Agilent Technologies e6601a Installation and operating instructions

Agilent
Embedded Automation
with the E6601A Wireless
Communications Test Set
Application Note

2
Introduction......................................................................................................................2
Overview of the E6601A Test Set .................................................................................3
Features That Simplify Automation ............................................................................4
Developing a Test Program...........................................................................................5
Programming Details .....................................................................................................8
Moving the Test Program into the E6601A’s PC Controller .................................17
Conclusion......................................................................................................................17
Appendix: Sample Test Program for GSM ..............................................................18
Recent innovations in test equipment design have created a new class of “smart
instruments” that give mobile phone manufacturers the ability to streamline
their production lines. The Agilent E6601A Wireless Communications Test Set,
which features an integrated PC with Windows®XP operating system, fits this
category. The E6601A test set has the control and interfacing capability needed
to become the centerpiece of a streamlined and automated test system. With an
embedded automated test program, the E6601A can significantly improve the
test speed, simplify the test system, and help reduce the cost of test.
For test engineers and programmers, this application note demonstrates how to
use the built-in capability of the E6601A test set to develop a simple program for
automated testing. The programming example includes setting up the program-
ming environment and the test set, verifying connectivity, creating a program-
ming flowchart, and writing the test program. Although several programming
environments can be used in this environment, the examples provided in this
application note are created in Visual Studio .NET®.
Table of Contents
Introduction

3
The Agilent E6601A is a one-box test set for mobile phone manufacturing based
on a new platform. An important feature of this new platform is the embedded
PC, which runs the Windows XP Professional®operating system. Test
engineers and programmers now can work in a familiar computing environment
using a keyboard, mouse, and monitor connected to the test set. They can run
any current Windows-compatible program on the test set without having to
convert the code. Furthermore, they can make use of all Windows platform
features such as remote access.
A test set with a built-in PC has other advantages.
• Saves space – Placing a PC and monitor is always challenging on a production
line. Rarely does the rack have adequate space. By combining the PC and
monitor into the test set, the E6601 eliminates this headache. The front panel
can be controlled through automation, with a mouse, or by standard front-
panel buttons.
• Easy to deploy and maintain – An all-in-one solution makes moving and
deployment easy. As no external PC and accessories are needed, production
managers can rearrange or build new production lines more quickly. The test
set is easier to maintain, and there are fewer parts and connections to worry
about. Most regular maintenance, such as software upgrades and daily or
monthly alignment, can even be performed remotely by LAN.
• Helps reduce the expenses associated with buying and operating
equipment – The E6601A saves money by reducing the need for PCs, GPIB
devices and accessories, racks and floor space used for computers, and
computer maintenance costs. Test engineers and programmers also do not
have to use proprietary test development tools and can get started testing
more quickly.
Overview of the
E6601A Test Set

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The E6601A has important features that simplify operating the test set and
automating the test environment. Foremost is the embedded Windows XP
computer, which shortens the user’s learning curve; allows remote control of
the test set and sharing of data between test sets; and allows online software
updating, troubleshooting, and support.
Connectivity features also help make the E6601A suitable for system integration
and remote control. Users can control and supervise a test procedure, communi-
cating by means of a LAN, GPIB, USB, or virtual LAN.
•LAN– LAN capability provides instrument connectivity over distances and
allows sequential sharing of instruments among multiple PCs. A LAN is the
recommended method of connecting instruments in new test systems. For the
E6601A, remote control over a LAN is an efficient way to implement remote
troubleshooting and monitoring.
• USB – Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a quick and easy way to connect
instruments to PCs on a bench top. Typically it is used to connect a single
instrument to a PC.
• GPIB – The General Purpose Interface Bus (GPIB) is a primary instrument IO
device with proven reliability. It is the most common interface for measurement
instruments and can be used in the integration of test systems.
• Virtual LAN – In embedded programs, the E6601A uses an internal LAN
interface to control the test set. In this scenario, the virtual LAN connects the
embedded PC and a test component internally.
Features That Simplify
Automation

5
Test programs can be developed using either the embedded PC or an external
PC. For best results, Agilent recommends developing and debugging test
programs on an external PC, then uploading the program into the E6601A’s
embedded PC for use in testing. The following instructions apply to test program
development on an external PC. Loading the program into the test set is
explained in a later section.
Set up the programming environment – Many programming environments can
be used with the E6601A, including C++, Visual Basic®, Agilent VEE Pro and
more. Today Visual Studio®is a popular tool for program development, so
the examples given in this application note use the Visual Studio .NET
environment and the Visual Basic programming language. You can learn more
about these programming tools at the Microsoft Web site
http://msdn.microsoft.com/vstudio/.
Install IO Libraries Suite – The IO Libraries Suite is an Agilent application for
connectivity. It needs to be installed when you plan to connect instruments to a
PC. The program helps you configure your system to control instruments from
the PC and to transfer data. You can download the suite software from the IO
Libraries Suite Web site: www.agilent.com/find/iolib. Under the Software
menu, select IO Libraries Suite and then IO Libraries Suite 14.1 (or above)
Product Download. After downloading, follow the installation instructions.
Connect and set up the test set – Different options are available for connecting
the external PC used for programming to the E6601A test set.
• GPIB connection
• Connect a GPIB cable from your computer's GPIB interface to the GPIB
connector on the test set's rear panel.
• On the test set’s front panel, under Screens, press the Config key.
• In the Configuration Main window, under Instrument Connections, type
the GPIB address you want.
• LAN connection
There are two ways to connect the PC and the E6601A over a LAN. One
method is to connect the PC to the E6601A directly using a cross-over
cable—in effect, setting up a small, PC-to-test-set-only LAN. The other
method is to connect the PC to the E6601A over an office or other existing
LAN or hub. In this case a regular LAN cable is used. Whichever approach
you choose, the following steps apply.
• Get the IP address of the E6601A
On the E6601A desktop, click Start, then select Run. A Run window pops
up. Input CMD in the command bar, then click OK. A black command
window is displayed. Type ipconfig after the flashing cursor and press the
Enter key. The Windows IP configuration is displayed. The IP address,
which is located under Ethernet Adapter Local Area Connection, is the
address for connection.
•On your computer, click on the Agilent IO Control icon in the taskbar and
select Agilent Connection Expert from the pop-up menu. When the Agilent
Connection Expert is launched, select E6601A in the LAN folder. Click the
Change Properties button, which is on the right side of the window. A
Change Configurable Properties of This LAN Device window is displayed.
Type in the IP address of the E6601A, which you located in the previous
step, and then click OK.
Developing a Test
Program

