Tektronix KTTI-GPIB Communication,Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet User manual

Keithley Instruments

KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O

28775 Aurora Road
Cleveland, Ohio 44139
1-800-935-5595

tek.com/keithley

Accessory Instruction Sheet

Introduction

The KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory provides Keithley products that have a compatible
accessory card slot with an IEEE-488 standard parallel interface.

The GPIB interface provides fast, consistent triggering with low trigger latency. It provides a consistent transfer
rate and can send triggers to multiple instruments simultaneously.

The card provides six independently configurable digital input/output lines that can be used to control external
digital circuitry, for example, a handler that is used to perform binning operations. The digital I/O port is a
standard female DB-9 connector. You can also use these lines for triggering. The instrument can generate
output trigger pulses and detect input trigger pulses.

Figure 1: KTTI-GPIB communications card

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The item shipped may vary from model pictured.

KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

General specifications

General ratings for the KTTI-GPIB are listed in the following table.

Category Specification
Interface Maximum connected instruments: 15

Maximum data transfer rate: 1.5 MB/s
Data transfer mode: Eight bits parallel
Handshake: Three-wire handshake; reception of each data byte is

acknowledged

Compliance Conforms to European Union EMC Directive

Compliance with CE and NRTL listed to UL61010-1 and UL61010-2-30
Conforms with European Union Low Voltage Directive

Environmental conditions I/O connector: IEEE-488 standard 24-pin

Operating temperature: 0 °C (32 °F) to 55 °C (131 °F)
Storage temperature: –20 °C (–4 °F) to 80 °C (176 °F)
Relative humidity: 5% to 95%, noncondensing
Power consumption: +5.0 V: 250 mA (typical) , 300 mA (ma ximum)
Dimensions, (not including connectors):

120 mm (4.72 inches) x 64.5 mm (2.54 inches)

Digital I/O Connector: 9-pin female D.

5V Power Supply Pin: Limited to 500 mA at > 4 V (solid-state fuse protected).
Lines: Six input/output, user-defined, for digital I/O or triggering.
Input Signal Levels: 0.7 V (maximum logic low), 3.7 V (minimum logic high).
Input Voltage Limits: –0.25 V (absolute minimum), +5.25 V (absolute

maximum).

Maximum Source Current: +2.0 mA at >2.7 V (per pin).
Maximum Sink Current: –50 mA at 0.7 V (per pin, solid-state fuse protected).

Environmental conditions Operating environment: Temperature 23 ºC ± 5 ºC, 5% to 80% relative

humidity, noncondensing

Storage environment: –25 ºC to 65 ºC

Unpack and inspect

Make sure to handle the KTTI-GPIB carefully. Always grasp the card by the side edges. Do not touch board
surfaces, components, or areas adjacent to electrical contacts. Contamination from foreign materials such as
dirt, dust, and body oils can substantially degrade card performance.

To unpack and inspect your instrumen t:

1. Inspect the box for damage.

2. Open the box.

3. Remove the card and inspect for any obvious signs of physical damage.

4. Report any damage to the shipping agent immediately.

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KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

Installation

Slot covers must be installed on unused slots to prevent personal contact with high-voltage
circuits. Failure to recognize and observe standard safety precautions could result in
personal injury or death due to electric shock.

To install the communications car d :

1. Turn the instrument off and disconnect the power line cord and any other cables connected to the rear
panel.

2. Position the instrument so that you are facing the rear panel.

3. Remove the slot cover plate from the slot on the back of the instrument. Retain the plate and screws for
future use.

4. Align the card with the connector toward the inside edge of the slot and slide the card into the chassis. For
the last ¼ inch, press in firmly to mate the card to the connector.

5. On each side of the card, there is a spring-loaded mounting screw. Tighten these two screws, either by
hand or with a Phillips-head screwdriver, to secure the card in the case. Do not overtighten.

6. Reconnect the power line cable and any other cables to the rear panel.

7. Turn on the instrument.

Making connections

Connect the GPIB cable to the card using a standard GPIB connector.

Figure 2: KTTI-GPIB connector view

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KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

Connect GPIB cables to your instrument

To connect a KTTI-GPIB to the GPIB interface, use a cable equipped with standard GPIB connectors, as
shown below.

