Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter,
Agilent 8164A/B Lightwave Measurement System, &
Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave Multichannel System
Programming Guide
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Second Edition
08164-90B62
First Edition:
08164-90B61: July 2001
Second Edition:
08164-90B62 October 2001
Warranty
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2 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
In this Manual
This manual contains information about SCPI commands which can be
used to program the following instruments:
• Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter
• Agilent 8164A/B Lightwave Measurement System
• Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave Multichannel System
The Structure of this Manual
This manual is divided into 5 parts:
• “Introduction to Programming” on page 13 gives a general
introduction to SCPI programming with the Agilent 8163A/B
Lightwave Multimeter, the Agilent 8164A/B Lightwave
Measurement System, and the Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave
Multichannel System.
• “Specific Commands” on page 35 lists all instrument specific
commands.
• “Instrument Setup and Status” on page 47, “Measurement
Operations & Settings” on page 71, and “Mass Storage, Display,
and Print Functions” on page 163 give fuller explanations of all
instrument specific commands.
• “VISA Programming Examples” on page 167 gives some example
programs showing how the SCPI commands can be used with the
Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter, the Agilent 8164A/B
Lightwave Measurement System, and the Agilent 8166A/B
Lightwave Multichannel System.
• “The Agilent 816x VXIplug&play Instrument Driver” on page 191,
“GPIB Command Compatibility List” on page 223, and “Error
Codes” on page 237 give information about the Agilent 816x
VXIplug&play Instrument Driver, compatibility issues, and error
codes.
Conventions used in this Manual
• All commands and typed text is written in Courier font, for example
INIT[:IMM].
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 3
• SCPI commands are written in mixed case: text that you MUST print
is written in capitals; text which is helpful but nor necessary is
written in lower case.
So, the command INITiate[:IMMediate] can be entered either
as init[:imm], or as initiate[:immediate]. It does not
matter whether you enter text using capitals or lower-case letters.
• SCPI commands often contain extra arguments in square brackets.
These arguments may be helpful, but they need not be entered.
So, the command INITiate[:IMMediate] can be entered as
init or initiate:imm.
• A SCPI command which can be either a command or a query is
appended with the text /?.
So, DISPlay:ENABle/? refers to both the command
DISPlay:ENABle and the query DISPlay:ENABle?.
Related Manuals
You can find more information about the instruments covered by this
manual in the following manuals:
• Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter, Agilent 8164A/B
Lightwave Measurement System, & Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave
Multichannel System User’s Guide (Agilent Product Number 08164-
90B13).
NOTE Please note that User Guides no longer contain programming
information, and must now be used in conjunction with this manual.
Refer to the books listed on page 15 for additional information about
the General Purpose Interface Bus, GPIB.
4 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Table of Contents
Introduction to Programming 13
Table of Contents
In this Manual 3
The Structure of this Manual 3
Conventions used in this Manual 3
Related Manuals 4
GPIB Interface 15
Setting the GPIB Address 16
Returning the Instrument to Local Control 17
Message Queues 18
How the Input Queue Works 18
Clearing the Input Queue 18
The Output Queue 18
The Error Queue 19
Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions 20
Short Form and Long Form 20
Command and Query Syntax 21
Units 21
Data Types 22
Slot and Channel Numbers 22
Laser Selection Numbers 23
Common Commands 24
Common Command Summary 24
Common Status Information 24
The Status Model 26
Status Registers 26
Status System for 8163A/B & 8164A/B 29
Status System for 8166A/B 29
Annotations 31
Status Byte Register 31
Standard Event Status Register 31
Operation/Questionable Status Summary 31
Operation/Questionable Status Summary Register 32
Operation/Questionable Slot Status 32
Operation Slot Status Register 32
Questionable Slot Status Register 32
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 5
Table of Contents
Specific Commands 35
Instrument Setup and Status 47
Status Command Summary 33
Other Commands 33
Specific Command Summary 37
IEEE-Common Commands 49
Status Reporting – The STATus Subsystem 57
Interface/Instrument Behaviour Settings – The SYSTem
Subsystem
67
