BNC 505 User manual
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Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation
2955 Kerner Blvd.
San Rafael, CA 94901-5418
(415)453-9955 phone
(415)453-9956 fax
www.berkeleynucleonics.com
May 2005
505 Pulse Generator
Operating Manual
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Contents
1 Introduction................................................................1
Technical Support..............................................................................................2
Warranty.............................................................................................................2
Package Contents ..............................................................................................2
Safety Issues.......................................................................................................3
2 Front Panel Overview...............................................5
505 Front Panels ...............................................................................................6
Display Layout and Indicators ......................................................................................................6
Keypads ..............................................................................................................................................6
3 Pulse Concepts & Pulse Generator Operation ......9
Counter Architecture Overview ..................................................................................................10
System Timer Functions...............................................................................................................10
Channel Timer Functions ............................................................................................................11
Dependent & Independent Timing Events...............................................................................11
Selecting Menus..............................................................................................................................11
Numeric Input Mode......................................................................................................................12
Entering Numeric Parameters....................................................................................................12
Selecting Menu Parameters...........................................................................12
Enable/Disable Pulse Output.......................................................................................................12
Setting Pulse Sync Source............................................................................................................12
Setting Pulse Gate Control ............................................................................12
Configuration # ...............................................................................................................................13
Storing a Configuration ................................................................................................................13
Recalling System Configurations ...............................................................................................13
Setting System Mode of Operation .............................................................................................13
Enabling External Gate Control.................................................................................................13
Power On Configuration ...............................................................................................................14
Setting Auto Start Mode ...............................................................................................................14
Setting System Serial Port Baud Rate ......................................................................................14
Setting Communication GPIB Address.....................................................................................14
Setting Communication Echo Mode...........................................................................................14
Setting Key Repeat Rate...............................................................................................................14
Setting Key and Knob Volume ....................................................................................................14
Setting Pulse Timing Parameters ..............................................................................................15
Setting Pulse Output Parameters...............................................................................................15
Setting Pulse Mode of Operation.................................................................................................15
Delaying the Start of Channel Output ......................................................................................15
Rearming the Channel Timers....................................................................................................15
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Setting Pulse Gate Control ..........................................................................................................16
Setting the System Internal Rate Generator ..........................................................................16
Setting System Mode of Operation ............................................................................................16
Enabling System Trigger or Gate...............................................................................................16
Power On Configuration...............................................................................................................16
Setting Auto Start Mode...............................................................................................................16
4 505 Menus..................................................................17
505 Menu Structure ........................................................................................18
CHANNEL Menu...........................................................................................................................18
MODE Menu....................................................................................................................................18
TRIG/GATE Menu .........................................................................................................................18
SYSTEM Menu ...............................................................................................................................19
SETUP Menu ..................................................................................................................................19
5 Operating the 505 ....................................................21
Quick Start - Normal Internal Rate Generator Operation........................22
Quick Start - Normal External Trigger Operation......................................22
System Timer Overview..................................................................................23
To Use Continuous Mode..............................................................................................................23
To Use Single Shot Mode ..............................................................................................................23
To Use Burst Mode.........................................................................................................................23
To Use Duty Cycle Mode...............................................................................................................24
Channel Timer Overview ...............................................................................24
To Use Normal Mode Function....................................................................................................24
To Use Channel Single Shot Function ......................................................................................24
To Use Channel Burst Mode Function ......................................................................................25
To Use Channel Duty Cycle Function .......................................................................................25
To Use the Channel Gating Function........................................................................................25
External Input Overview................................................................................25
To Generate a Pulse on Every Trigger Input..............................................26
To Generate a Burst of Pulses on Every Trigger Input.............................26
To Start a Continuous Stream of Pulses Using the External Trigger.....26
To use the External Gate to Control the System........................................27
6 Programming the 505..............................................29
Talking to the Pulse Generator.....................................................................30
RS232 Interface Overview..............................................................................30
GPIB Interface Overview ...............................................................................30
Programming Command Types and Format...............................................31
IEEE 448.2 Common Command Format.....................................................31
SCPI Command Keywords.............................................................................31
SCPI Command Format.................................................................................31
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SCPI Query Format.......................................................................................................................31
SCPI Keyword Separator ...............................................................................32
SCPI Optional Keywords................................................................................32
SCPI Specific and Implied Channel .............................................................32
SCPI Parameter Types ...................................................................................32
Error Codes.......................................................................................................33
Programming Examples .................................................................................33
505 SCPI Command Summary .....................................................................34
505 SCPI Command Summary .....................................................................35
505 SCPI Command Summary .....................................................................36
505 SCPI Command Summary .....................................................................37
IEEE 488.2 Common Commands .................................................................38
Appendix ......................................................................39
Appendix A - Specifications ......................................40
505 Specifications ............................................................................................40
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1
1
Introduction
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2
Introduction
Thismanual is a referencedesigned to familiarizeyou with theBerkeley Nucle-
onics505 pulsegeneratorand isarranged sothatyou caneasily findtheinfor-
mationyou’re lookingfor. Generally,each topichasitsown section,andno
sectionassumesthatyou’ve readanythingelseinthe manual.
