Agilent Technologies Agilent 4396B Operating instructions

Agilent 4396B Network/Spectrum/Impedance Analyzer
GPIB Programming Guide
SERIAL NUMBERS
This manual applies directly to instruments with serial number prex JP1KE.
F
or additional important information about serial
numbers
,read \Serial Number" in Appendix A.
Agilent Part No. 04396-90063
Printed in Japan May 2003
Sixth Edition

Notice
The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice
.
This document contains proprietary information that is protected by copyright. All rights are
reserved. No part of this document may be photocopied, reproduced, or translated to another
language without the prior written consent of the Agilent T
echnologies.
Agilent T
echnologies Japan, Ltd.
Component T
est PGU-Kobe
1-3-2, Murotani, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi,
Hyogo
,651-2241 Japan
c
 Copyright 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003 Agilent Technologies Japan, Ltd.

Manual Printing History
The manual's printing date and part number indicate its current edition. The printing date
changes when anew edition is printed. (Minor corrections and updates that are incorporated
at reprint do not cause the date to change.) The manual part number changes when extensive
technical changes are incorporated.
March 1997
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First Edition (part number: 04396-90023)
July 1997
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Second Edition (part number: 04396-90033)
March 1998
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Third Edition (part number: 04396-90043)
March 2000
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F
ourth Edition (part number: 04396-90043)
November 2002
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Fifth Edition (part number: 04396-90053)
May 2003
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Sixth Edition (part number: 04396-90063)
iii

Typeface Conventions
Bold
Boldface type is used when aterm is dened. F
or example:
icons are
symbols
.
Italics
Italic type is used for emphasis and for titles of manuals and other
publications
.
Italic type is also used for keyboard entries when aname or a variable
must be typed in place of the words in italics
.For example:
copy
lename
means to type the word
copy
,to
type a space, and then to
type the name of ale such as
file1
.
Computer
Computer font is used for on-screen prompts and messages.
4
HARDKEYS
5
Labeled keys on the instrument front panel are enclosed in
45
.
NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
SOFTKEYS
Softkeys located to the right of the CRT are enclosed in
NNNNN
.
Graphic Symbols
General denitions of other graphic symbols used in manuals.
COMPUTER
denotes information for aprogrammer using an external
computer as the system controller
.
iB
ASIC
denotes information for aprogrammer using an analyzer with
Instrument B
ASIC as the system controller
.
iv

How to Use This Manual
This manual provides an introduction to writing B
ASIC programs for the 4396B
Network/Spectrum Analyzer (analyzer). T
o reduce the time required for you to learn how to
write programs for the analyzer, the examples shown in this guide are supplied on sample
disks
.Y
ou can perform each example sequentially or you can select the examples that apply to
your immediate needs and learn those techniques. Use the table of contents and the index to
quickly locate these examples
.
Also
,depending upon your experience in writing BASIC programs using GPIB commands
,you
may want to do one of the following:
1. If you are an experienced programmer and have programmed GPIB systems before
,you can
scan the examples in this guide to nd out how the analyzer can be used in your system.
If you have never programmed an instrument similar to the analyzer
,you can start at the
beginning and do the examples that apply to your application.
2. If you are an experienced programmer, but do not have any knowledge of GPIB commands
,
review some examples to decide where you need help
.See the
GPIB Command R
eference
for additional information on GPIB commands.
3. If you are not an experienced programmer and you do not have any knowledge of GPIB
commands
,see the
GPIB Command R
eference
for alist of the documentation that you will
need to review before using this guide
.
The analyzer can also use Instrument B
ASIC. Documentation for Instrument B
ASIC and the
other manuals available for the analyzer is listed in the Documentation Map on the next page
.
v