Figure 3: GPIB connector

To allow many parallel connections to one instrument, stack the connectors. Each connector has two screws on
it to ensure that connections remain secure. The figure below shows a typical connection diagram for a test
system with multiple instruments.

To avoid possible mechanical damage, stack no more than three connectors on any one
instrument. To minimize interference caused by electromagnetic radiation, use only shielded
GPIB cables. Contact Keithley Instruments for shielded cables.

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KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

Connect GPIB cables to your ins tr um e nt

Figure 4: Typical GPIB connection scheme

Operation

This section provides information needed to use the KTTI-GPIB.
When the communications card is installed, the instrument recognizes the card when the power is turned on.
Refer to the instrument's reference manual for information about controlling the instrument from a remote

interface.

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KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

Command and query

Not applicable

Nonvolatile memory

16

<n>

Configuration

Set the GPIB address. The default GPIB address is 16. You can set the address from one to 30 if it is unique in
the system. This address cannot conflict with an address that is assigned to another instrument or to the GPIB
controller.

GPIB controllers are usually set to 0 or 21. To be safe, do not configure any instrument to have an
address of 21.

The instrument saves the address in nonvolatile memory. It does not change when you send a reset command
or when you turn the power off and on again.

To set the GPIB address from the front panel:

1. Press the MENU key.

2. Select Communication

3. Select the GPIB tab.

et the GPIB address.

4. S

5. Select OK

.

You can also set the GPIB address using remote commands. Set the GPIB address with the SCPI
command :SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess or the TSP command gpib.address.

.

Set the GPIB address using rem ot e comma nds

This section provides the information needed to set the GPIB address using remote commands (SCPI or TSP).

:SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess

This command contains the GPIB address.

Type Affected by Where saved Default value

Usage

:SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess <n>
:SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess?

The GPIB address of the instrument (1 to 30)

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Details

2.600000e+01

Attribute (RW)

No

Not applicable

Nonvolatile memory

16

Example

KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

The address can be set to any address value from 1 to 30. However, the address must be unique in the
system. It cannot conflict with an address that is assigned to another instrument or to the GPIB
controller.

A new GPIB address takes effect when the command to change it is processed. If there are response
messages in the output queue when this command is processed, they must be read at the new
address.

If command messages are being queued (sent before this command has executed), the new settings
may take effect in the middle of a subsequent command message, so care should be exercised when
setting this attribute from the GPIB interface.

You should allow sufficient time for the command to be processed before attempting to communicate
with the instrument again.

*RST does not affect the GPIB address.

:SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess 26
:SYSTem:GPIB:ADDRess?

Also see

GPIB setup (on page 8)

Sets the GPIB address and reads the address.
Output:

gpib.address

This attribute contains the GPIB address.

Type TSP-Link accessible Affected by Where saved Default value

Usage

address = gpib.address
gpib.address = address

address

The GPIB address of the instrument (1 to 30)

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KTTI-GPIB Communication and Digital I/O Accessory Instruction Sheet

26

Details

The address can be set to any address value from 1 to 30. However, the address must be unique in the
system. It cannot conflict with an address that is assigned to another instrument or to the GPIB
controller.

A new GPIB address takes effect when the command to change it is processed. If there are response
messages in the output queue when this command is processed, they must be read at the new
address.

If command messages are being queued (sent before this command has executed), the new settings
may take effect in the middle of a subsequent command message, so care should be exercised when
setting this attribute from the GPIB interface.

You should allow sufficient time for the command to be processed before attempting to communicate
with the instrument again.

The reset() function does not affect the GPIB address.

Example

gpib.address = 26
address = gpib.address
print(address)

Also see

Sets the GPIB address and reads the
address.

Output:

GPIB setup

This topic contains information about GPIB standards, bus connections, and primary address selection.
The KTTI-GPIB GPIB interface is IEEE Std 488.1 compliant and supports IEEE Std 488.2 common commands

and status model topology.
You can have up to 15 devices connected to a GPIB interface, including the controller. The maximum cable

length is the lesser of either:

 The number of devices multiplied by 2 m (6.5 ft)
 20 m (65.6 ft)

You may see erratic bus operation if you ignore these limits.

GPIB communications require the KTTI-GPIB communications accessory card to be installed in the
instrument.

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