Technical Support
Forquestions orcomments about operatingthe 505-- our technicalstaffcan be
reachedvia one ofthefollowing methods:
- Phone - (415)453-9955
- Fax - (415)453-9956
-Internet-www.berkeleynucleonics.com
Warranty
Inaddition toa30-day moneyback guarantee,the505 hasa one-year limited
warrantyfromthe dateofdelivery. Thiswarrantycovers defects in materialsand
workmanship. BerkeleyNucleonics will repairorreplace anydefectiveunit.
Contactusfor informationonobtainingwarranty service.
Package Contents
Theboxyoureceive should containthefollowing:
-505 PulseGenerator
- AC Power Cord
-User’s Manual
ContactBerkeley Nucleonics(415-453-9955)if anyparts aremissing.
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3
Safety Issues
Normaluse oftestequipment presentsacertain amountofdanger fromelectri-
calshock becausetesting mustbeperformed whereexposed voltageis
present.
Anelectrical shock causing10 milliamps ofcurrentto passthroughthe heartwill
stop most human heartbeats. Voltage as low as 35 VDC or RMSAC should be
considereddangerous and hazardoussinceit canproducea lethalcurrentunder
certainconditions. Higher voltagesposean evengreaterthreat becausesuch
voltagecan easilyproducea lethalcurrent. Yournormal workhabitsshould
includeallaccepted practicesthatwill prevent contactwithexposed highvolt-
age,and steercurrentaway fromyourheart incaseof accidentalcontactwith a
highvoltage. Youwillsignificantly reduce theriskfactor ifyouknow andobserve
thefollowingsafetyprecautions:
• Ifpossible, familiarize yourselfwiththe equipmentbeingtested andthe
locationofitshigh-voltagepoints. However,remember thathighvoltagemay
appearat unexpectedpointsin defectiveequipment.
• Donotexpose highvoltageneedlessly. Remove housingandcovers only
whennecessary. Turnoffequipment while makingtestconnectionsin high-
voltagecircuits. Discharge high-voltage capacitorsaftershutting down
power.
• Whentesting ACpowered equipment,rememberthat ACline voltageis
usuallypresenton power input circuits,suchasthe on-off switch,fuses,
powertransformeretc.
• Usean insulatedfloormaterial oralarge, insulatedfloor mat tostand on,and
aninsulated work surfaceon which toplaceequipment. Make certainsuch
surfacesare notdampor wet.
• Usethetime-proven “onehandinthepocket” techniquewhilehandlingan
instrumentprobe. Beparticularly carefultoavoid contactwithmetal objects
thatcouldprovide agoodground return path.
• Neverwork alone. Someone shouldalways benearbyto renderaid if neces-
sary. Training in CPRfirst aidis highly recommended.
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4
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5
2
Front Panel Overview
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Front Panel Overview
BNC 505 Front Panels
Display Layout and Indicators
A2 line x 16 character, backlit LCD display module displays all system param-
etersand status information. Thestatusinformation islocatedin theupper-right
cornerof the display. There aretwoenunciators:
• Rotating Pie Indicatestheunit isactivelygeneratingpulses, or
armed andwaiting foranexternal trigger.
• VerticalArrow Indicatesthefunction keyhasbeenpressed.
Theupper-leftside ofthedisplaycontains thetitleofthe currentmenu. The
centertop linecontainsthetitleof thecurrentparameter. The bottomlinedis-
playsthevalueof the currentparameter.
• PowerSwitch Thepower switch islocatedon thelower-rightcorner of
thefrontpanel.Pushonceto turntheuniton;push
againtoturnthe unit off.