Measurement Operations & Settings 71
Root Layer Command 73
Measurement Functions – The SENSe Subsystem 77
Agilent 81635A and Agilent 81619A- Master and Slave Channels
77
Signal Generation – The SOURce Subsystem 103
Signal Conditioning 131
The INPut and OUTput commands 131
The table of wavelength-dependent offsets 141
Compatibility of the 81560A/1A/6A/7A modular attenuator
family to the 8156A attenuator 146
Slot Numbers 146
Command Semantic 147
Display and System Commands 148
IEEE Commands 148
Status Commands 148
User Calibration Data 149
Triggering - The TRIGger Subsystem 150
Extended Trigger Configuration 157
Extended Trigger Configuration Example 161
Mass Storage, Display, and Print Functions 163
Display Operations – The DISPlay Subsystem 165
6 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Table of Contents
VISA Programming Examples 167
How to Use VISA Calls 169
How to Set up a Fixed Laser Source 172
How to Measure Power using FETCh and READ 175
How to Co-ordinate Two Modules 179
How Power Varies with Wavelength 183
How to Log Results 187
The Agilent 816x VXIplug&play Instrument Driver 191
Installing the Agilent 816x Instrument Driver 193
Using Visual Programming Environments 197
Getting Started with HP VEE 197
GPIB Interfacing in HP VEE 197
Getting Started with LabView 199
Getting Started with LabWindows 202
Features of the Agilent 816x Instrument Driver 203
Directory Structure 204
Opening an Instrument Session 205
Closing an Instrument Session 206
VISA Data Types and Selected Constant Definitions 207
Error Handling 208
Introduction to Programming 210
Example Programs 210
VISA-Specific Information 210
Instrument Addresses 210
Callbacks 210
Development Environments 210
Microsoft Visual C++ 4.0 (or higher) and Borland C++ 4.5 (or higher)
210
Microsoft Visual Basic 4.0 (or higher) 210
HP VEE 5.01 (or higher) 211
LabWindows CVI/ (R) 4.0 (or higher) 211
Online Information 212
Lambda Scan Applications 213
Equally Spaced Datapoints 214
How to Perform a Lambda Scan Application 215
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 7
Table of Contents
GPIB Command Compatibility List 223
The Prepare Lambda Scan Function 215
The Get Lambda Scan Parameters Function 216
The Execute Lambda Scan Function 216
How to Perform a Multi-Frame Lambda Scan Application 217
The Equally Spaced Datapoints Function 218
The Register Mainframe Function 218
The Unregister Mainframe Function 218
The Prepare Multi Frame Lambda Scan Function 219
The Get MF Lambda Scan Parameters Function 220
The Execute Multi Frame Lambda Scan Function 220
The Get Lambda Scan Result Function 220
The Get Number of PWM Channels Function 221
The Get Channel Location Function 221
Compatibility Issues 225
GPIB Bus Compatibility 225
Status Model 226
Preset Defaults 227
Removed Command 228
Obsolete Commands 229
Changed Parameter Syntax and Semantics 230
Changed Query Result Values 231
Timing Behavior 232
Error Handling 233
Command Order 234
Instrument Status Settings 235
Error Codes 237
GPIB Error Strings 239
8 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
List of Figures
Figure 1 Remote Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Figure 2 The Event Status Bit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Figure 3 The Registers and Filters for a Node . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Figure 4 The Operational/Questionable Status System for 8163A/B & 8164A/B. . . 29
Figure 5 The Operational/Questionable Status System for 8166A/B . . . . . 30
Figure 6 Extrapolation and interpolation of attenuator module λ offset table . . 142
Figure 7 Extended Trigger Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Figure 8 Setup for Extended Trigger Configuration Example . . . . . . 161
Figure 9 Non-Administrator Installation Pop-Up Box . . . . . . . . 193
Figure 10 Message Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
Figure 11 Customizing Your Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
Figure 12 Program Folder Item Options . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
Figure 13 Device Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
Figure 14 Advanced Device Configuration - Plug&play Driver . . . . . . 198
Figure 15 Search for GPIB Instruments . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
Figure 16 FP Conversion Options Box . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
Figure 17 Windows 95 and Windows NT VXIPNP Directory Structure . . . . 204
Figure 18 Equally Spaced Datapoints . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
Figure 19 Lambda Scan Operation Setup . . . . . . . . . . . 215
Figure 20 Multi Frame Lambda Scan Operation Setup . . . . . . . . 217
List of Figures
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 9
List of Figures
10 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
List of Tables
