1463A"

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@100)" !Close channel 00 relay (connect NO to C). 1 is the card number and 00 is the channel number.

30 END

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 41

Using the Form C Switch Switching Channels

Channel

C0NO

C0NC

C0C

TERMINAL

MODULE

E1463A

Figure 2-1 Example: Voltage Switching

Example: Controlling RF Switches/Step Attenuators (BASIC)

Figure 2-2 shows one way to drive the 8761 SPDT RF Switches or 33300 Series Programmable Step Attenuators. (Figure 2-2 only shows control for the 33300 40 dB step. Additional drive relays are required for the 10 dB and 20 dB steps.)

The 8761A and 33300A/C operate from a 12V - 15V coil voltage, while the 8761B and 33300B/D operate from a 24V - 30V coil voltage. To close channel 00, execute the following. To open channel 00, use OPEN (@100).

10 DISP "Applying -12V"

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@100)" !Close channel 00 relay (connect NO to

C). 1 is the card number and 00 is the channel number.

30 END

42 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Switching Channels Using the Form C Switch

24V PWR SUPPLY

DUAL PWR SUPPLY

Channel

C1C

C1NO

C1NC

C0C

MODULE

E1463A

Channel

MODULE

TERMINAL

Channel

C0NO

C0NC

C0C

C0NC

MODULE

TERMINAL

C0NO

8761B RF Switch or

33300B/D Step Attenuator

6206B

(24V Coil Voltage)

EXTERNAL

Port 2

33300A/C Step Attenuator

8761A RF Switch or

33300

(12V Coil Voltage)

Port C

8761

+12V

6205C

EXTERNAL

-12V

Port 1

Figure 2-2 Example: Controlling RF Switches/Step Attenuators

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 43

Using the Form C Switch Switching Channels

Channel

C0NO

C0NC

C0C

TERMINAL

MODULE

Relay 1

Open +V

Closed OV

E1463A

MODULE

Example: Digital Output Configuration (BASIC)

Figure 2-3 shows channel 00 configured for digital output operation. When the channel 00 relay is open (NC connected to C), point 1 is at +V and point 2 is at 0V. When the channel 00 relay is closed (NO connected to C), points 1 and 2 are both at 0V. To close channel 00, execute the following. To open channel 00, use OPEN (@100).

10 DISP "Closing channel 0"

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@100)" !Close channel 00 relay (connect NO to

C). 1 is the card number and 00 is the channel number.

30 END

Figure 2-3 Example: Digital Output Configuration

44 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Example: Matrix Switching (BASIC)

The Form C switch module can be configured as a 4 x 8 single-wire matrix to connect any combination of up to four user sources (S0, S1, S2, S3) to any combination of up to eight user instruments (I0, I1, I1...I7) at a time. To do this, make the connections shown in Table 2-3.

Switching Channels Using the Form C Switch

Table 2-3 Matrix Switching Connections

Connect These Common (C) Channel Numbers Together

0, 8, 16, and 24 0 - 7

1, 9, 17, and 25 8 - 15

2, 10, 18, and 26 16 - 23

3, 11, 19, and 27 24 - 31

4, 12, 20, and 28

5, 13, 21, and 29

6, 14, 22, and 30

7, 15, 23, and 31

Connect These Normally Open (NO) Channel Numbers Together

Close the channel number enclosed in the circle in Figure 2-4 to connect the corresponding row and column. This example closes channel 25 to connect S3 to I1 and closes channel 20 to connect S2 to I4. To close channels 20 and 25, execute the following. To open the channels, use OPEN (@120,125).

10 DISP "Testing Switch Matrix"

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@120,125)"

!Close channels 20 and 25. 1 is the card number; 20 and 25 are channel numbers.

30 END

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 45

Using the Form C Switch Switching Channels

Close this channel to connect S to I.

24 25

28 29

C C

Figure 2-4 Example: Matrix Switching

46 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Scanning Channels Using the Form C Switch

Scanning Channels

For the Form C switch, scanning channels consists of closing a specified set of channels, one channel at a time. You can scan any combination of channels for a single-module or a multiple-module switchbox. Single, multiple, or continuous scanning modes are available. See Chapter 3 for additional information on scanning Form C switch channels.

Channel lists can extend across boundaries. For multiple-module switchbox instruments, the channels to be scanned can extend across switch modules. For example, for a two-module switchbox instrument, SCAN (@100:231 will scan all channels of both Form C switch modules.

Use ARM:COUNt <number> to set multiple/continuous scans (from 1 to 32,767 scans). Use INITiate:CONTinuous ON to set continuous scanning. See Chapter 3 for information about these SCPI commands.

Example: Scanning Using Trig In and Trig Out Ports (BASIC)

This example shows one way to synchronize instrument measurements of a device under test (DUT) with Form C switch channel closures. For measurement synchronization, the E1406A Command Module "Trig In" and "Trig Out" ports are connected to the instrument "Voltmeter Complete" and "External Trigger ports. See Figure 2-5 for typical user connections.

For this example, the normally closed (NC) contacts (channels 00-02) are connected to ground and the measurements are made on the common (C) contacts. The command module and instrument are connected via GPIB. The Form C switch module has a logical address 120 (secondary address 15) and the external instrument has an address of 722.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 47

Using the Form C Switch Scanning Channels

Trig

Out

E1406A

Command

Module

HI LO

Complete

3457A Multimeter (Rear View)

Trigger

E1463A

Module

Voltmeter Exter nal

+5V

NC(00,01,02)

C(00,01,02)

E1463A

FORM-C

Terminal Mo dule

Figure 2-5 Example: Scanning Using Trig In and Trig Out Ports

10 OUTPUT 70915; "*RST;*CLS" !Reset and clear the module

20 OUTPUT 722;"TRIG EXT;DCV" !External trigger, dc volts

30 OUTPUT 722;"MEM FIFO" !Memory first in, first out

40 OUTPUT 70915;"OUTP ON" !Enable "Trig Out"

50 OUTPUT 70915;"TRIG:SOUR EXT" !External triggering

60 OUTPUT 70915;"SCAN (@100:102)" !Scan channels 00-02

70 OUTPUT 70915;"INIT" !Enable scan

80 WAIT 2 !Wait for switch closures

90 FOR Channel=1 TO 3 !Start loop

100 ENTER 722;Result !Enter result

110 PRINT Result !Display result

120 NEXT Channel !Increment count

130 END

48 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Scanning Channels Using the Form C Switch

E1406A

Command Module

Multimeter Module

E1412A

E1463A

Terminal Mod ule

Module

E1463A

Trigger

TTLTrg0

TTLTrg1

TTLTrg0

Complete

Part of VXIb us

Example: Scanning Using the TTL Trigger Bus (BASIC)

This example uses the E1406A Command Module TTL trigger bus lines to synchronize Form C channel closures to an E1412A System Multimeter. For measurement synchronization, the E1406A TTL trigger bus line 0 is used by the Form C module to trigger the multimeter to perform a measurement and the E1406A TTL trigger bus line 1 is used by the multimeter to advance the Form C scan.

Figure 2-6 shows one way to connect the Form C module to the E1412A multimeter module. The connections shown with dotted lines are not actual hardware connections. These connections indicate how the firmware operates to accomplish the triggering.

Figure 2-6 Example: Scanning Using the TTL Trigger Bus

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 49

The following BASIC program sets up the multimeter (GPIB address 70903) to scan making 2-wire resistance measurements. The common terminals for channels 0 through 2 are connected together for this example. When one of these switches is closed (C connected to NO), different DUTs are switched in for a measurement. Triggering is accomplished by the E1406A firmware. The measurement is taken from the common (C) terminal.

Using the Form C Switch Scanning Channels

10 ALLOCATE REAL Rdgs(1:3)

20 OUTPUT 70915; "*RST;*CLS" !Reset and clear Form C switch

30 OUTPUT 70903; "*RST;*CLS" !Reset and clear multimeter

40 OUTPUT 70903;"ABORT;:TRIG:SOUR TTLTRG0" !Multimeter triggers on

TTL trigger line 0

50 OUTPUT 70903; "OUTP:TTLT1:STAT ON" !Multimeter pulses TTL

trigger line 1 on measurement complete

60 OUTPUT 70903; "CONF:RES AUTO,DEF" !Set multimeter function to

resistance, range, NPLC

70 OUTPUT 70903; "TRIG:DEL 0; COUN 3;:CAL:ZERO:AUTO ON"

!Set multimeter trigger delay, counts, calibration state

80 OUTPUT 70903; "*OPC?" ! Check to see if multimeter is ready.

When ready, initialize trigger 1.

90 ENTER 70903; Check

100 OUTPUT 70903; "INIT"

110 OUTPUT 70915; "OUTPUT:TTLT0:STATE ON" !Set up the Form C.

Form C pulses TTL Trigger line 0 on channel closed

120 OUTPUT 70915;"TRIG:SOUR TTLT1" !Set Form C to be triggered by

TTL Trigger line 1.

130 OUTPUT 70915; "SCAN (@100:102)"

140 OUTPUT 70915; "INIT"

150 OUTPUT 70903; "FETCH?"

160 ENTER 70903; Rdgs(*)

170 PRINT Rdgs(*) !Enter and print readings

180 END

50 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Querying the Form C Switch Using the Form C Switch

Querying the Form C Switch

All query commands end with a "?". These commands are used to determine a specific state of the module. The data is sent to the output buffer where you can retrieve it into your computer. See Chapter 3 for more information on these commands.

Use CLOSe? <channel_list> or OPEN? <channel_list> to query the channel state (open/closed). CLOS? returns a "1" for channel(s) closed and a "0" for channel(s) open. OPEN? returns a "0" for channel(s) closed and a "1" for channel(s) open. (Commands are software queries and do not account for relay hardware failures.)

Example: Querying Channel Closures (BASIC)

This example closes a range of channels and queries for the results.