6
Verify the test connection – On your computer, click on the Agilent IO Control
icon in the taskbar and select Agilent Connection Expert from the pop-up menu.
When the Agilent Connection Expert is launched, instruments connected to the
external PC’s GPIB interfaces should appear automatically. Click on Refresh All
to update the list of instruments on these interfaces.
Now you can verify the test connection by sending some commands to the test
set. See Figure 1.
• Right-click on the test set you want to connect. In this example a LAN is used
to connect to an E6601A. In the pop-up menu, click Send Commands To This
Instrument. The Agilent Interactive IO program opens.
•InAgilent Interactive IO window, type a command—for example, “*IDN?”—
in the Command box. Then, click Send Command and the command will be
sent to the E6601A. Click Read Response and the IDN of the E6601A is
displayed in the Instrument Session History window.
• To close Agilent Interactive IO, click the Connect menu, and then click Exit.
Figure 1. Agilent Connection Expert helps you set up and manage instrument connections.

7
Access the SCPI command documentation – Unique calibration applications
provide the E6601A test set with technology-specific transmitter and receiver
measurements for calibrating mobile phones. The programming examples in this
application note are based on a configuration for GSM/GPRS mobile phone
testing.
The SCPI command documentation for the E6831A GSM/GPRS Calibration
Application is contained in the GPIB Commands (GSM/GPRS CA) topic which is
part of the E6601A’s online help. This book contains syntax, descriptions,
ranges, *RST settings, test set requirements, and single-line examples of each
command provided in Visual Basic .NET using the VISA COM library. Another
tool for programming is the Agilent E6601A SCPI Discovery tool, which is used
in programming environments such as Visual Studio .NET. This tool makes
programming easy by providing fast access to the entire command structure and
by allowing you to drag the commands you need to the code. See Figure 2. For
more information on the SCPI Discovery tool, please refer to the E6601A Web
page at www.agilent.com/find/e6601a. More detailed use is available in the
built-in help system supplied with the tool.
Figure 2. Agilent E6601A SCPI Discovery is a useful programming tool used in popular environments
such as Visual Studio .NET.

8
A simple GSM test program is developed according to the programming flowchart
shown below in Figure 3.
Figure 3. Flowchart forE6601A test program development.
Programming Details

9
Step 1. Reference the IO library – Start Visual Studio .NET and create a new
Visual Basic .NET application. In the Solution Explorer window, right-click
References and click Add Reference. See Figure 4.
Figure 4. Solution Explorer window in Visual Studio .NET.
In the Add Reference dialog box, click the COM tab and scroll down until you
see the VISA COM 3.0 Type Library component. See Figure 5.
Figure 5. Add Reference window in Visual Studio .NET.
Double-click on the VISA COM 3.0 Type Library entry to add the component, and
then click OK to close the Add Reference dialog box.

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Step 2. Open the test set connection – Computers communicate with the
test set by sending and receiving messages over an interface. When you use the
Agilent VISA COM library in Visual Basic .NET, the FormattedIO488 object’s
WriteString, WriteNumber, WriteList, or WriteIEEEBlock methods are used for
sending commands and queries. To use the VISA COM library, you must first
open a connection to the test set using the ResourceManager object’s Open
method. After a query is sent, the response is read using the ReadString,
ReadNumber, ReadList, or ReadIEEEBlock methods.
The following Visual Basic .NET statements open the connection to the test set
and send a command to change the brightness of the test set’s display.
Option Explicit On
Option Strict On
Imports Ivi.Visa.Interop
Dim ResManager As New ResourceManager
Dim TestSet As New FormattedIO488
' Open the connection to the test set. Get the "VISA Address" from the
' Agilent Connection Expert (installed with Agilent IO Libraries Suite).
' In this sample, the "VISA Address" used for GPIB interface is
' "GPIB0::14::INSTR"
TestSet.IO = CType(ResManager.Open("GPIB0::14::INSTR"), IMessage)
'If it is a LAN interface, the “VISA Address” is
TestSet.IO = CType(ResManager.Open("TCPIP0::localhost::inst0::INSTR"),
IMessage)
' Send a command.
TestSet.WriteString("DISPlay:BRIGhtness MEDium")