Table 1 GPIB Capabilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Table 2 Units and allowed Mnemonics . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Table 3 Common Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Table 4 Specific Command Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Table 5 Commands that can only be configured using the master channel . . . 77
Table 6 Commands that are independent for both master and slave channels . . 78
Table 7 Comparison of command semantics beween 8156A attenuator and
8156xA modular attenuator family.147
Table 8 Triggering and Power Measurements . . . . . . . . . 150
Table 9 Generating Output Triggers from Power Measurements . . . . . 150
Table 10 Incompatible GPIB Bus Commands . . . . . . . . . . 225
Table 11 Removed Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228
Table 12 Obsolete Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
Table 13 Commands with Different Parameters or Syntax . . . . . . . 230
Table 14 Queries with Different Result Values . . . . . . . . . . 231
Table 15 Timing Behavior Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
Table 16 Error Handling Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Table 17 Specific Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Table 18 Overview for Supported Strings . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Table 19 Overview for Unsupported Strings . . . . . . . . . . 250
List of Tables
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 11
List of Tables
12 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Introduction to Programming
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 13
Introduction to Programming
This chapter gives general information on how to control your
instrument remotely.
Descriptions for the actual commands for the instruments are given in
the following chapters. The information in these chapters is specific to
the Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter, Agilent 8164A/B
Lightwave Measurement System, and Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave
Multichannel System and assumes that you are already familiar with
programming the GPIB.
14 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
GPIB Interface Introduction to Programming
GPIB Interface
The interface used by your instrument is the GPIB (General Purpose
Interface Bus).
GPIB is the interface used for communication between a controller
and an external device, such as the tunable laser source. The GPIB
conforms to IEEE standard 488-1978, ANSI standard MC 1.1 and IEC
recommendation 625-1.
If you are not familiar with the GPIB, then refer to the following books:
• The International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IEEE Standard 488.1-1987, IEEE Standard Digital Interface for
Programmable Instrumentation. New York, NY, 1987
• The International Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
IEEE Standard 488.2-1987, IEEE Standard Codes, Formats,
Protocols and Common Commands For Use with ANSI/IEEE Std
488.1-1987. New York, NY, 1987
To obtain a copy of either of these last two documents, write to:
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.
345 East 47th Street
New York, NY 10017
USA.
In addition, the commands not from the IEEE-488.2 standard, are
defined according to the Standard Commands for Programmable
Instruments (SCPI).
For information about SCPI, and SCPI programming techniques,
please refer to:
• The SCPI Consortium: Standard Commands for Programmable
Instruments. To obtain a copy of this manual, contact the following
address:
SCPI Consortium Office
Bode Enterprise
2515 Camino del Rio South, Suite 340
San Diego, CA, 92108
USA
Web: http://www.scpiconsortium.org
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 15
Introduction to Programming GPIB Interface
The interface of the Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter,
Agilent 8164A/B Lightwave Measurement System, and
Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave Multichannel System to the GPIB is
defined by the IEEE Standards 488.1 and 488.2.
Table 1 shows the interface functional subset that the instruments
implement.
Table 1 GPIB Capabilities
Mnemonic Function
SH1 Complete source handshake capability
AH1 Complete acceptor handshake capability
T6 Basic talker; serial poll; no talk only mode; unaddressed to talk
if addressed to listen
L4 Basic listener; no listen only mode; unaddressed to listen if ad-
dressed to talk
SR0 No service request capability
RL1 Complete remote/local capability
PP0 No parallel poll capability
DC1 Complete device clear capability
DT0 No device trigger capability
C0 No controller capability.
Setting the GPIB Address
There are two ways to set the GPIB address:
• You can set the GPIB address by using the command
“:SYSTem:COMMunicate:GPIB[:SELF]:ADDRess” on page 69.