Documentation Map
The following manuals are available for the analyzer
.
User's Guide (Agilent P
art Number 04396-900x1
1
)
The User's Guide walks you through system setup and initial power-on, shows how to
make basic measurements
,explains commonly used features
,and typical application
measurement examples
.After you receive your analyzer
,begin with this manual.
T
ask Reference (Agilent P
art Number 04396-900x0
1
)
T
ask Reference helps you to learn how to use the analyzer
.This manual provides simple
step-by-step instructions without concepts
.
Function Reference (Agilent P
art Number 04396-900x2
1
)
The Function Reference describes all function accessed from the front panel keys and
softkeys
.It also provides information on options and accessories available
,specications
,
system performance
,and some topics about the analyzer's features
.
Programming Guide (Agilent Part Number 04396-900x3
1
)
The Programming Guide shows how to write and use B
ASIC program to control the
analyzer and describes how Instrument BASIC works with the analyzer
..
GPIB Command Reference (Agilent P
art Number 04396-900x4
1
)
The GPIB Command Reference provides a summary of all available GPIB commands
.It
also provides information on the status reporting structure and the trigger system (these
features conform to the SCPI standard).
Option 010 Operating Handbook (Agilent P
art Number 04396-900x6
1
)
The option 010 Operation Handbook describes the unique impedance measurement
functions of the 4396B with option 010.
Instrument B
ASIC Manual Set (Agilent P
art Number 04155-90151(E2083-90000))
The Instrument B
ASIC User's Handbook introduces you to the Instrument B
ASIC
programming language
,provide some helpful hints on getting the most use from it, and
provide ageneral programming reference
.It is divided into three books
,
Instrument
B
ASIC Programming T
echniques
,
Instrument B
ASIC Interface Techniques
,and
Instrument B
ASIC Language R
eference
.
P
erformance T
est Manual (Agilent P
art Number 04396-901x0
1
)
The P
erformance T
est Manual explains how to verify conformance to published
specications.
Service Manual (Agilent P
art Number 04396-901x1
1
)
The Service Manual explains how to adjust, troubleshoot, and repair the instrument.
This manual is option 0BW only
.
1 The number indicated by \x" in the part number of each manual, is allocated for numbers increased by one each
time a revision is made
. The latest edition comes with the product.
vi

Contents
1. Learning GPIB Remote Control Basics
Required Equipment .................
..
..
..
......1-1
T
oPrepare for GPIB Control ............... .. .. ......1-2
GPIB Commands Introduction ................
..
..
..
..1-4
T
oExecute an GPIB Command ...............
..
..
.....1-4
T
oProgram aBasic Measurement ................... ....1-5
Set I/O P
ath ............... .. ...............1-6
Set Up the Measurement P
arameters ...........
.........1-6
P
erform Calibration ............................1-7
Connect DUT ...............................1-7
Trigger a Measurement . ....................... .. .1-7
P
ost-Processing ................. .. ...........1-8
Transfer Data ................. .. .. ..........1-8
T
oExecute an GPIB Command with aP
arameter ........... ....1-8
T
oExecute aQuery ..............
..
.............1-8
2. Triggering the Analyzer from Remote
T
oMeasure Continuously ...........................2-2
Set Trigger Source ...........
..................2-2
Start Continuous Measurement Sweep ...................2-2
T
oTrigger aMeasurement From the Controller .......
.........2-3
Set Trigger Source .............. ...............2-3
Trigger aMeasurement ...........................2-3
Set Trigger Source ...... ....................... 2-4
Trigger aMeasurement ..
...... ................... 2-4
3. Synchronizing the Analyzer from Remote
T
oW
ait F
or the Preceding Operation to Complete ............... 3-2
Let Controller W
ait F
or Operation to Complete (OPC) .............3-2
T
oW
ait for Sweep End .. ............. .. .. .. .. .. .. .3-3
Enable Sweep-End Bit ......
............
.........3-3
Enable SRQ Interrupt .... .. .. .. ................. 3-4
Wait Until Measurement Is Done .................
..... 3-4
GenerateSRQ .......................... .. .. . 3-4
To Report Command Error Occurrence .................... 3-5
Enable ErrorBit.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ........ 3-5
Report Command Error .......................
... 3-6
Output Error ... . .. .. ....................... 3-6
Return to Execute GPIB command ........... .. .. .. .. .. 3-7
Contents-1