10 DIM Channels$[32] !Dimensions a string variable to 32 characters

20 OUTPUT 70915;"CLOS (@100:131)" !Closes channels 00 through 31

30 OUTPUT 70915;"CLOS? (@100:131)" !Queries to see if the channels

40 ENTER 70915; Channels$ !Enters the results from the switch card

50 PRINT "Channels Closed:";Channels$ ! Prints the channels closed

60 END

Using the Scan Complete Bit

You can use the Scan Complete bit (bit 8) in the Operation Status Register (in the command module) of a switchbox to determine when a scanning cycle completes (no other bits in the register apply to the switchbox). Bit 8 has a decimal value of 256 and you can read it directly with the STAT:OPER? command. Refer to the STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]? command in Chapter 3 for an example.

When enabled by the STAT:OPER:ENAB 256 command, the Scan Complete bit will be reported as bit 7 of the Status Register. Use the GPIB Serial Poll or the IEEE 488.2 Common Command *STB? to read the Status Register.

When bit 7 of the Status Register is enabled by the *SRE 128 Common Command to assert a GPIB Service Request, you can interrupt the computer when the Scan Complete bit is set, after a scanning cycle completes. This allows the computer to do other operations while the scanning cycle is in progress.

are closed

into the variable Channels$

(should print 1s)

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 51

Using the Form C Switch Using the Scan Complete Bit

Example: Using the Scan Complete Bit (BASIC)

This example monitors bit 7 in the Status Register to determine when the scanning cycle is complete. The computer interfaces with an E1406A Command Module over GPIB. The GPIB select code is 7, the GPIB primary address is 09, and the GPIB secondary address is 15.

10 OUTPUT 70915;"*RST; *CLS" !Reset and clear the module

20 OUTPUT 70915;"STAT:OPER:ENAB 256" !Enable Scan Complete Bit

30 OUTPUT 70915; "TRIG:SOUR IMM" !Set the Form C switch for

continuous triggering

50 OUTPUT 70915; "SCAN (@100:115)" !Select channels to scan

60 OUTPUT 70915; "*OPC?" !Wait for operation complete

70 ENTER 70915; A$

80 PRINT "*OPC? = ";A$

90 OUTPUT 70915;"STAT:OPER:ENAB?" !Query the contents in the

operation status register

100 ENTER 70915; A$

110 PRINT "STAT:OPER:ENAB?=";A$ !Print the contents of the operation

status register

120 OUTPUT 70915; "*STB?" !Query the contents of the status byte

130 ENTER 70915; A$

140 PRINT "Switch Status = ";A$ !Print the contents of the status

byte register

150 OUTPUT 70915; "INIT" !Start scan cycle

160 I = 0 !Initialize the value of the counter

170 WHILE (I=0) !Stay in loop until some value is returned from the

SPOLL (70915) command

180 I = SPOLL(70915)

190 PRINT "Waiting for scan to complete: SPOLL = ";I

200 END WHILE

210 I = SPOLL(70915)

220 PRINT "Scan complete: SPOLL = ";I

230 END

52 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Saving and Recalling States Using the Form C Switch

Saving and Recalling States

The *SAV <numeric_state> command saves the current instrument state. The state number (0-9) is specified by the <numeric_state> parameter. The settings saved by this command are:

Channel relay states (open or closed)

ARM:COUNt

TRIGger:SOURce

OUTPut:STATe

INITiate:CONTinuous

The *RCL <numeric_state> command recalls the state when the last *SAV was executed for the specified <numeric_state> parameter (0-9). If no *SAV was executed for the <numeric_state>, *RST default settings are used. Refer to the *SAV settings list for the settings recalled by *RCL.

Example: Saving and Recalling State (BASIC)

This program shows how to save and recall Form C switch states.

10 DIM A$[150] !Dimension a string variable for 150 characters

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@100:131)" !Close channels 00 - 31 on

30 OUTPUT 70915; "*SAV 5" !Save as numeric state 5

40 OUTPUT 70915 "*RST;*CLS" !Reset and clear the Form C switch

50 OUTPUT 70915;"CLOS? (@100:131)" !Query the channels closed

60 ENTER 70915;A$

70 PRINT "Channels Closed:";A$ !Print closed channels

(should print 0s)

80 OUTPUT 70915; "*RCL 5" !Recall numeric state 5

90 OUTPUT 70915 "CLOS? (100:131)" !Query to see which channels

100 ENTER 70915;A$

110 PRINT "Channels Closed:";A$ !Print closed channels

(should print 1s)

120 END

the Form C switch

are closed

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 53

Using the Form C Switch Detecting Error Conditions

Detecting Error Conditions

The SYSTem:ERRor? query requests a value from an instrument's error register. This register contains an integer in the range [-32,768 to 32,767]. The response takes the form <err_number>,<err_message> where <err_number> is the value of the instrument's error and <err_message> is a short description of the error.

Example: Detecting Error Conditions (BASIC)

This BASIC program attempts an illegal channel closure and polls for an error message.

10 DIM Err_num$[256] !Dimension a string variable for 256 characters

20 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@135)" !Try to close an illegal channel

30 OUTPUT 70915; "SYST:ERR?" !Query for a system error

40 ENTER 70915; Err_num$

50 PRINT Err_num$ !Print error +2001, "Invalid channel number"

60 END

Example: Detecting Error Conditions (Turbo C)

This Turbo C program attempts an illegal channel closure and polls for an error message. If no error occurs, the switchbox responds with 0, "No error". If there has been more than one error, the instrument will respond with the first error in its error queue. Subsequent queries continue to read the error queue until it is empty. The maximum <err_message> string length is 255 characters.

#include stdio.h #include chpib.h /*Include file for GPIB*/

#define ISC 7L #define FORMC 70915L /*Form C default address*/ #define TASK1 "CLOSE (@135)" /*Command for illegal switch closure*/ #define TASK2 "SYST:ERR?" /*Command for system error*/

main( ) {

char into[257];

int length = 256;

/*Output commands to Form C*/

54 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Synchronizing the Form C Switch Using the Form C Switch

error_handler (IOTIMEOUT (7L,5.0), "TIMEOUT"); error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK1, 12), "OUTPUT command"); error_handler (IOOUTPUTS (FORMC, TASK2, 9), "OUTPUT command");

/*Enter from Form C*/

error_handler (IOENTERS (FORMC, into, &length), "ENTER command"); printf("Print the errors: %s",into); return;

}

int error_handler (int error, char *routine) {

char ch; if (error != NOERR) { printf ("\n Error %d %s \n", error, errstr(error)); printf (" in call to GPIB function %s \n\n", routine); printf ("Press 'Enter' to exit: ");

scanf ("%c", &ch);

exit(0); } return 0;

}

Synchronizing the Form C Switch

This section gives guidelines to synchronize a Form C switch module with a measurement instrument.

Example: Synchronizing the Form C Switch (BASIC)

This BASIC program shows one way to synchronize a Form C switch module with a measurement instrument. In this example, the Form C switch module switches a signal to a multimeter. The program then verifies the channel is closed before the multimeter begins its measurement.

10 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS (@105)" !Close channel 5

20 OUTPUT 70915; "*OPC?" !Wait for operation complete

30 ENTER 70915; Opc_value

40 OUTPUT 70915; "CLOS? (@105)" !Check to see if channel closed

50 ENTER 70915;A

60 IF A=1 THEN

70 OUTPUT 70903;"MEAS:VOLT:DC?" !When channel is closed, measure

the voltage

80 ENTER 70903; Meas_value

90 PRINT Meas_value !Print the measured voltage

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 55

Using the Form C Switch Synchronizing the Form C Switch

100 ELSE

110 PRINT "Channel did not close"

120 END IF

130 END

56 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

3 E1463A Command Reference

Using This Chapter

This chapter describes Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) and summarizes IEEE 488.2 Common (*) commands applicable to the E1463A Form C Switch Module. This chapter contains the following sections:

Command Types page 57 SCPI Command Reference page 60 SCPI Commands Quick Reference page 88 IEEE 488.2 Common Commands Reference page 89

Command Types

Commands are separated into two types: IEEE 488.2 Common commands and SCPI commands.

Common Command Format

The IEEE 488.2 standard defines the Common commands that perform functions like reset, self-test, status byte query, etc. Common commands are four or five characters in length, always begin with the asterisk character (*), and may include one or more parameters. The command keyword is separated from the first parameter by a space character. Some examples of Common commands are shown below:

*RST *ESE <unmask> *STB?

SCPI Command Format

The SCPI commands perform functions like closing switches, opening switches, scanning channels, querying instrument states or retrieving data. A subsystem command structure is a hierarchical structure that usually consists of a top level (or root) command, one or more lower-level commands, and their parameters. The following example shows part of a typical subsystem:

[ROUTe:]

CLOSe<channel_list> SCAN <channel_list>

:MODE?

E1463A Command Reference Command Types

[ROUTe:] is the root command, CLOSe and SCAN are second-level commands with parameters, and :MODE? is a third-level command. There must be a space between the second-level command (such as CLOSe) and the parameter (<channel_list>).

Command Separator

A colon (:) always separates one command from the next lower-level command as shown below:

[ROUTe:]SCAN:MODE?

Colons separate the root command from the second-level command ([ROUTe:]SCAN) and the second level from the third level (SCAN:MODE?).

Abbreviated Commands

The command syntax shows most commands as a mixture of upper- and lowercase letters. The uppercase letters indicate the abbreviated spelling for the command. For shorter program lines, send the abbreviated form. For better program readability, you may send the entire command. The instrument will accept either the abbreviated form or the entire command.

For example, if the command syntax shows TRIGger, then TRIG and TRIGGER are both acceptable forms. Other forms of TRIGger, such as TRIGG or TRIGGE will generate an error. You may use uppercase or lowercase letters. Therefore, TRIGGER, trigger, and TrigGeR are all acceptable.