Keypads
Thekeypad providesaccessto thevarious menusandeasy editingof the
parametersneededto control theinstrument.
• FunctionKey Thesystemparameters areorganizedinmenus which
areaccessedby pressingtheFUNCTION keyandthen
theappropriatefunction (yellowlabels). Alltheparam-
etersfor one channelaregrouped togetherinthe
CHANNELmenu. Toaccessadditional channels,
presstheFUNCTION key andthentheCHANNEL key
(whileinthe CHANNEL menu)andthemenu willincre-
mentthechannelnumber. The contentsofeach ofthe
menusis discussedin detailin section 4of thismanual.
• NextKey TheNEXT keyprovides access toall theparameters in
amenu. Pressing theNEXTkey selectsthenext pa-
rameterinthecurrentlydisplayedmenu.
• ArrowKeys Theup/downarrows areusedtoincrement/decrement
thecurrent parameter. Fornumeric parametersthe
blinkingcursor indicateswhich digitwillbe
incremented. Theright/leftarrows areusedto change
theselected digitfornumeric parameters.
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• RotaryKnob TheRotary Knobmaybe used toadjustthe currentpa-
rameteras an alternatetothe ARROWkeypad. The
stepsize iscontrolledby theposition of thecursor.
However,turning theknobfasterwill increasethestep
size. Pushingthe knob performsthesame functionas
pushingtheNEXTkey,selectingthe next parameterin
thecurrentlydisplayedmenu.
• ChannelOutputs Thepulse generator outputisavailable fromBNCcon-
nectorsonthe front panel. Theoutputisadjustable
from 2V to 20V into a high impedance load. The drive
impedance is 50 ohm, so if the load is 50 ohm the out-
putvoltage will beone-halfof thesetvoltage. Eight
channelunits share powersuppliesbetween pairsof
channels. Four pair of channels, 1 & 5, 2 & 6, 3 & 7,
and4 &8 sharethesame voltagesupply.
• ExternalInput Theexternalinput providesatriggerand/or gatefunc-
tionforboth thesystemtimerand thechanneltimers.
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3
Pulse Concepts and
Pulse Generator Operations
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Pulse Concepts and
Pulse Generator Operation
Counter Architecture Overview
System Timer Functions
TheSystemTimer functionsasanon-retriggerable,multi-vibrator pulsegenera-
tor. Thismeans thatonce started, depending onthe mode,thetimer willpro-
ducepulses continuously. Beforepulses will begenerated,the timermustbe
armedand thenreceivea startpulse. Arming thecounter isdoneby pressing
theRUN key. Withexternal triggerdisabled,the RUN keyalso generates the
startcommandforthe counter. Withexternaltrigger enabled, theexternaltrigger
providesthe startpulse. Ineither case,oncestarted, thecounteroperation is
determinedby theSystemMode Generator. Standardmodes include:
•Continuous Oncestarted,Topulses aregeneratedcontinuously.
•SingleShot OneTopulse isgeneratedfor each startcommand.
•BurstMode 'n'Topulses are generatedforeach startcommand.
•DutyCycle Oncestarted,Topulses cycleonandoffcontinuously.
TheTopulsesare distributed toallof thestartinputsoftheChannelTimersand
ModeGenerators.
Output
Pulses
Output
MUX
Internal
To Pulse
External
Input
Arm
Start
*Gate To
Internal System Timer
and System Mode
Generator
Channel Timersand Channel
Mode Generators
*Start source is: RUN button in Internal Modes
External inputinExternaltrigger modes
** Channels arearmed bythe RUN button. In singleshotandburst modes
channells maybe rearmedbypressing the RUNasecondtime.
RUN
Command
**
Start
Gate
Arm
* Start source is: RUN button in Internal Modes
External input in External trigger modes.
** Channels are armed by the RUN button. In single shot
and burst modes channels may be rearmed by pressing the
RUN button a second time.
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Channel Timer Functions
TheChannelTimer functionsasanon-retriggerable, delayed, oneshotpulse
generator. Thismeans that thetimerwill onlygenerateone delayedpulsefor
everystartpulse received. Oncethechannel timer hasstartedcounting, addi-
tionalstart pulses willbeignored untilthepulse hasbeencompleted (non-
retriggerable). Thestartpulse for eachchannelis providedbythe internalTo
pulsegeneratedby theInternalSystemTimer. Whetheror not apulseis gener-
atedfor eachTopulse isdetermined by theChannel ModeGenerator. Standard
modesinclude:
•Normal Apulse isgenerated for eachTopulse.