• You can set the GPIB address from the front panel. See your
instrument’s User’s Guide for more information.
The default GPIB address is 20.
NOTE GPIB address 21 is often applied to the GPIB controller. If so, 21
cannot be used as an instrument address.
16 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
GPIB Interface Introduction to Programming
Returning the Instrument to Local Control
If the instrument is in remote control, a screen resembling
Figure 1 will appear. Press [Local] if you wish to return the instrument
to local control.
Figure 1 Remote Control
NOTE If your Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B or 8166A/B is in local lockout mode
(refer to DISPlay:LOCKout on page 142) the Local softkey is not
available.
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 17
Introduction to Programming Message Queues
Message Queues
The instrument exchanges messages using an input and an output
queue. Error messages are kept in a separate error queue.
How the Input Queue Works
The input queue is a FIFO queue (first-in first-out). Incoming bytes are
stored in the input queue as follows:
1 Receiving a byte:
– Clears the output queue.
– Clears Bit 7 (MSB).
2 No modification is made inside strings or binary blocks. Outside
strings and binary blocks, the following modifications are made:
– Lower-case characters are converted to upper-case.
– The characters 00
).
(20
16
– Two or more blanks are truncated to one.
3 An EOI (End Or Identify) sent with any character is put into the input
queue as the character followed by a line feed (LF, 0A
with a LF, only one LF is put into the input queue.
4 The parser starts if the LF character is received or if the input queue is
full.
to 0916 and 0B16 to 1F16 are converted to spaces
16
). If EOI is sent
16
Clearing the Input Queue
Switching the power off, or sending a Device Interface Clear signal,
causes commands that are in the input queue, but have not been
executed to be lost.
The Output Queue
The output queue contains responses to query messages. The
instrument transmits any data from the output queue when a
controller addresses the instrument as a talker.
18 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Message Queues Introduction to Programming
Each response message ends with a carriage return (CR, 0D16) and a
LF (0A
an error, the output queue remains empty.
The Message Available bit (MAV, bit 4) is set in the Status Byte register
whenever there is data in the output queue.
), with EOI=TRUE. If no query is received, or if the query has
16
The Error Queue
The error queue is 30 errors long. It is a FIFO queue (first-in first-out).
That is, the first error read is the oldest error to have occurred. For
example:
1 If no error has occurred, the error queue contains:
+ 0, "No error"
2 After a command such as wav:pow, the error queue now contains:
+ 0, "No error"
-113, "Undefined header"
3 If the command is immediately repeated, the error queue now contains:
+ 0, "No error"
-113, "Undefined header"
-113, "Undefined header"
If more than 29 errors are put into the queue, the message:
-350, "Queue overflow"
is placed as the last message in the queue.
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 19
Introduction to Programming Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions
Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions
A program message is a message containing commands or queries that
you send to the instruments. The following are a few points about
program messages:
• You can use either upper-case or lower-case characters.
• You can send several commands in a single message. Each command
must be separated from the next one by a semicolon (;).
• A command message is ended by a line feed character (LF) or
<CR><LF>.
• You can use any valid number/unit combination.
In other words, 1500NM,1.5UM and 1.5E-6M are all equivalent.
If you do not specify a unit, then the default unit is assumed. The
default unit for the commands are given with command description
in the next chapter.
Short Form and Long Form
The instrument accepts messages in short or long forms.
For example, the message
:STATUS:OPERATION:ENABLE 768
is in long form.
The short form of this message is
:STAT:OPER:ENAB 768
In this manual, the messages are written in a combination of upper
and lower case. Upper case characters are used for the short form of
the message.
For example, the above command would be written
:STATus:OPERation:ENABle
The first colon can be left out for the first command or query in your
message. That is, the example given above could also be sent as
STAT:OPER:ENAB 768
20 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions Introduction to Programming
Command and Query Syntax
All characters not between angled brackets must be sent exactly as
shown.
The characters between angled brackets (<...>) indicate the kind of
data that you should send, or that you get in a response. You do not
type the angled brackets in the actual message.