Implied Commands

Implied commands are those that appear in square brackets ([ ]) in the command syntax. (The brackets are not part of the command and are not sent to the instrument.) Suppose you send a second-level command but do not send the preceding implied command. In this case, the instrument assumes you intend to use the implied command and it responds as if you had sent it. Examine the portion of the [ROUTe:] subsystem shown below:

[ROUTe:]

The root command [ROUTe:] is an implied command (indicated by square brackets ([ ])). To make a query about a channel’s present status, you can send either of the following command statements:

ROUT:CLOSe? <channel_list> or CLOSe? <channel_list>

CLOSe<channel_list>

58 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Command Types E1463A Command Reference

Variable Command Syntax

Some commands have what appears to be a variable syntax, such as OUTPut:TTLTrgn. In this command, the "n" is replaced by a number. No space is left between the command and the number because the number is not a parameter.

Parameters

Parameter Types. The following table contains explanations and examples of parameter types you might see later in this chapter.

Type Explanations and Examples

Boolean Represents a single binary condition that is either true or false (ON,

OFF, 1.0). Any non-zero value is considered true.

Discrete Selects from a finite number of values. These parameters use

mnemonics to represent each valid setting. An example is the TRIGger:SOURce <source> command where <source> can be BUS, EXTernal, HOLD, IMMediate, or TTLTrgn.

Numeric Commonly used decimal representations of numbers including

optional signs, decimal points, and scientific notation. Examples are 123, 123E2, -123, -1.23E2, .123, 1.23E-2, 1.23000E-01. Special cases include MINimum, MAXimum, DEFault and INFinity.

Optional Parameters shown within square brackets ([ ]) are optional

parameters. (The brackets are not part of the command and are not sent to the instrument.) If you do not specify a value for an optional parameter, the instrument chooses a default value.

For example, consider the ARM:COUNt? [<MIN | MAX>] command. If you send the command without specifying a parameter, the present ARM:COUNt value is returned. If you send the MIN parameter, the command returns the minimum count available. If you send the MAX parameter, the command returns the maximum count available. Be sure to place a space between the command and the parameter.

Linking Commands

Linking IEEE 488.2 Common Commands with SCPI Commands. Use a semicolon (;) between the commands. For example, *RST;*RCL 1 or CLOS (@101);*SAV 1

Linking Multiple SCPI Commands. Use both a semicolon (;) and a colon (:) between the commands, such as CLOS (@101);:CLOS? (@101).

Linking Subsystem Commands. SCPI also allows several commands within the same subsystem to be linked with a semicolon, such as ROUT:CLOS (@101);:ROUT:CLOS? (@101) or ROUT:CLOS (@101);CLOS? (@101).

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 59

E1463A Command Reference SCPI Command Reference

SCPI Command Reference

This section describes the Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) commands for the E1463A. Commands are listed alphabetically by subsystem and within each subsystem.

ABORt

The ABORt command stops a scan in progress when the scan is enabled via the interface and the trigger source is TRIGger:SOURce BUS or TRIGger:SOURce HOLD.

Subsystem Syntax

ABORt

Comments

ABORt Actions: The ABORt command terminates the scan and invalidates the

current channel list.

Stopping Scan Enabled Via Interface: When a scan is enabled via an interface, an

interface CLEAR command can be used to stop the scan. When the scan is enabled via the interface and TRIG:SOUR BUS or HOLD is set, you can use ABORt to stop the scan.

Related Commands: ARM, INITiate:CONTinuous,[ROUTe:]SCAN, TRIGger

Example

Stopping a Scan with ABORt

This example stops a continuous scan in progress.

TRIG:SOUR BUS !Trigger command will be via backplane (bus) interface

(*TRG command generates trigger)

INIT:CONT ON !Set continuous scanning

SCAN(@100:107) !Scan channels 00 to 07

INIT !Start scan, close channel 00

ABOR !Abort scan in progress

60 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

ARM E1463A Command Reference

ARM

The ARM subsystem selects the number of scanning cycles (1 to 32,767) for each INITiate command.

Subsystem Syntax

ARM

:COUNt <number> MIN | MAX :COUNt? [<MIN | MAX>]

ARM:COUNt

ARM:COUNt <number> MIN | MAX allows scanning to occur a multiple of times (1 to

32,767) with one INITiate command when INITiate:CONTinuous OFF | 0 is set. MIN sets 1 cycle and MAX sets 32,767 cycles.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<number> numeric 1 - 32,767 | MIN | MAX 1

Comments

– Number of Scans: Use only numeric values between 1 and 32767, MIN, or

MAX for the number of scanning cycles.

–

Related Commands: ABORt, INITiate[:IMMediate]

–

*RST Condition: ARM:COUNt 1

Example

Setting Ten Scanning Cycles

This example sets a Form C switch for 10 scans of channels 00 through 03. When the scan sequence completes, channels 00 through 03 (relays 00 through 03) are closed.

ARM:COUN 10 !Set 10 scans per INIT command

SCAN(@100:103) !Scan channels 00 to 03

INIT !Start scan, close channel 00

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 61

E1463A Command Reference ARM:COUNt?

ARM:COUNt?

ARM:COUNt? [<MIN | MAX>] returns the current number of scanning cycles set by

ARM:COUNt. The current number of scan cycles is returned when MIN or MAX is not specified. With MIN or MAX as a parameter, MIN returns "1" and MAX returns "32,767".

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

MIN | MAX numeric MIN = 1, MAX = 32,767 current cycle

Comments

Related Commands: INITiate[:IMMediate]

Example

Querying Number of Scans

This example sets a switchbox for 10 scanning cycles and queries the number of scan cycles set. The ARM:COUN? command returns 10.

ARM:COUN 10 !Set 10 scans per INIT command

ARM:COUN? !Query number of scans

62 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

DISPlay E1463A Command Reference

DISPlay

The DISPlay subsystem monitors the channel state of the selected module in a switchbox. This subsystem operates with an E1406A Command Module when a display terminal is connected.

Subsystem Syntax

DISPlay

:MONitor

:CARD <number> | AUTO [:STATe] <mode>

DISPlay:MONitor:CARD

DISPlay:MONitor:CARD <number> | AUTO selects the module in a switchbox to be

monitored.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<number> | AUTO numeric 1 - 99 AUTO

Comments

Selecting a Specific Module to be Monitored: Use DISPlay:MONitor:CARD

to send the card number for the switchbox to be monitored.

Selecting the Present Module to be Monitored: Use DISPlay:MONitor:CARD AUTO to

select the last module addressed by a switching command (for example, [ROUTe:]CLOSe).

*RST Conditions: DISPlay:MONitor:CARD AUTO

Example

Select Module #2 in a Switchbox for Monitoring

DISP:MON:CARD 2 !Selects module #2 in a switchbox

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 63

E1463A Command Reference DISPlay

DISPlay:MONitor[:STATe]

DISPlay:MONitor[:STATe] <mode> turns the monitor mode ON or OFF.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<mode> boolean ON | OFF | 1 | 0 OFF | 0

Comments

Monitoring Switchbox Channels: DISPlay:MONitor:STATe ON or

DISPlay:MONitor:STATe 1 turns the monitor mode ON to show the channel state of the selected module. DISPlay:MONitor:STATe OFF or DISPlay:MONitor:STATe 0 turns the channel monitor OFF.

Selecting the Module to be Monitored: Use DISPlay:MONitor:CARD <number> AUTO to

select the module.

Monitor Mode with a Form C Switch: When monitoring mode is turned ON, decimal

numbers representing the channels closed will be displayed at the bottom of the display terminal. For example, if channels 3, 7, and 12 are closed, the bottom of the display will read as follows, where the channel numbers represent channels that are closed.

Chan , , ,3, , , , 7, , , , ,12, , , , ... etc.

*RST Condition: DISPlay:MONitor[:STATe]OFF | 0

Example

Enabling Monitor Mode

DISP:MON:CARD 2 !Select module #2 in a switchbox

DISP:MON 1 !Turn monitor mode ON

64 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

INITiate E1463A Command Reference

INITiate

The INITiate command subsystem selects continuous scanning cycles and starts the scanning cycle.

Subsystem Syntax

INITiate

:CONTinuous <mode> :CONTinuous? [:IMMediate]

INITiate:CONTinuous

INITiate:CONTinuous <mode> enables or disables continuous scanning cycles for the

switchbox.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<mode> boolean ON | OFF | 1 | 0 OFF | 0

Comments

Continuous Scanning Operation: Continuous scanning is enabled with

INITiate:CONTinuous ON or INITiate:CONTinuous 1. Sending INITiate:IMMediate closes the first channel in the channel list. Each trigger from the source specified by TRIGger:SOURce advances the scan through the channel list. A trigger at the end of the channel list closes the first channel in the channel list and the scan cycle repeats.

Noncontinuous Scanning Operation: Noncontinuous scanning is enabled with

INITiate:CONTinuous OFF or INITiate:CONTinuous 0. Sending INITiate:IMMediate closes the first channel in the channel list. Each trigger from the source specified by TRIGger:SOURce advances the scan through the channel list. At the end of the scanning cycle, the last channel in the channel list is opened.

Stopping Continuous Scan: See the ABORt command.

Related Commands: ABORt, ARM:COUNt, TRIGger:SOURce

*RST Condition: INITiate:CONTinuous OFF | 0

Example

Enabling Continuous Scanning

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 65

E1463A Command Reference INITiate

This example enables continuous scanning of channels 00 through 03 of a single-module switchbox. Since TRIGger:SOURce IMMediate (default) is set, use an interface clear command (such as CLEAR) to stop the scan.

INIT:CONT ON !Enable continuous scanning

SCAN(@100:103) !Define channel list

INIT !Start scan cycle, close channel 00

INITiate:CONTinuous?

INITiate:CONTinuous? queries the scanning state. With continuous scanning

enabled, the command returns "1" (ON). With continuous scanning disabled, the command returns "0" (OFF).

Example

Querying Continuous Scanning State

This example enables continuous scanning of a switchbox and queries the state. Since continuous scanning is enabled, INIT:CONT? returns "1".

INIT:CONT ON !Enable continuous scanning

INIT:CONT? !Query continuous scanning state

INITiate[:IMMediate]

INITiate[:IMMediate] starts the scanning process and closes the first channel in the

channel list. Successive triggers from the source specified by the TRIGger:SOURce command advance the scan through the channel list.