•SingleShot One pulse isgeneratedat thefirstTopulse,afterwhich
outputis inhibited.
•Burst Apulse isgenerated for eachTopulse,'n' times,after
whichoutputis inhibited.
•DutyCycle Apulseis generatedfor eachTopulse“n” times,after
whichthe outputis inhibited for‘m’ times. The cycleis
thenrepeated.
Differentmodes maybeselected foreach output, allowinga widevarietyof
outputcombinations. Each outputmayalso beindependentlydisabled orgated
(usingtheexternaltriggerinput).
Dependent & Independent Timing Events
The505allows theusertocontrol therelationshipbetweenthe ChannelTimers
bysettingthe syncsourcefor eachtimer. Independenteventsareall timed
relativetothe internalTostartpulse. Dependent eventsmaybelinkedtogether
bysettingthesync sourcetothecontrollingevent. This allows theinstrumentto
matchthetimed eventsandadjustmentscan bemadeinone eventwithout
detuningthetiming betweenitand a dependentevent.
Selecting Menus
Parametersare grouped inmenus,selectableusing theyellowmenu keys. To
selectthechannel parameterspress theFUNCTIONkey and theCHANNELkey.
Repeatthis processuntilthe desiredchannelappears. Toselectother menus
presstheFUNCTION keyandthenthe keycorrespondingtothe desiredfunc-
tion.
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Numeric Input Mode
Whenthecurrentitem is numeric,thesystementersthe Numeric InputMode. In
thismode datamay beedited inone of twoways. Using thearrow keypad,the
Left and Right arrow keys are used to select a digit to edit. The selected digit
blinksto identifyitself as theactive digit. TheUp and Downarrow keysare then
usedto incrementordecrement thisdigit. Alternately,afterusingtheLeftand
Rightarrow keystoselect anactive digit, theadjustment knobmaybe usedto
incrementand decrementthisdigit. The adjustmentknobfeatures speedde-
pendentresolution. Slow rotation willincrementor decrementtheactive digitby
one. As you increase the speed of rotation, the parameter will be 10 to 1000
timesfaster dependingon thespeed.
Entering Numeric Parameters
Whenthecurrent itemisnon-numeric, theUpand Down arrowkeysare usedto
selectamong differentoptions fortheparameter. The adjustmentknobmay also
beused tochangethe selection. Ifthe item isan on-offtoggle,the Uparrow
(CWadjustement knob) enablestheitem andtheDown arrow(CCWadjustment
knob)disables theitem.
Selecting Menu Parameters
Menusinclude all theparametersfor setting upthe pulse generator. Toselecta
parameter,withinthecurrent menu,pressthe NEXTkey. Pressingthe rotary
adjustmentknob is equivalentto pressing theNEXT key andwill also selectthe
nextparameter.
Enable/Disable Pulse Output
Withinthe CHANNELmenupage toenableor disablethe output ofan individual
timer:
• Channel Enablesordisables thepulseoutput for thecurrent
channel.
Setting Pulse Sync Source
Withinthe CHANNEL menutoset thestartingpoint forthepulse delayparam-
eter:
• Sync Setthesync source forthechannel,which maybeToor
anyoftheotherchannels. The unitwillnotallowachan-
nelto triggeritself.
Setting Pulse Gate Control
• Gate Enables/disablesthechannel gatingusingtheexternal
triggerinput. Thisfunction isindependentofany other
useof thetriggerinput. Care shouldbe taken toensure
thatall usesof thetrigger are compatible. Toenable
thegate, setthe gate toactive lowor activehigh.
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Configuration #
Theconfiguration# specifiesthelocation tostorethe current systemconfigura-
tion. Numbersrange from1to n,where"n" isthenumber ofstored configura-
tions.
*NOTE: The number of storage locations is model dependent; see the specifi-
cations for your model. You cannot store to the zero location, as that contains
the factory default values.
• FromtheStore menu, pressthesetupbutton (function+setup).
Storing a Configuration
Usethe following proceduretostore acompletesystem configuration:
• Setall parameterstothe desiredvalue.
• Selectaconfiguration number.
Recalling System Configurations
Usethe following proceduretorecall astoredor defaultsystemconfiguration:
• Selectaconfiguration number.