Descriptions of these items follow the syntax description. The
following types of data are most commonly used:
string is ascii data. A string is contained between double
quotes ("...") or single quotes (‘...’).
value is numeric data in integer (12), decimal (34.5) or ex-
ponential format (67.8E-9).
wsp is a white space.
Other kinds of data are described as required.
The characters between square brackets ([...]) show optional
information that you can include with the message.
The bar (|) shows an either-or choice of data, for example, a|b means
either a or b, but not both simultaneously.
Extra spaces are ignored, so spaces can be inserted to improve
readability.
Units
Where units are given with a command, usually only the base units are
specified. The full sets of units are given in the table below.
Table 2 Units and allowed Mnemonics
Unit Default Allowed Mnemonics
meters M PM, NM, UM, MM, M
decibel DB MDB, DB
second S NS, US, MS, S
decibel/1mW DBM MDBM, DBM
Hertz HZ HZ, KHZ, MHZ, GHZ, THZ
Watt Watt PW, NW, UW, MW, Watt
meters per second M/S NM/S, UM/S, MM/S, M/S
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 21
Introduction to Programming Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions
Data Types
With the commands you give parameters to the instrument and receive
response values from the instrument. Unless explicitly specified these
data are given in ASCII format. The following types of data are used:
• Boolean data may only have the values 0 or 1.
• Integer range is given for each individual command.
• Float variables may be given in decimal or exponential writing
(0.123 or 123E-3).
All Float values conform to the 32 bit IEEE Standard, that is, all
Float values are returned as 32-bit real values.
•A string is contained between double quotes ("...") or single quotes
(‘...’). When the instrument returns a string, it is always included
in " " and terminated by <END>.
• When a register value is given or returned (for example *ESE), the
decimal values for the single bits are added. For example, a value of
nine means that bit 0 and bit 3 are set.
• Larger blocks of data are given as Binary Blocks, preceded by
“#<H><Len><Block>”, terminated by <END>; <H> represents the
number of digits, <Len> represents the number of bytes, and
<Block> is the data block. For example, for a Binary Block with 1
digit and 6 bytes this is: #16TRACES<END>.
Slot and Channel Numbers
Each module is identified by a slot number and a channel number. For
commands that require you to specify a channel, the slot number is
represented by [n] in a command and the channel number is
represented by [m].
The slot number represents the module’s position in the mainframe.
These are:
• from one to two for the Agilent 8163A/B,
• from zero to four for the Agilent 8164A/B, and
• from one to seventeen for the Agilent 8166A/B.
These numbers are displayed on the front panel beside each module
slot.
NOTE The Agilent 8164A/B slot for a back-loadable tunable laser module is
numbered zero.
22 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Programming and Syntax Diagram Conventions Introduction to Programming
Channel numbers apply to modules that have two inputs/outputs, for
example, the Agilent 81635A Dual Power Sensor.
Modules with two channels, for example, the Agilent 81635A Dual
Power Sensor, use the channel number to distinguish between these
channels.
NOTE The channel number of single channel modules is always one.
For example, if you want to query slot 1, channel 2 with the command,
“:SENSe[n]:[CHANnel[m]]:POWer:WAVelength?” on page 99, you
should send the command:
• :sens1:chan2:pow:wav?
NOTE If you do not specify a slot or channel number, the lowest possible
number is used as the default value. This means:
•Slot 1 for the Agilent 8163A/B and Agilent 8166A/B mainframes.
•Slot 0 for the Agilent 8164A/B mainframe.
•Channel 1 for all channels.
Laser Selection Numbers
The laser selection number, [l], identifies the upper or lower
wavelength laser source for dual wavelength Laser Source modules
and Return Loss modules with two internal laser sources. The lower
wavelength source is denoted by 1. The upper wavelength source is
denoted by 2.
NOTE For Return Loss modules, 0 denotes the use of an external laser source
as the input to your Return Loss module for the following commands:
• “:SENSe[n]:[CHANnel[m]]:RETurnloss:CORRection:FPDelta[l]” on
page 101,
• “:SENSe[n]:[CHANnel[m]]:RETurnloss:CORRection:FPDelta[l]?” on
page 101,
• “:SENSe[n]:[CHANnel[m]]:RETurnloss:CORRection:REFLectance[l]”
on page 101, and
• “:SENSe[n]:[CHANnel[m]]:RETurnloss:CORRection:REFLectance[l]?