Comments

Starting the Scanning Cycle: INITiate:IMMediate starts scanning by closing the first

channel in the channel list. Each trigger received advances the scan to the next channel in the channel list. An invalid channel list definition causes an error (see [ROUTe:]SCAN).

Stopping Scanning Cycles: See the ABORt command.

Example

Enabling a Single Scan

This example enables a single scan of channels 00 through 03 of a single-module switchbox. The trigger source to advance the scan is immediate (internal) triggering set with TRIGger:SOURceIMMediate (default).

SCAN(@100:103) !Scan channels 00 - 03

INIT !Begin scan, close channel 00 (use immediate triggering)

66 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

OUTPut E1463A Command Reference

OUTPut

The OUTPut command subsystem enables or disables the different trigger lines of the E1406A Command Module.

Subsystem Syntax

OUTPut

:EXTernal

[:STATe] <mode>

[:STATe]? [:STATe] <mode> [:STATe]? :TTLTrgn (:TTLTrg0 through :TTLTrg7)

[:STATe] <mode>

[:STATe]?

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] <mode> enables or disables the "Trig Out" port on the

E1406A Command Module.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<mode> boolean ON | OFF | 1 | 0 OFF | 0

Comments

Enabling "Trig Out" Port: When enabled, a pulse is output from the "Trig Out" port

after each scanned switchbox channel is closed. If disabled, a pulse is not output from the port after channel closures. The output pulse is a +5V negative-going pulse.

"Trig Out" Port Shared by Switchboxes: When enabled, the "Trig Out" port is pulsed by

any switchbox each time a scanned channel is closed. To disable the output for a specific module send OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] OFF or OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] 0 for that module.

One Output Selected at a Time: Only one output (TTLTrg or EXTernal) can be enabled

at one time. Enabling a different output source will automatically disable the active output.

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]SCAN, TRIGger:SOURce

*RST Condition: OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] OFF (port disabled)

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 67

E1463A Command Reference OUTPut

Example

Enabling "Trig Out" Port

OUTP:EXT ON !Enable "Trig Out" port to output pulse after each scanned channel is closed

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]?

OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]? queries the present state of the "Trig Out" port on the

E1406A Command Module. The command returns "1" if the port is enabled or "0" if the port is disabled.

Example

Query "Trig Out" Port Enable State

This example enables the "Trig Out" port and queries the enable state. OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]? returns "1" since the port is enabled.

OUTP:EXT ON !Enable E1406A "Trig Out" port

OUTP:EXT? !Query port enable state

OUTPut[:STATe]

OUTPut[:STATe] <mode> enables or disables the "Trig Out" port on the E1406A

Command Module. OUTPut[:STATe] ON | 1 enables the port and OUTPut[:STATe] OFF | 0 disables the port. This command functions the same as OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe].

Parameters

Comments

*RST Condition: OUTPut[:STATe] OFF (port disabled)

Example

Enabling "Trig Out" Port

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<mode> boolean ON | OFF | 1 | 0 OFF | 0

OUTP ON !Enable "Trig Out" port to output pulse after each scanned

channel is closed

68 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

OUTPut E1463A Command Reference

OUTPut[:STATe]?

OUTPut[:STATe]? queries the present state of the E1406A Command Module "Trig

Out" port. The command returns "1" if the port is enabled or "0" if the port is disabled. This command functions the same as OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe]?.

Example

Query "Trig Out" Port Enable State

This example enables the E1406A Command Module "Trig Out" port and queries the enable state. OUTPut[:STATe]? returns "1" since the port is enabled.

OUTP ON !Enable "

Trig Out" port OUTP? !Query port enable state

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe] <mode> selects and enables which TTL Trigger bus line (0 to

7) will output a trigger when a channel is closed during a scan. This is also used to disable a selected TTL Trigger bus line. "n" specifies the TTL Trigger bus line (0 to 7) and <mode> enables (ON or 1) or disables (OFF or 0) the specified TTL Trigger bus line.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

n numeric 0 to 7 N/A

<mode> boolean ON | OFF | 1 | 0 OFF | 0

Comments

Enabling TTL Trigger Bus: When enabled, a pulse is output from the selected TTL

Trigger bus line (0 to 7) after each channel in the switchbox is closed during a scan. If disabled, a pulse is not output. The output is a negative-going pulse.

One Output Selected at a Time: Only one output (TTLTrg or EXTernal) can be enabled

at one time. Enabling a different output source will automatically disable the active output. For example, if TTLTrg1 is the active output and TTLTrg4 is enabled, TTLTrg1 will become disabled and TTLTrg4 will become the active output.

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]SCAN, TRIGger:SOURce, OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]?

*RST Condition: OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe] OFF (disabled)

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 69

E1463A Command Reference OUTPut

Example

Enabling TTL Trigger Bus Line 7

OUTP:TTLT7:STAT 1 !Enable TTL Trigger bus line 7 to output pulse after

each scanned channel is closed

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]?

OUTPut:TTLTrgn[:STATe]? queries the present state of the specified TTL Trigger bus

line. The command returns "1" if the specified TTLTrg bus line is enabled or "0" if disabled.

Example

Query TTL Trigger Bus Enable State

This example enables TTL Trigger bus line 7 and queries the enable state. OUTPut:TTLTrgn? returns "1" since the port is enabled.

OUTP:TTLT7:STAT 1 !Enable TTL Trigger bus line 7

OUTP:TTLT 7? !Query bus enable state

70 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

[ROUTe:] E1463A Command Reference

[ROUTe:]

The [ROUTe:] command subsystem controls switching and scanning operations for Form C switch modules in a switchbox.

Subsystem Syntax

[ROUTe:]

CLOSe <channel_list> CLOSe? <channel_list> OPEN <channel_list> OPEN? <channel_list> SCAN <channel_list>

There must be a space between the second level command (CLOS, for example) and the parameter <channel_list>.

[ROUTe:]CLOSe

[ROUTe:]CLOSe <channel_list> closes the Form C switch channels specified by

<channel_list>. <channel_list> has the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31).

Parameters

Comments

Closing Channels:

– To close a single channel use ROUT:CLOS (@ccnn)

– To close multiple channels use ROUT:CLOS (@ccnn,ccnn,...)

– To close sequential channels use ROUT:CLOS (@ccnn:ccnn)

– To close groups of sequential channels use ROUT:CLOS

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<channel_list> numeric cc00 - cc31 N/A

(@ccnn:ccnn,ccnn:ccnn)

– or any combination of the above

Closure order for multiple channels with a single command is not guaranteed. Channel numbers can be in the <channel_list> in any random order.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 71

E1463A Command Reference [ROUTe:]

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]OPEN, [ROUTe:]CLOSe?

*RST Condition: All channels open.

Example

Closing Form C Switch Channels

This example closes channels 100 and 213 of a two-module switchbox (card numbers 01 and 02).

CLOS(@100,213) !Close channels 100 and 213. 100 closes channel 00 of

card #1 and 213 closes channel 13 of card #2.

[ROUTe:]CLOSe?

[ROUTe:]CLOSe? <channel_list> returns the current state of the channel(s) queried.

<channel_list> has the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31). The command returns "1" if channel(s) are closed or returns "0" if channel(s) are open.

Comments

Query is Software Readback: ROUTe:CLOSe? returns the current software state of the

channel(s) specified. It does not account for relay hardware failures.

A maximum of 128 channels can be queried at one time. If you want to query more than

128 channels, you must enter the query data in two separate commands.

Example

Querying Channel Closure

This example closes channels 100 and 213 of a two-module switchbox and queries channel closure. Since the channels are programmed to be closed "1,1" is returned as a string.

CLOS(@100,213) !Close channels 100 and 213

CLOS?(@100,213) !Query channels 100 and 213 state

72 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

[ROUTe:] E1463A Command Reference

[ROUTe:]OPEN

[ROUTe:]OPEN <channel_list> opens the Form C switch channels specified by

<channel_list>. <channel_list> has the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31).

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<channel_list> numeric cc00 - cc31 N/A

Comments

– Opening Channels:

– To open a single channel use ROUT:OPEN (@ccnn)

– To open multiple channels use ROUT:OPEN (@ccnn,ccnn,...)

– To open sequential channels use ROUT:OPEN (@ccnn:ccnn)

– To open groups of sequential channels use ROUT:OPEN

(@ccnn:ccnn,ccnn:ccnn)

– or any combination of the above

Opening Order: Opening order for multiple channels with a single command is not

guaranteed.

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]CLOSe, [ROUTe:]OPEN?

*RST Condition: All channels open.

Example

Opening Form C Switch Channels

This example opens channels 100 and 213 of a two-module switchbox (card numbers 01 and 02).

OPEN(@100,213) !Open channels 100 and 213. 100 opens channel 00 of

card #1 and 213 opens channel 13 of card #2.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 73

E1463A Command Reference [ROUTe:]

[ROUTe:]OPEN?

[ROUTe:]OPEN? <channel_list> returns the current state of the channel(s) queried.

<channel_list> has the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number (01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31). The command returns "1" if channel(s) are open or returns "0" if channel(s) are closed.

Comments

Query is Software Readback: ROUTe:OPEN? returns the current software state of the

channel(s) specified. It does not account for relay hardware failures.

A maximum of 128 channels can be queried at one time: If you want to query more than

128 channels, you must enter the query data in two separate commands.

Example

Querying Channel Open State

This example opens channels 100 and 213 of a two-module switchbox and queries channel 213 state. Since channel 213 is programmed to be open, "1" is returned.

OPEN(@100,213) OPEN?(@213)

[ROUTe:]SCAN

[ROUTe:]SCAN <channel_list> defines the channels to be scanned. <channel_list> has

the form (@ccnn) where cc = card number 01-99) and nn = channel number (00-31).

Parameters

Comments

Defining Scan List: When ROUTe:SCAN is executed, the channel list is checked for

valid card and channel numbers. An error is generated for an invalid channel list.