4. Reading Measurement Data
T
o Read Data Using the Marker Search Function ....... ..
..
..
..
. 4-2
Search Maximum V
alue .............. .. .. .. .. .. ..4-2
Read Data . ............... .. .. .. .. .. .......4-3
T
oGetMeasurement Trace Using ASCII F
ormat ......... .. .. .. . 4-4
Set the Receive Array .............. .. .. .. .. .. ...4-4
Set Data Transfer F
ormat ...........
..
..
..
........4-5
Read Data ................ .. .. .............4-5
T
oGet Measurement Trace Using Binary F
ormat .......
..
..
..
...4-6
Set the Receive Array .............. .. .. .........4-7
Set Data Transfer F
ormat ...........
..
..
..
........4-7
Read Data ............ .. .. .................4-8
Set the Receive Array .......... .. .. .............4-9
Set Data Transfer F
ormat .........
..
..
............4-10
Read Data .............. .. .................4-10
5. W
riting Data Arrays to the Analyzer
T
oModify Calibration Data .......
..
.................5-1
Read Calibration Data ...........................5-2
Modify Calibration Data ...............
...........5-3
Restore Modied Calibration Data .......
..
..
...........5-3
Redrawing Measurement Trace with Modied Calibration Data ...... .. 5-5
T
oModify Error-Corrected Data ..
.....................5-6
Read Error-Corrected Data ..
..
.....................5-7
Restore Modied Error-Corrected Data . .. ................5-7
T
oModify Trace Data ...........................
.5-8
Read Trace Data ............................. .5-9
Restore Modied Trace Data .....................
...5-9
6. Printing or Plotting the Analyzer's Display
T
o Print Analyzer Display ..................... .. ...6-1
Printer Preparation . ......................... ..6-1
Execute Print .................. .............6-1
T
oObserve Printing .............. .. .. ...........6-1
7. Controlling Instrument B
ASIC from Remote
T
oControl GPIB from Instrument B
ASIC ..........
..
..
..
...7-1
T
oExecute an Instrument B
ASIC Command from the External Controller ..
.. 7-3
T
oRun an Instrument B
ASIC Program From the External Controller .. .. .. 7-4
Open the Instrument B
ASIC Editor . .............
.......7-4
Send the Instrument B
ASIC Program .... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 7-4
Close the Instrument B
ASIC Editor ..................... 7-4
Run the Instrument B
ASIC Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. 7-5
To Transfer the Program to Instrument B
ASIC............... .. 7-5
Open the Instrument B
ASIC Editor ................
..... 7-5
Transfer the Program .... .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. ........ 7-6
Close the Instrument B
ASIC Editor ...... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 7-6
To Load an Array in an Instrument B
ASIC Program to the External Controller . . 7-6
Transfer the Program Array of Instrument BASIC .............. 7-6
Contents-2

8. Programming Limit Test from Remote
T
oP
erform limit T
est .........
..
..
..
..
..
..
........8-1
Edit Limit Line .............
..
..
..
...... .....8-2
Set Limit Line ............... .. .. .. .. .. ......8-3
Read the Limit T
est Results ............ .. .. ..
..
..
...8-4
9. Using the List Sweep Function
T
oSet List Sweep ...........
..
..
..
.............9-1
Edit List T
able ............
..
..
..
.............9-2
Set List T
able ............
..
..
..
.............9-3
10. Using the Analyzer's I/O P
ort
T
oSynchronize External Handler with Analyzer .....
..
..
..
.....10-2
Send Signal to the External Handler ........
..
..
........10-2
Read Signal from the External Handler .......... .. .......10-3
11. Using Application Programs
T
otal Harmonic Distortion .......... ................11-1
A
djacent Channel P
ower Calculation .....................11-4
Occupied P
ower Bandwidth Calculation ....................11-6
File Transfer Function .......... .. ................11-9
File Transfer from 4396B to External Controller ..
.............11-10
File Transfer from External Controller to 4396B ...............11-12
Displaying List of Files in Current Directory .................11-15
12. If Y
ou Have a Problem
If There Is No Response From an Instrument on the GPIB Bus .........12-1
If an Error Message is Displayed ...................
....12-1
If the Disk Cannot Be Read ....................
......12-2
If the GPIB Command Does Not W
ork .....................12-3
A. Manual Changes
Introduction ................... ..............A
-1
Manual Changes ................ .. .. ...........A
-1
Serial Number .................. .. ............A
-2
Change 1.................. .. ..............A
-3
Index
Contents-3