” on page 102.
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 23
Introduction to Programming Common Commands
Common Commands
The IEEE 488.2 standard has a list of reserved commands, called
common commands. Some of these commands must be implemented
by any instrument using the standard, others are optional.
Your instrument implements all the necessary commands, and some
optional ones. This section describes the implemented commands.
Common Command Summary
Table 3 gives a summary of the common commands.
Table 3 Common Command Summary
Command Parameter Function Page
*CLS Clear Status Command page 49
*ESE Standard Event Status Enable Command page 50
*ESE? Standard Event Status Enable Query page 50
*ESR? Standard Event Status Register Query page 51
*IDN? Identification Query page 51
*OPC Operation Complete Command page 52
*OPC? Operation Complete Query page 52
*OPT? Options Query page 53
*RST Reset Command page 53
*STB? Read Status Byte Query page 54
*TST? Self Test Query page 55
*WAI Wait Command page 56
NOTE These commands are described in more detail in “IEEE-Common
Commands” on page 49.
Common Status Information
There are three registers for the status information. Two of these are
status-registers and one is an enable-registers. These registers
conform to the IEEE Standard 488.2-1987. You can find further
descriptions of these registers under *ESE, *ESR?, and *STB?.
24 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
Common Commands Introduction to Programming
Figure 2 shows how the Standard Event Status Enable Mask (SESEM)
and the Standard Event Status Register (SESR) determine the Event
Status Bit (ESB) of the Status Byte.
*ESE
sets the Standard Ev ent Status Enable Mask
*STB?
retu rn s th e S tatu s Byte R e g iste r
OSB ESB QSB
Status
Byte
001
All bits shown as are unused
Figure 2 The Event Status Bit
MAV
0
The SESR contains the information about events that are not slot
specific. For details of the function of each bit of the SESR, see
“Standard Event Status Register” on page 31.
01234567
*ESR?
Event
Status
Enable
Mask
&
&
&
&
OR
Event
Status
Register
returns the Stan d ard E v en t Statu s R eg ister
&
&
01234567
111111
&
&
01234567
100000
The SESEM allows you to choose the event that may affect the ESB of
the Status Byte. If you set a bit of the SESEM to zero, the
corresponding event cannot affect the ESB. The default is for all the
bits of the SESEM to be set to 0.
The questionable and operation status systems set the Operational
Status Bit (OSB) and the Questionable Status Bit (QSB). These status
systems are described in “The Status Model” on page 26 and “Status
Reporting – The STATus Subsystem” on page 57.
NOTE Unused bits in any of the registers change to 0 when you read them.
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 25
Introduction to Programming The Status Model
The Status Model
Status Registers
Each node of the status circuitry has three registers:
• A condition register (CONDition), which contains the current
status. This register is updated continuously. It is not changed by
having its contents read.
• The event register (EVENt), which contains details of any positive
transitions in the corresponding condition register, that is, when a
bit changes from 0 →1. The contents of this register are cleared
when it is read. The contents of any higher-level registers are
affected with regard to the appropriate bit.
• The enable register (ENABle), which enables changes in the event
register to affect the next stage of registers.
NOTE The event register is the only kind of register that can affect the next
stage of registers.
26 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
The Status Model Introduction to Programming
The structures of the Operational and Questionable Status Systems
are similar. Figure 4 describe how the Questionable Status Bit (QSB)
and the Operational Status Bit (OSB) of the Status Byte Register are
determined.
Enable Registers
To the
OR
Event R egisters
Condition Reg ist e r
of the Next Node
A positive transition in the condition
11111
Figure 3 The Registers and Filters for a Node
The Operational/Questionable Slot Status Event Register
(OSSER/QSSER) contains the status of a particular module slot. A bit
changes from 0→1 when an event occurs, for example, when a laser is
switched on. For details of the function of each bit of these registers,
see “Operation/Questionable Status Summary Register” on page 32
and “Operation/Questionable Status Summary Register” on page 32.