Scanning Channels:

– To scan a single channel use ROUT:SCAN (@ccnn)

!Open channels 100 and 213

!Query channel 213 state

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<channel_list> numeric cc00 - cc31 N/A

– To scan multiple channels use ROUT:SCAN (@ccnn,ccnn,...)

– To scan sequential channels use ROUT:SCAN (@ccnn:ccnn)

74 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

[ROUTe:] E1463A Command Reference

– To scan groups of sequential channels use ROUT:SCAN

(@ccnn:ccnn,ccnn:ccnn)

– or any combination of the above

Channel numbers can be in the <channel_list> in any random order.

Scanning Operation: When a valid channel list is defined, INITiate[:IMMediate]

begins the scan and closes the first channel in the <channel_list>. Successive triggers from the source specified by TRIGger:SOURce advance the scan through the <channel list>. At the end of the scan, the last trigger opens the last channel.

Stopping Scan: See ABORt

Related Commands: TRIGger, TRIGger:SOURce

*RST Condition: All channels open.

Example

Scanning Using External Device

See "Scanning Channels" in Chapter 2 for examples of scanning programs using external instruments.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 75

E1463A Command Reference STATus

STATus

The STATus subsystem reports the bit values of the OPERation Status Register. It also allows you to unmask the bits you want reported from the Standard Event Status Register and to read the summary bits from the Status Byte Register.

Subsystem Syntax

STATus

:OPERation

:CONDition? :ENABle <unmask> :ENABle? [:EVENt?]

:PRESet

As shown in Figure 3-1, the STATus subsystem for the E1463A Form C Switch includes the Status Byte Register, the Standard Event Status Register, OPERation Status Register, and Output Queue. The Standard Event Status Register (*ESE?) and the Status Byte Register (*STB?) are under IEEE 488.2 control.

Status Byte Register

In the Status Byte register, the Operation Status bit (OPR), Request Service bit (RQS), Standard Event bit (ESB), Message Available bit (MAV) and Questionable Data bit (QUE) (bits 7, 6, 5, 4 and 3 respectively) can be queried with the *STB? command.

Standard Event Status Register

In the Standard Event Status Register, you can use *ESE? to query the "unmask" value (the bits to be logically ORed into the Summary bit). The registers are queried using decimal-weighted bit values. Decimal equivalents for bits 0 through 15 are shown in Figure 3-1.

OPERation Status Register

Using STATus:OPERation:ENABle 256 allows only bit 8 to generate a Summary bit from the OPERation Status Register, since the decimal value for bit 8 is 256. The decimal values can also used in the inverse manner to determine the bits set from the value returned by STATus:OPERation:EVENt? or STATus:OPERation:CONDition?.

The Form C switch driver uses only bit 8 of OPERation Status Register. This bit is called the Scan Complete bit and is set whenever a scan operation completes. Since completion of a scan operation is an event in time, bit 8 will never appear set when STATus:OPERation:CONDition? is queried. However, you can find bit 8 set by using STATus:OPERation:EVENt?.

76 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

STATus E1463A Command Reference

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

11 12 13 14 15

STATus:OPE Ration:CONDition?

STATus:OPERation:EVENt?

STATus:OPERation:ENABle

"OR"

CEV EN

3 4 5 6 7

Command Error

Execution Error

Device Dep endent Error

Query Error

Operation C omplete

EV E N

Statu s

Byte

Summary B it

Output Queue

Standard Event Status Register

*SRE <unmask> *SRE?

*STB?

Status Byte Register

OPERation Status Register

QUE = Question able Data

NOTE:

MAV = Message Available ESB = Standa rd Event RQS = Request Service

C = Condition Register EV = Event Register EN = Enable R egister

<32768>

<16384>

<8192>

<4096>

<2048>

<1024>

<512>

<256>

<128>

<64>

<32>

<16>

<8>

<4>

<2>

<1>

<128>

<64>

<32>

<16>

<8>

<4>

<2>

<1>

<2>

<128>

<4>

<8> <16> <32>

<1>

RQS

ESB

MAV

unmask examples:

*ESE 61 unmasks standar d event regi ster bits 0,

2, 3, 4 and 5 (*ESE 128 only unmasks bit 7).

*SRE 128 unmasks the OPR bit (operation) in

the status byte register . This is effective only if the STAT:OP ER:ENAB 256 command is executed.

STAT:QUE S:ENAB 256 unma sks the "Scan Complete"

Operation Co mplete <128>7

bit

unmask decimal

weight

"OR"

ESB

SRQ

SRQ = Interfac e Bus

Service R equest

Other

Instrument

Other

Instrument

SRQ Line

Interface Bus

System

Controller

SPOLL

*ESE?

*ESE <unmask>

*ESR?

Scan Complete

OPR

Summary

Bit

OPR = Operati on Status

User Request

Request Contr ol

"OR"

Automatically Set at

Power On Co nditions

Automatically Set by

Parse r

Power On

Related Comm ands

Set by *OPC

are *OPC? and *WAI

Summary

Bit

bit.

STATu s:PRESe t

STATus:OPERation:ENABle?

Figure 3-7 E1463A Status System Register Diagram

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 77

E1463A Command Reference STATus

STATus:OPERation:CONDition?

STATus:OPERation:CONDition? returns the state of the Condition Register

in the OPERation Status Register. The state represents conditions that are part of the instrument's operation. The switch driver does not set bit 8 in the OPERation Status Register (see STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?).

STATus:OPERation:ENABle

STATus:OPERation:ENABle <unmask> sets an enable mask to allow events recorded in

the Event Register of the OPERation Status Register to send a Summary bit to the Status Byte Register (bit 7). For switch modules, when bit 8 in the OPERation Status Register is set to 1 and bit 8 is enabled by STATus:OPERation:ENABle, bit 7 in the Status Byte Register is set to 1.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<unmask> numeric 0 through 65,535 N/A

Comments

Setting Bit 7 of the Status Byte Register: STATus:OPERation:ENABle 256 sets bit 7 (OPR)

of the Status Byte Register to 1 after bit 8 (Scan Complete) of the OPERation Status Register is set to 1.

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]SCAN

Example

Enabling Operation Status Register Bit 8

STAT:OPER:ENAB 256 !Enable bit 8 of the OPERation Status Register to

be reported to bit 7 (OPR) in the Status Byte Register

STATus:OPERation:ENABle?

STATus:OPERation:ENABle? returns the bit value of the Enable Register within the

OPERation Status Register.

Comments

Output Format: STATus:OPERation:ENABle? returns a decimal-weighted value from

0 to 65,535 indicating the bits set to true.

78 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

STATus E1463A Command Reference

Maximum Value Returned: The value returned is the value set by

STATus:OPERation:ENABle <unmask>. However, the maximum decimal-weighted value used in this module is 256 (bit 8 in the Condition Register within the OPERation Status Register is set to true).

Example

Querying the Enable Register in the OPERation Status Register

STAT:OPER:ENAB? ! Query the Enable Register in the OPERation Status

STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?

STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]? returns which bits in the Event Register within the

OPERation Status Register are set. The Event Register indicates that a time-related instrument event has occurred.

Comments

Setting Bit 8 of the OPERation Status Register: Bit 8 (Scan Complete) is set to 1 after a

scanning cycle completes. Bit 8 returns to 0 (zero) after sending STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?.

Returned Data after sending STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?: The command returns "+256" if

bit 8 of the OPERation Status Register is set to 1. The command returns "+0" if bit 8 of the OPERation Status Register is set to 0.

Event Register Cleared: Reading the Event Register within the OPERation Status

Aborting a Scan: Aborting a scan will leave bit 8 set to 0.

Related Commands: [ROUTe:]SCAN

Example

Reading the OPERation Status Register After a Scanning Cycle

STAT:OPER? !Return the bit values of the Event Register within the

OPERation Status Register

read the register value +256 shows bit 8 is set to 1.

+0 shows bit 8 is set to 0.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 79

E1463A Command Reference STATus

STATus:PRESet

STATus:PRESet affects only the Enable Register within the OPERation Status

Register by setting all Enable Register bits to 0. It does not affect either the Status Byte Register or the Standard Event Status Register. STATus:PRESet does not clear any of the Event Registers.

80 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

SYSTem E1463A Command Reference

SYSTem

The SYSTem subsystem returns the error numbers and error messages in the error queue of a switchbox. It can also return the types and descriptions of modules (cards) in a switchbox.

Subsystem Syntax

SYSTem

:CDEScription? <number> :CPON <number> | ALL :CTYPe? <number> :ERRor?

SYSTem:CDEScription?

SYSTem:CDEScription? <number> returns the description of a selected module (card)

in a switchbox.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<number> numeric 1 through 99 N/A

Comments

Form C Switch Module Description: SYSTem:CDEScription? returns:

"32 Channel General Purpose Relay"

Example

Reading the Description of a Module

SYST:CDES? 1 !Return description of module card #1

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 81

E1463A Command Reference SYSTem

SYSTem:CPON

SYSTem:CPON <number> | ALL sets the selected module (card) in a switchbox to its

power-on state.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<number> numeric 1 through 99 N/A

Comments

Form C Switch Power-on State: The power-on state is all channels (relays) open.

SYSTem:CPON ALL and *RST open all channels of all modules in a switchbox, while SYSTem:CPON <number> opens the channels in only the module (card) specified in the command.

Example

Setting Module to Power-on State

SYST:CPON 1 !Set card #1 to power-on state

SYSTem:CTYPe?

SYSTem:CTYPe? <number> returns the module (card) type of a selected module in a

switchbox.

Parameters

Name Type Range of Values Default Value

<number> numeric 1 through 99 N/A

Comments

E1463A Form C Switch Model Number: SYSTem:CTYPe? <number> returns

where the 0 after E1463A is the module serial number (always 0) and A.04.00 is an example of the module revision code number.

HEWLETT-PACKARD,El463A,0,A.04.00

Example

Reading the Model Number of a Module

SYST:CTYP? 1 !Return the model number

82 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

SYSTem E1463A Command Reference

SYSTem:ERRor?