Figures
1-1. System Conguration for GPIB Remote Control ............... 1-2
1-2. Program Flow .................... .. .. .......1-5
1-3. Sample Program :Basic Measurement (1/2) ................ . 1-5
2-1. Trigger System ..................
..
..
..
......2-1
2-2. Sample Program :T
oTrigger Measurements Continuously ..........2-2
2-3. Sample Program :T
oTrigger aMeasurement from Controller (1) ....... 2-3
2-4. Sample Program :T
oTrigger aMeasurement from Controller (2) ....... 2-4
3-1. SRQ Generation .................. .. ..........3-1
3-2. Sample Program: T
oW
ait for the Preceding Operation to Complete ......3-2
3-3. Sample Program :T
oW
ait for Sweep End ...............
...3-3
3-4. Sweep-End Bit Enabling ..........................3-3
3-5. Sample Program :T
oReport Command Error Occurrence .......... 3-5
3-6. Command-Error Bit Enabling ................... .. .. .3-6
4-1. Sample Program :T
oRead Data Using Marker Search Function ........4-2
4-2. Sample Program :T
oGet Measurement Trace Using ASCII F
ormat ......4-4
4-3. Sample Program :T
oGet Measurement Trace Using IEEE 64-bit Floating P
oint
F
ormat (F
or External Controller) (1/2) ..................4-6
4-4. FORM3 Data Transfer F
ormat ........................4-8
4-5. Sample Program :T
oGet Measurement Trace Using IEEE 64-bit Floating P
oint
F
ormat (F
or Instrument B
ASIC) .....................4-9
5-1. Sample Program :T
oModify Calibration Data (1/2) .............5-1
5-2. Data Arrays
,Data Processing, and GPIB Command ..
..
..........5-5
5-3. Sample Program :T
oModify Error-Corrected Data ..
..
..........5-6
5-4. Sample Program :T
oModify Trace Data ..
..
..............5-8
6-1. Sample Program :T
oObserve Printing . .... .. ............6-2
7-1. P
ass Control .......
..
..
..................... 7-1
7-2. Sample Program: To Receive Control (On Instrument B
ASIC) .........7-2
7-3. Sample Program :T
o Run the Instrument B
ASIC Program From the External
Controller (On External Controller) . ..
..
..............7-4
7-4. Sample Program :T
o Transfer the Program to Instrument B
ASIC (on External
Controller) ........................ .......7-5
7-5. Sample Program : T
o Load Instrument B
ASIC Program Array (on External
Controller) . . . . . .......................... 7-6
8-1. Sample Program : Limit T
est (1/2)... .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 8-1
9-1. Sample Program : List Sweep (1/2) .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 9-1
10-1. I/O P
ort . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . .. .. .. .. .. . 10-1
10-2. Sample Program : Synchronization of an External Handler with the Analyzer . 10-2
10-3. 8-Bit Data of OUT0-7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 10-2
10-4. Sending Signal to an the External Handler . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .. .. 10-2
10-5. Reading Signal from the External Handler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3
11-1. Harmonic Distortion in a Signal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1
11-2. Sample Program : Total Harmonic Distortion (THD) (1/2) . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2
11-3. Adjacent Channel Power.......................... 11-4
11-4. Sample Program : Adjacent Channel Power Calculation (1/2) . . . . . . . . . 11-4
11-5. 99 % Occupied PowerBandwidth...................... 11-6
11-6. Sample Program : Occupied Power Bandwidth Calculation (1/2) .. .. .. . 11-7
Contents-4