• FromtheRecallMenu, presstherecallbutton(function + recall).
*Note: Configuration 0 is the factory default setting.
Period 0.001s (1kHz)
Mode Continuous
Trigger Disabled
Pulsewidth 0.0002
Delay 0.0
Mode Normal
Setting System Mode of Operation
• MODE SelectstheTomode:Continuous,Single Shot,Burstor
DutyCyclemode.
• #/BURST Setsthe numberofpulses tobegenerated wheninthe
Burstmode.
• DC ON Setsthe numberof pulses tobegeneratedfor each
“ON”cycle.
• DC OFF Setsthe numberof pulses toskip foreach “OFF”cycle
whenintheDuty Cyclemode.
*NOTE: Any mode may be started by either the RUN key in the internal
trigger mode or armed by the RUN key and started by an external trigger in
the external trigger mode. In the single shot and burst modes, (internally
triggered) the unit disarms itself at the end of the pulse train. Pressing the
RUN key after the unit has been disarmed will generate a new pulse train.
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Enabling External Gate Control
• EXTin Selectsexternalinputusage forcontrollingTo: dis-
abled, edge triggered or level gated.
*NOTE: When the gate disables the System Timer, the timer is reset. The
gate edge, to enable the timer, will restart the System Timer, which synchro-
nizes the Topulse to the gate and minimizes jitter relative to the gate. The
trigger threshold applies to all uses, channel and system, of the trigger/gate
input.
Power On Configuration
Uponpower-upthe unitwillload the lastconfigurationstored orrecalled. Ifthe
Autostartmode isenabled,the unitwillbegin generatingpulsesafter loadingthe
latestconfiguration.
Setting Auto Start Mode
• Auto Autorunstartupfunction-allows unit toautomatically
generatepulses after startupis complete.
Setting System Serial Port Baud Rate
• BaudRate Selectsthebaud rate(withintheSYSTEM menu)for
theRS232 interface.
*NOTE: The unit will not respond to computer commands unless the appropri-
ate BAUD rate or GPIB address is selected.
Setting Communication GPIB Address
• GPIBAddress SelectstheGPIB Address(withintheSYSTEMmenu).
Setting Communication Echo Mode
• Comm Echo Selects whetherto echocharacters back tothe host
computerornot.
Setting Key Repeat Rate
• KeyRate Setsthe rate atwhichthe keyswillrepeat whenheld
down.Thisismost usefulwhenusingtheUp/Down ar-
rowsto change parameters.
*NOTE: The key repeat rate is fairly accurate (better than one millisecond)
and may be used to increase/decrease a parameter at a set rate.
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Setting Key and Knob Volume
• KeyVolume Setsthekey clickvolume.
• KnobVolume Sets theparameteradjustmentknob clickvolume.
Setting Pulse Timing Parameters
WithintheCHANNEL menu,setthe delay untilthestart ofapulseand the
pulsewidth:
• Delay Setsthe delay fromthesync sourcetothe startofthe
pulse.
• Width Setsthe width ofthe active portionof the pulse.
Setting Pulse Output Parameters
WithintheCHANNEL menu,setthe pulse polarityandthe pulse amplitude
(whether thepulse is activehighor activelow):
• Polarity Setsthe pulsepolarityeither activehighor activelow
usingthearrow keysortherotary knob.
• Amplitude Setsthe pulseamplitude, 2 to20 voltswith ahighim-
pedanceload.
Setting Pulse Mode of Operation
Eachchannel may besetindependently tooperatein oneoffour modes: normal,
singleshot,burst,or duty cycle(withintheCHANNELmenu):
• Mode Selectsthemode forthecurrent channel. Additional
parametersare providedfor the burstmode andthe
dutycyclemode.
• #/Burst Setsthe numberofpulses intheburst modetogener-
atebeforeinhibiting output.
• OnCycle Setsthe numberofpulses togeneratebefore inhibiting
output.
• OffCycle Setsthe numberofpulses toinhibit beforerepeating
theOnCycle.
Delaying the Start of Channel Output
Withinanychannelmode, theoutputofthechannel can bedelayedusingthe
waitparameter(within theCHANNELmenu):
• Wait Setsthenumber ofTopulsestowait untilenablingthe
channeloutput.
Rearming the Channel Timers
Inthe single shotmodeand theburstmode theChannelTimersmayberearmed
aftercompletingthe pulsetrainbypushing theRUNkeyagain.
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