SYSTem:ERRor? returns the error numbers and corresponding error messages in

the error queue of a switchbox. See Appendix C for a listing of switchbox error numbers and messages.

Comments

Error Numbers/Messages in the Error Queue: Each error generated by a switchbox stores

an error number and corresponding error message in the error queue. The error message can be up to 255 characters long.

Clearing the Error Queue: An error number/message is removed from the queue each

time SYSTem:ERRor? is sent. The errors are cleared first-in, first-out. When the queue is empty, each following SYSTem:ERRor? command returns +0, "No error". To clear all error numbers/messages in the queue, execute *CLS.

Maximum Error Numbers/Messages in the Error Queue: The queue holds a maximum of 30

error numbers/messages for each switchbox. If the queue overflows, the last error number/message in the queue is replaced by -350, "Too many errors". The least recent error numbers/messages remain in the queue and the most recent errors are discarded.

Example

Reading the Error Queue

SYST:ERR? !Query the error queue

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 83

E1463A Command Reference TRIGger

TRIGger

The TRIGger command subsystem controls the triggering operation of Form C switch modules in a switchbox.

Subsystem Syntax

TRIGger

[:IMMediate] :SOURce <source> :SOURce?

TRIGger[:IMMediate]

TRIGger[:IMMediate] causes a trigger event to occur when the defined trigger source

is TRIGger:SOURce BUS or TRIGger:SOURce HOLD.

Comments

Executing TRIGger[:IMMediate]: Before TRIGger[:IMMediate] will execute, a channel

list must be defined with [ROUTe:]SCAN <channel_list> and an INITiate[:IMMediate] must be executed

BUS or HOLD Source Remains: If selected, TRIGger:SOURce BUS or TRIGger:SOURce

HOLD remains in effect after triggering a switchbox with TRIGger[:IMMediate].

Related Commands: INITiate, [ROUTe:]SCAN

Example

Advancing Scan Using TRIGger

This example uses TRIGger[:IMMediate] to advance the scan of a single-module switchbox from channel 00 through 03. Since TRIGger:SOURce HOLD is set, the scan is advanced one channel each time TRIGger is executed.

TRIG:SOUR HOLD !Set trigger source to HOLD

SCAN(@100:103) !Define channel list

INIT !Begin scan, close channel 00

loop statement !Start count loop

TRIG !Advance scan to next channel

increment loop !Increment loop count

84 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

TRIGger E1463A Command Reference

TRIGger:SOURce

TRIGger:SOURce <source> specifies the trigger source to advance the <channel_list>

during scanning.

Parameters

Parameter Name

BUS discrete *TRG or GET command IMM

EXTernal discrete "Trig In" port IMM

HOLD discrete Hold Triggering IMM

IMMediate discrete Immediate Triggering IMM

TTLTrgn numeric TTL Trigger Bus Line 0 - 7 IMM

Parameter Type

Parameter Description

Default Value

Comments

Enabling the Trigger Source: TRIGger:SOURce only selects the trigger source.

INITiate[:IMMediate] enables the trigger source.

Using the TRIGger Command: You can use TRIGger[:IMMediate] to advance the scan

when TRIGger:SOURce BUS or TRIGger:SOURce HOLD is selected.

Using External Trigger Inputs: With TRIGger:SOURce EXTernal selected, only one

switchbox at a time can use the external trigger input at the E1406A "Trig In" port. The trigger input is assigned to the first switchbox requesting the external trigger source (with a TRIGger:SOURce EXTernal command).

Assigning External Trigger: A switchbox assigned with TRIGger:SOURce EXTernal

remains assigned to that source until the switchbox trigger source is changed to BUS, HOLD, or IMMediate. When the source is changed, the external trigger source is available to the next switchbox requesting it (with a TRIGger:SOURce EXTernal command). If a switchbox requests an external trigger input already assigned to another switchbox, an error is generated.

Using Bus Triggers: To trigger the switchbox with bus triggers when

TRIGger:SOURce BUS selected, use the IEEE 488.2 common command *TRG or the GPIB Group Execute Trigger (GET) command.

"Trig Out" Port Shared by Switchboxes: When enabled, the E1406A Command Module

"Trig Out" port is pulsed by any switchbox each time a scanned channel is closed. To disable the output for a specific module send OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] OFF or OUTPut:EXTernal[:STATe] 0 for that module.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 85

E1463A Command Reference TRIGger

One Output Selected at a Time: Only one output (TTLTrg or EXTernal) can be enabled

at one time. Enabling a different output source will automatically disable the active output.

Related Commands: ABORt, [ROUTe:]SCAN, OUTPut

*RST Condition: TRIGger:SOURce IMMediate

Example

Scanning Using External Triggers

This example uses external triggering (TRIGger:SOURce EXTernal) to scan channels 00 through 03 of a single-module switchbox. The trigger source to advance the scan is the input to the "Trig In" port on the E1406A Command Module. When INIT is executed, the scan is started and channel 00 is closed. Then, each trigger received at the "Trig In" port advances the scan to the next channel.

TRIG:SOUR EXT !Select external triggering

SCAN(@100:103) !Scan channels 00 through 03

INIT !Begin scan, close channel 00

trigger externally !Advance scan to next channel

Example

Scanning Using Bus Triggers

This example uses bus triggering (TRIG:SOUR BUS) to scan channels 00 through 03 of a single-module switchbox. The trigger source to advance the scan is the *TRG command (as set with TRIGger:SOURce BUS). When INIT is executed, the scan is started and channel 00 is closed. Then, each *TRG command advances the scan to the next channel.

TRIG:SOUR BUS !Select interface (bus) triggering

SCAN(@100:103) !Scan channels 00 through 03

INIT !Begin scan, close channel 00

loop statement !Loop to scan all channels

*TRG !Advance scan using bus triggering

increment loop !Increment loop count

86 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

TRIGger E1463A Command Reference

TRIGger:SOURce?

TRIGger:SOURce? returns the current trigger source for the switchbox. The

command returns BUS, EXT, HOLD, IMM, or TTLTfor sources BUS, EXTernal, HOLD, IMMediate, or TTLTrgn, respectively.

Example

Querying the Trigger Source

This example sets external triggering and queries the trigger source. Since external triggering is set, TRIG:SOUR? returns "EXT".

TRIG:SOUR EXT !Set external trigger source

TRIG:SOUR? !Query trigger source

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 87

E1463A Command Reference SCPI Commands Quick Reference

SCPI Commands Quick Reference

The following table summarizes the SCPI Commands for the E1463A Form C Switch module.

Command Description

ABORt ABORt Aborts a scan in progress

ARM :COUNt <number> MIN |MAX

:COUNt? [MIN|MAX]

DISPlay :MONitor:CARD <number> |AUTO

:MONitor[:STATe] <mode>

INITiate :CONTinuous <mode>

:CONTinuous? [:IMMediate]

OUTPut [:EXTernal][:STATe] <mode>

[:EXTernal][:STATe]? [:STATe] <mode>

[:STATe]? :TTLTrgn[:STATe] <mode> :TTLTrgn[:STATe]?

[ROUTe:] CLOSe <channel _list>

CLOSe? <channel _list> OPEN <channel_list> OPEN? <channel _list> SCAN <channel_list>

STATus :OPERation:CONDition?

:OPERation:ENABle <unmask>

:OPERation:ENABle? :OPERation[:EVENt]? :PRESet

Multiple scans per INIT command Queries number of scans

Selects module to be monitored Selects monitor mode

Enables/disables continuous scanning Queries continuous scan state Starts a scanning cycle

Enables/disables the Trig Out port on the E1406 Queries the external state Enables/disables the Trig Out port on the E1406 Queries port enable state Enables/disables the specified TTL trigger line Queries the specified TTL trigger line

Closes channel(s) Queries channel(s) closed Opens channel(s) Queries channel(s) opened Defines channels for scanning

Returns status of the Condition Register Enables the Operation Event Register to set a bit in the

Status Register Query the contents in the Operation Status Register Returns status of the Operation Status Register Sets Enable Register to 0

SYSTem :CDEScription? <number>

:CTYPe? <number> :CPON <number> |ALL :ERRor?

TRIGger [:IMMediate]

:SOURce BUS :SOURce EXTernal :SOURce HOLD :SOURce IMMediate :SOURce?

88 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Returns description of module in a switchbox Returns the module type Sets specified module to its power-on state Returns error number/message to error queue

Causes a trigger to occur Trigger source is *TRG Trigger source is Trig In (on the E1406) Hold off triggering Continuous (internal) triggering Query scan trigger source

IEEE 488.2 Common Commands Reference E1463A Command Reference

IEEE 488.2 Common Commands Reference

The following table lists the IEEE 488.2 Common (*) commands accepted by the E1463A Form C Switch module. The operation of some of these commands is described in Chapter 2 of this manual. For more information on Common commands, refer to the user’s manual for your mainframe or to the ANSI/IEEE Standard 488.2-1987.

Command Title Command Description

*CLS Clear Status Register Clears all status registers (see STATus:OPERation[:EVENt]?).

*ESE Event Status Enable Enables Status Register bits.

*ESE? Event Status Enable Query Queries the current contents in the Standard Event Status Register

*ESR? Event Status Register Query Queries and clears the current contents in the Standard Event Status Register

*IDN? Identification Query Returns identification string of the Switchbox.

*OPC Operation Complete Sets the Request for OPC flag when all pending operations have completed.

Also, sets OPC bit in the Standard Event Status Register.

*OPC? Operation Complete Query Returns a "1" to the output queue when all pending operations have

completed. Used to synchronize between multiple instruments.

*RCL Recall Instrument State Recalls previously stored configuration.

*RST Reset Opens all channels and sets the module to a known state.

*SAV Save Instrument State Stores the current configuration in specified memory.

*SRE Service Request Enable Sets the Service Request Enable Register bits and corresponding

Serial Poll Status Register bits to generate a service request.

*SRE? Service Request Enable Query Queries the current contents in the Service Request Enable Register.

*STB? Read Status Byte Query Queries the current contents in the Status Byte Register.