The Operational/Questionable Slot Enable Status Mask
(OSESM/QSESM) allows you to choose the events for each module slot
that may affect the Operational/Questionable Status Event Register
(see below). If you set a bit of the OSESM/QSESM to zero, the
occurence of the corresponding event for this particular module slot
cannot affect the Operational/Questionable Status Event Register. The
default is for all the bits of the OSESM/QSESM to be set to 0.
register, when a bit changes from 0 →1,
causes the corresponding bit of the
correspon ding event register
to change from 0 →1.
Condition Reg ist e rs
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 27
Introduction to Programming The Status Model
The Operational/Questionable Status Event Summary Register
(OSESR/QSESR) summarizes the status of every module slot of your
instrument. If, for any slot, any bit of the QSSER goes from 0→1 AND
the corresponding bit of the QSSEM is 1at the same time, the QSESR
bit representing that slot is set to 1.
The Operational/Questionable Status Enable Summary Mask
(OSESM/QSESM) allows you to choose the module slots that may
affect the OSB/QSB of the Status Byte. If any bit of the QSESR goes
from 0→1 AND the corresponding bit of the QSESM is 1at the same
time, the QSB of the Status Byte is set to 1. If you set a bit of the
OSESM/QSESM to zero, the corresponding module slot cannot affect
the OSB/QSB. The default is for all the bits of the OSESM/QSESM to be
set to 0.
The Operational/Questionable Status Enable Summary Mask for the
Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter and the Agilent 8164A/B
Lightwave Measurement System consists of one level. These are
described in “Status System for 8163A/B & 8164A/B” on page 29.
As the Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave Multichannel System has 17
module slots, the Operational/Questionable Status Enable Summary
Mask consists of two levels. This is described in “Status System for
8166A/B” on page 29.
28 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
The Status Model Introduction to Programming
Status System for 8163A/B & 8164A/B
The status system for the Agilent 8163A/B Lightwave Multimeter and
the Agilent 8164A/B Lightwave Measurement System returns the
status of 2 and 5 module slots respectively. The
Operational/Questionable Status Summary Registers consist of one
level and are described by Figure 4. Any commands that require
LEVel1 do not apply to these mainframes.
Status Byte Register
Status Summary
Slot 1
Operational/Questionable Status
Enable Summary Mask
Register
Operational/Questionable Status
Event Summary Register
Operational/Questionable Status
Condition Summary Register
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Enable Mask
Register
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Event
Register
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Condition
Register
Status Byte
to next
&
&
&
&
&
&
OR
for a positive
transition
&
&
for a positive
to next
level
OR
transition
level
Figure 4 The Operational/Questionable Status System for 8163A/B & 8164A/B
Status System for 8166A/B
The status system for the Agilent 8166A/B Lightwave Multichannel
System returns the status of 17 module slots. The
Operational/Questionable Status Summary Registers consists of two
levels, as described by Figure 5.
Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition 29
Introduction to Programming The Status Model
Module slots 1 to 14 affect the Level 0 summary register as described
in Figure 4. Bit 0 of the Level 0 summary registers represents the
summary of the status of module slots 15, 16, and 17. The Level 1
summary registers contain an individual summary for each of these
module slots.
Status Byte Register
Status
Summary
for Level 0
Status
Summary
for Level 1
Slot 15
Operational/Questionable Status
Enable Summary Mask
Register (Level 1)
Operational/Questionable Status
Event Summary Register (Level 1)
Operational/Questionable Status
Condition Summary Register (Level 1)
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Enable Mask
Register
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Event
Register
Operational/Questionable
Slot Status Condition
Register
Status Byte
Operational/Questionable Status
Enable Summary Mask
Register (Level 0)
Operational/Questionable Status
Event Summary Register (Level 0)
Operational/Questionable Status
Condition Summary Register (Level 0)
&
&
&
&
to next
&
&
&
&
OR
for a positive
transition
&
&
&
OR
for a positive
transition
level
to next
level
OR
&
for a positive
transition
to next
level
Figure 5 The Operational/Questionable Status System for 8166A/B
30 Agilent 8163A/B, 8164A/B, & 8166A/B Programming Guide, Second Edition
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