*TRG Trigger Triggers the module to advance the scan when scan is enabled and trigger

source is TRIGger:SOURce BUS.

*TST? Self-Test Query Returns +0 if self-test passes.

Returns +cc01 for firmware error. Returns +cc02 for bus error. Returns +cc10 if an interrupt was expected but not received. Returns +cc11 if the busy bit was not held for 10 msec.

*WAI Wait to Continue Prevents an instrument from executing another command until the operation

caused by the previous command is finished. Since all instruments normally perform sequential operations, executing this command causes no change.

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 89

E1463A Command Reference IEEE 488.2 Common Commands Reference

90 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

A Form C Switch Specifications

General

Module Size / Device Type: C-size VXIbus, Register based, A16/D16, Interrupter

(levels 1-7, jumper selectable

Power Requirements: Voltage: +5 V +12 V Peak Module Current (A) 0.10 0.60** Dynamic Module Current (A) 0.10 0.01

Watts/slot: 10 W Cooling/slot: 0.08 mm H Operating Temperature: 0

0 @ 0.42 Liter/sec for 10oC rise



- 55C

Operating Humidity: 65% RH, 0 - 40C

Terminals: Screw type, maximum wire size 16 AWG

Input Characteristics

Maximum Input Voltage: 220 Vdc or 250 Vac 220 Vdc or 250 Vac

Terminal to Terminal

rms

Terminal to Chassis

rms

Maximum Current per Channel (non-inductive): 5 Adc or ac

rms

DC Performance

Insulation Resistance (between any two points):

 at 40C, 95% RH

>5x10

 at 25C, 40% RH

>5x10

Maximum Thermal Offset per Channel:

<7 V (<3 V typical)

AC Performance

Capacitance: <30 pF (Channel to Channel) <40 pF (Channel to Common) <25 pF (Common to Guard)

Bandwidth (-3 dB): >10 MHz (typical)

* Relays are subject to normal wearout based on the number of operations. ** Absolute worst case when all relays are closed simultaneously.

Relay Life (Typical):* Condition Number of Operations No Load 5 x 10 250 Vac, 2A, Resistive 10 250 Vac, 5A, Resistive 10 250 Vac, 2A, p.f. = 0.4 10 250 Vac, 5A, p.f. = 0.4 10

30 Vdc, 1A, Resistive >10 30 Vdc, 5A, Resistive 10 30 Vdc, 1A, L/R = 7 msec >10 30 Vdc, 5A, L/R = 7 msec 10

Maximum Switchable Power per Channel: 150 W dc; 1250 VA per switch 1500 W dc; 12,500 VA per module

Closed Channel Resistance: >100 mA: <0.250  (<2  at end of relay life) <100 mA: <20 

Crosstalk (db) (for Z1 = Zs =50 ):

Frequency <10 kHz <100 kHz <1 MHz Channel to Channel <-83 <-63 <-43 Common to NO or NC <-80 <-60 <-40 Module to Module <-100 <-100 <-90

Form C Switch Specifications

92 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

B Register-Based Programming

About This Appendix

This appendix contains the information you can use for register-based programming of the E1463A Form C Switch. The contents include:

Register Programming vs. SCPI Programming page 93 Addressing the Registers page 93 Register Descriptions page 96 Programming Examples page 99

Register Programming vs. SCPI Programming

The E1463A Form C Switch is a register-based module that does not support the VXIbus word serial protocol. When a SCPI command is sent to the Form C switch, the E1406 Command Module parses the command and programs the switch at the register level.

If SCPI is used to control this module, register programming is not recommended. The SCPI driver maintains an image of the card state. The driver will be unaware of changes to the card state if you alter the card state by using register writes.

Register-based programming is a series of reads and writes directly to the Form C switch registers. This increases throughput speed since it eliminates command parsing and allows the use of an embedded controller. Also, if slot 0, the resource manager, and the computer GPIB interface are provided by other devices, a C-size system can be downsized by removing the command module.

Addressing the Registers

Register addresses for register-based devices are located in the upper 25% of VXI A16 address space. Every VXI device (up to 256 devices) is allocated a 32-word (64-byte) block of addresses. With five registers, the E1463A Form C Switch uses five of the 64 addresses allocated.

The Base Address

When reading or writing to a switch register, a hexadecimal or decimal register

address is specified. This address consists of a base address plus a register offset. The base address used in register-based programming depends on

whether the A16 address space is outside or inside the E1406 Command Module.

Figure B-1 shows the register address location within A16 as it might be mapped by an embedded controller. Figure B-2 shows the location of A16 address space in the E1406 Command Module.

A16 Address Space Outside the Command Module

When the E1406 Command Module is not part of your VXIbus system (see Figure B-1), the switch’s base address is computed as:

C000

+ (LADDR * 64)

where C000

(49,152) is the starting location of the register addresses, LADDR

or 49,152 + (LADDR * 64)

is the switch’s logical address, and 64 is the number of address bytes per VXI device. For example, the switch’s factory-set logical address is 120 (78 address is not changed, the switch will have a base address of:

C000

+ (120 * 64)16 = C00016 + 1E0016 = DE00

or (decimal)

49,152 + (120 * 64) = 49,152 + 7680 = 56,832

A16 Address Space Inside the Command Module or Mainframe

When the A16 address space is inside the E1406 Command Module (see Figure B-2), the switch’s base address is computed as:

1FC000

where 1FC000 LADDR is the switch’s logical address, and 64 is the number of address bytes per register-based device. Again, the switch’s factory-set logical address is 120. If this address is not changed, the switch module will have a base address of:

1FC000

+ (LADDR * 64)16 or 2,080,768 + (LADDR * 64)

(2,080,768) is the starting location of the VXI A16 addresses,

+ (120 * 64)16 = 1FC00016 + 1E0016 = 1FDE00

). If this

2,080,768 + (120 * 64) = 2,080,768 + 7680 = 2,088,448

94 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Addressing the Registers Register-Based Programming

Base Address = COOO

OOOO

SPACE

ADDRESS

COOO

FFFF

A16

(49,15 2)

C000

SPACE

ADDRESS

FFFF

ID Register

A16 REGISTER MAP

E1463A

49,152 + (Logical Address 64)

+ (Logical Address 64)

DESCRIPTION

Status/Co ntrol Register

Device Type Register

Relay Control Regist er 1

Relay C ontrol Re gister 2

OFFSET

04 02 00

2,080,768 + (Logical Address 64)

+ (Logical Address 64)

000000

IF0000

200000

Base Address = IFC000

IFOOOO

ADDRESS MAP

E1406

SPACE

ADDRESS

EOOOOO

FFFFFF

A24

IFCOOO

SPACE

ADDRESS

A16

200000

IFCOOO (2,080,768)

200000

ADDRESS

SPACE

Relay Control Register 2

Relay Control Register 1

Device Typ e Register

Status/Control Register

16-BIT WORDS

E1463A

A16 REG ISTER MAP

ID Register

08 06

OFFSET

Register Offset

The register offset is the register’s location in the block of 64 address bytes. For example, the switch’s Status Register has an offset of 04 command to this register, the offset is added to the base address to form the register address:

. When you write a

1FDE00

+ 0416 = 1FDE04

Figure B-1 Registers Within A16 Address Space

or 2,088,448 + 4 = 2,088,452

Figure B-2 Registers Within the E1406 A16 Address Space

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 95

Register Descriptions

The Form C switch module contains two read registers, one read/write register, and two write registers. This section describes each Form C module register.

Reading and Writing to the Registers

Example programs are provided at the end of this appendix that show how to read and write to these registers. You can read or write to the following Form C switch module registers.

– Manufacturer Identification Register (base + 00

– Device Type Register (base + 02

– Status/Control Register (base + 04

– Relay Control Register for Channels 00 - 15 (base + 06

– Relay Control Register for Channels 16 - 31 (base + 08

Manufacturer Identification Register

The Manufacturer Identification Register is at offset address 0016 and returns FFFF

. This shows that Keysight Technologies is the manufacturer and the

module is an A16 register-based module. This register is read only.

b+00

Write Undefined

Read

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Manufacturer ID - Returns

FFFF

= Keysight Technologies A16 only register-based device.

Device Type Register

) (read)

) (read or write)

) (read)

) (write)

The Device Type Register is at offset address 0216 and returns 012116 for an E1463A Form C Switch module. This register is read only.

b+02

Write Undefined

96 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

Status/Control Register

The Status/Control Register is at offset address 0416 and informs the user about the module’s status and configuration. This register is read and write.

b+04

Write Not Used E Not Used R

Read

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

MS Not Used B E X X 1 1 X X

Reading the Status/Control Register

For Status/Control register reads, three bits are defined as follows.

–

MODID Select (bit 14): 0 indicates the module has been selected

by MODID (module ID) and a 1 indicates the module has not been selected.

Busy (bit 7): 0 indicates the module is busy. Each relay requires about 10 ms

–

execution time during which the Form C switch is busy. Bit 7 of this register is used to inform the user of a busy condition.

Enable (bit 6): 0 indicates the interrupt is enabled. The interrupt generated

–

after a channel has been closed can be disabled. Bit 6 of this register is used to inform the user of the interrupt status.

For example, if the Form C switch module is not busy (bit 7 = 1) and the interrupt is enabled (bit 6 = 0), a read of the Status/Control Register (base + 04

) returns FFBF.

Writing to the Status/Control Register

You can only write to bits 0 and 6 of the Status/Control Register.

–

Enable (bit 6): Writing a "1" to this bit disables the interrupt function of the

module.

–

Soft Reset (bit 0): Writing a "1" to this bit soft resets the module.

When writing to the registers it is necessary to write "0" to bit 0 after the reset has been performed before any other commands can be programmed and executed. SCPI commands take care of this automatically.

Typically, interrupts are only disabled to "peek-poke" a module. See the appropriate command module operating manual before disabling the interrupt. Writing a "1" to bit 0 resets the switch (all channels open).

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 97

Relay Control Register

There are two relay control registers: Relay Control Register 1 (base + 0616) and Relay Control Register 2 (base + 08 common (C) to the normally open (NO) terminal. Reading any Relay Control Register will always return FFFF

The numbers in the register maps indicate the channel number to be written to. Writes to the Relay Control Registers enable you to open or close the desired channel. For example, write a "1" to bit 2 of Relay Control Register 1 to close channel 02.

Relay Control Register Channels 00 - 15

). These registers are used to connect the

regardless of the channel states.

b+06

Write

Read

b+08

Write

Read

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

CH15 CH14 CH13 CH12 CH11 CH10 CH09 CH08 CH07 CH06 CH05 CH04 CH03 CH02 CH01 CH00

Always returns

FFFF

Relay Control Register Channels 16 - 31

15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0

CH31 CH30 CH29 CH28 CH27 CH26 CH25 CH24 CH23 CH22 CH21 CH20 CH19 CH18 CH17 CH16

Always returns

FFFF

98 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Programming Examples Register-Based Programming

Programming Examples

This section provides example programs in BASIC and C/HP-UX, including:

– Example: Reading the Registers (BASIC)

– Example: Reading the Registers (C/HP-UX)

– Example: Making Measurements (BASIC)

– Example: Making Measurements (C/HP-UX)

– Example: Scanning Channels (BASIC)

– Example: Scanning Channels (C/HP-UX)

Example: Reading the Registers (BASIC)

This BASIC programming example reads the Manufacturer ID Register, Device Type Register and Status Register on the Form C switch.

10 !***************************************************** 20 ! ****** READREG ***** 30 !***************************************************** 40 OPTION BASE 1 50 !Set up arrays to store register names and addresses 60 DIM Reg_name$(1:3)[32], Reg_addr(1:3) 70 ! 80 !Read register names and addresses into the arrays 90 READ Reg_name$(*) 100 READ Reg_addr(*) 110 ! 120 !Set base address variable 130 Base_addr = DVAL("DE00",16) 140 ! 150 !Map the A16 address space in the controller 160 ! 170 CONTROL 16,25;2 180 !Call the subprogram Read_regs 190 Read_regs(Base_addr, Reg_name$(*), Reg_addr(*)) 200 ! 210 DATA Identification register, Device register, Status register 220 DATA 00, 02, 04 230 END

. .

. 300 !This subprogram steps through a loop that reads each register 310 !and prints its contents 320 SUB Read_regs(Base_addr, Reg_name$(*), Reg_addr(*)) 330 ! 340 For Number = 1 to 3

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 99

350 Register = READIO(-16,Base_addr + Reg_addr(number)) 360 PRINT Reg_name$(number); " = "; IVAL$(Register,16) 370 Next Number 380 SUBEND

Example: Reading the Registers (C/HP-UX)

This C/HP-UX programming example reads the Manufacturer ID Register, Device Type Register and Status Register on the Form C switch.

/***************************************************/ /****** readreg.c ******/ /**************************************************/

#include <sys/vxi.h> /*source file for controller VXI drivers*/ #include <fcntl.h> #include <stdio.h>

#define logical_address 120 /*logical address of the Form C module*/

int fd; typedef unsigned short word; typedef struct dev_regs{ /*set up pointers*/

unsigned short id_reg;

unsigned short device_type;

unsigned short status_reg; unsigned short bank0_channels;

} DEV_REGS;

main( ) { /*open the controller VXI interface*/ fd=open("/dev/vxi/primary",O_RDWR); if (fd){

perror("open");

exit(1); } /*retrieve the A16 pointers*/ dev=(struct dev_regs *)vxi_get_a16_addr(fd,logical_address);

/*sub to read the registers*/ read_reg(dev); /*END of main program*/ }

/*SUB READ_REG*/

int read_reg(reg_ptr) DEV_REGS *reg_ptr; { /*read the ID register*/ printf("\n ID Register = 0x%x\n",reg_ptr->id_reg); /*read the Device Type register*/

100 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Programming Examples Register-Based Programming

printf("\n Device Type Register = 0x%x\n",reg_ptr->device_type); /*read the Status register*/ printf("\n Status Register = 0x%x\n",reg_ptr->status_reg); return; }

Example: Making Measurements (BASIC)

This BASIC programming example closes bit 1 on bank 0, waits for a measurement to be made, and then opens the channel. You must insert your own programming code for the measurement part of this program. For example, if you are using the E1411B, see the E1326B/E1411B Multimeter User's Manual for programming examples.

10 !*************************************************** 20 !***** MAKEMEAS ***** 30 !*************************************************** 40 OPTION BASE 1 50 !Set up arrays to store register names and addresses 60 DIM Reg_name$(1:1)[32], Reg_addr(1:1) 70 ! 80 !Read register names and address into the arrays 90 READ Reg_name$(*) 100 READ Reg_addr(*) 110 ! 120 !Set base address variable 130 Base_addr = DVAL("DE00",16) 140 ! 150 !Map the A16 address space in the controller 160 CONTROL 16,25;2 170 !Call the subprogram Make_meas 180 Make_meas(Base_addr, Reg_addr(*)) 190 ! 200 DATA Bank0 channels register 210 DATA 06 220 END

. .

. 280 !This subprogram closes bit 1 of bank0 channels, waits for the 290 !channel to be closed, makes a measurement, and then opens 300 !the relay. 310 SUB Make_meas(Base_addr, Reg_addr(*)) 320 ! 330 WRITEIO -16, Base_addr + Reg_addr(1); 1 340 REPEAT 350 UNTIL BIT(READIO(-16,Base_addr+4),7)

. . !Make Measurements

Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide 101

. 380 WRITEIO -16, Base_addr + Reg_addr(1);0 390 SUBEND

Example: Making Measurements (C/HP-UX)

This C/HP-UX programming example closes bit 1 on bank 0, waits for a measurement to be made, and then opens the channel. You must insert your own programming code for the measurement part of this program. For example, if you are using the E1411B, see the E1326B/E1411B Multimeter User's Manual for programming examples.

The sub ver_time allows time for switch closures. This sub should print a time around 10 ms. If the time is less, you must change the value of j in the for loop. For example, instead of 10000, you might need to use 12000.

/******************************************************/ /*** makemeas.c ***/ /******************************************************/ #include <time.h> #include <sys/vxi.h> /*source file for controller VXI drivers*/ #include <fcntl.h> #include <stdio.h>

#define logical_address 120 /*logical address of Form C Switch*/

int fd; typedef unsigned short word; typedef struct dev_regs{ /*set up pointers*/

unsigned short id_reg;

unsigned short device_type;

unsigned short status_reg; unsigned short bank0_channels;

} DEV_REGS;

main( ) {

/*open the controller VXI interface*/ fd=open("/dev/vxi/primary",O_RDWR); if (fd){

perror("open");

exit(1);

} /*retrieve the A16 pointers*/ dev=(struct dev_regs *)vxi_get_a16_addr(fd,logical_address);

/*sub to verify the time to close the switch*/ ver_time( ); /*sub to close switch and make measurement*/ make_meas(dev); } /* *END of main program*/

102 Keysight E1463A 32-Channel Form C Switch User Guide

Keysight E1463A User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

User Manual

1 Getting Started

Using This Chapter

Form C Switch Description

Basic Operation

Figure 1-1 Form C Switch Simplified Schematic

Typical Configurations

General Purpose Relay Configuration

Figure 1-2 General Purpose Relay Configuration

Digital Output Configuration

Figure 1-3 Digital Output Configuration

Configuring the Form C Switch

Warnings and Cautions

Setting the Logical Address Switch

Figure 1-4 Setting the Logical Address Switch

Setting the Interrupt Priority

Figure 1-5 Setting the Interrupt Priority

Installing the Form C Switch in a Mainframe

Figure 1-6 Installing the Form C Switch in a VXIbus Mainframe

Configuring a Terminal Module

Standard Terminal Module Description

Figure 1-7 Standard Screw-type Terminal Module

Terminal Module Option A3G Description

Figure 1-8 Option A3G Terminal Module

Connecting User Inputs

Figure 1-9 Form C Switch Pin-outs

Wiring a Terminal Module

Figure 1-10Wiring a Terminal Module (continued on next page)

Figure 1-11Wiring a Terminal Module

Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch

Figure 1-12Attaching a Terminal Module to the Form C Switch

Protecting Relays and Circuits

Relay Life Factors

Loading and Switching Frequency

End-of-Life Detection

Replacement Strategy

Extending Relay Life

Table 1-1 Inrush Currents

Adding Relay and Circuit Protection

Table 1-2 Protective Devices Board Locations

Figure 1-13Adding Relay and Circuit Protection

Maximum Allowable Module Switch Current

Figure 1-14Typical Form C Switch Allowable Switch Current

Programming the Form C Switch

Using SCPI Commands

Addressing the Form C Switch

Card Numbers

Figure 1-15Typical Card Numbers in a Multiple-module Switchbox

Channel Addresses

Initial Operation

Example: Closing a Channel (BASIC)

Example: Closing a Channel (TURBO C)

2 Using the Form C Switch

Using This Chapter

Form C Switch Commands

Table 2-1 E1463A Form C Switch Commands Used in Chapter 2

Power-on and Reset Conditions

Table 2-2 Reset Conditions

Module Identification

Example: Module Identification (BASIC)

Example: Module Identification (TURBO C)

Switching Channels

Example: Opening/Closing Channels (BASIC)

Example: Voltage Switching (BASIC)

Figure 2-1 Example: Voltage Switching

Example: Controlling RF Switches/Step Attenuators (BASIC)

Figure 2-2 Example: Controlling RF Switches/Step Attenuators

Example: Digital Output Configuration (BASIC)

Figure 2-3 Example: Digital Output Configuration

Example: Matrix Switching (BASIC)

Table 2-3 Matrix Switching Connections

Figure 2-4 Example: Matrix Switching

Scanning Channels

Example: Scanning Using Trig In and Trig Out Ports (BASIC)

Figure 2-5 Example: Scanning Using Trig In and Trig Out Ports

Example: Scanning Using the TTL Trigger Bus (BASIC)