Newtons4th PPA 5500 KinetiQ Use and care manual

PPA5500
KinetiQ
Firmware v2.159
10th April 2017
COMMUNICATIONS
MANUAL

PPA55xx communications manual
i
IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
This equipment is designed to comply with BSEN 61010-1
(2001) (Safety requirements for electrical equipment for
measurement, control, and laboratory use) –observe the
following precautions:
Ensure that the supply voltage agrees with the rating of
the instrument printed on the back panel before
connecting the mains cord to the supply.
This appliance must be earthed. Ensure that the
instrument is powered from a properly grounded supply.
The inputs are rated at 1kV rms or dc cat II; 600V rms
or dc cat III. Do not exceed the rated input.
Keep the ventilation holes on the underneath and rear
free from obstruction.
Do not operate or store under conditions where
condensation may occur or where conducting debris
may enter the case.
There are no user serviceable parts inside the
instrument –do not attempt to open the instrument,
refer service to the manufacturer or his appointed
agent.
Note: Newtons4th Ltd. shall not be liable for any
consequential damages, losses, costs or expenses
arising from the use or misuse of this product
however caused.

PPA55xx communications manual
ii
ABOUT THIS MANUAL
This manual gives details of the communication commands
recognized by the PPA55xx series of instruments over
RS232, USB, LAN or GPIB. For more general operating
instructions for the instrument refer to the specific user
manual.
Each command is listed alphabetically with details of any
arguments and reply. A one line summary of each
command is given in the appendix. Although most of the
commands apply to all instruments in the range there are
some commands that are specific to one instrument or
another.
The information in this manual is believed to be accurate
and complete but Newtons4th Ltd cannot accept any
liability whatsoever for any consequential damage or
losses arising from any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions.
Firmware Revision 2.159
This manual is copyright © 2006-2017 Newtons4th Ltd.
and all rights are reserved. No part may be copied or
reproduced in any form without prior written consent.
10th April 2017

PPA55xx communications manual
iii
CONTENTS
1Using remote control .......................................... 1-1
1.1 Standard event status register.................................. 1-3
1.2 Serial Poll status byte .............................................. 1-4
1.3 RS232 connections.................................................. 1-5
1.4 Data format............................................................ 1-6
2Communication commands.................................. 2-1
*CLS ................................................................................ 2-1
*ESE ................................................................................ 2-2
*ESR?............................................................................... 2-3
*IDN?............................................................................... 2-4
*OPC? .............................................................................. 2-5
*RST ................................................................................ 2-6
*SRE ................................................................................ 2-7
*SRE?............................................................................... 2-8
*STB?............................................................................... 2-9
*TRG .............................................................................. 2-10
*TST? ............................................................................. 2-11
*WAI .............................................................................. 2-12
ABORT ............................................................................ 2-13
ADIMAP .......................................................................... 2-14
ALARM............................................................................ 2-15
ALARM? .......................................................................... 2-16
ALARM1 .......................................................................... 2-17
ALARM2 .......................................................................... 2-18
ALARME .......................................................................... 2-19
ALARME?......................................................................... 2-20
APPLIC............................................................................ 2-21
BANDWI.......................................................................... 2-22
BANDWI? ........................................................................ 2-23
BEEP .............................................................................. 2-24
BLANKI ........................................................................... 2-25
CALVER........................................................................... 2-26
CALVER? ......................................................................... 2-27
CAPTUR?......................................................................... 2-28
CONFIG .......................................................................... 2-30
CONFIG?......................................................................... 2-31
COUPLI ........................................................................... 2-32
COUPLI? ......................................................................... 2-33
DATALO .......................................................................... 2-34

PPA55xx communications manual
iv
DATALO?......................................................................... 2-35
DAV? .............................................................................. 2-36
DAVER............................................................................ 2-37
DAVER? .......................................................................... 2-38
DISPLAY ......................................................................... 2-39
DISPLAY? ........................................................................ 2-40
EFFICI ............................................................................ 2-41
EFFICI?........................................................................... 2-42
FAST .............................................................................. 2-43
FQLOCK .......................................................................... 2-44
FQREF ............................................................................ 2-45
FREQFI ........................................................................... 2-46
FREQUE .......................................................................... 2-47
FSD? .............................................................................. 2-48
HARMON ......................................................................... 2-49
HARMON? ....................................................................... 2-51
HOLD.............................................................................. 2-52
INPUT............................................................................. 2-53
INTEGR........................................................................... 2-54
INTEGR? ......................................................................... 2-55
KEYBOA .......................................................................... 2-56
LCR ................................................................................ 2-57
LCR?............................................................................... 2-58
LOWFRE.......................................................................... 2-59
MODE ............................................................................. 2-60
MSLAVE .......................................................................... 2-61
MULTIL ........................................................................... 2-62
MULTIL?.......................................................................... 2-63
NEWLOC ......................................................................... 2-64
NOISEF........................................................................... 2-65
NOOVER ......................................................................... 2-66
PFCONV .......................................................................... 2-67
PHANGREF ...................................................................... 2-68
PHANGREF ...................................................................... 2-68
PHASEM.......................................................................... 2-69
PHASEM? ........................................................................ 2-70
PHCONV.......................................................................... 2-71
POWER ........................................................................... 2-72
POWER?.......................................................................... 2-73
PROGRA.......................................................................... 2-75
PROGRA? ........................................................................ 2-76
RANGE............................................................................ 2-77
RESOLU .......................................................................... 2-78
RESULT........................................................................... 2-79

PPA55xx communications manual
v
RESULT? ......................................................................... 2-80
REZERO .......................................................................... 2-81
SCALE ............................................................................ 2-82
SCOPE?........................................................................... 2-83
SCREEN?......................................................................... 2-84
SETUP ............................................................................ 2-85
SETUP? ........................................................................... 2-86
SHUNT............................................................................ 2-87
SMOOTH ......................................................................... 2-88
SPEED ............................................................................ 2-89
START ............................................................................ 2-90
STATUS?......................................................................... 2-91
STOP .............................................................................. 2-92
SUSPEN .......................................................................... 2-93
TAGREP .......................................................................... 2-94
TEMPER .......................................................................... 2-95
TEMPER?......................................................................... 2-96
TORQSP .......................................................................... 2-97
TORQSP? ........................................................................ 2-98
USER? ............................................................................ 2-99
VARCON........................................................................ 2-100
VERSIO? ....................................................................... 2-101
VRMS ........................................................................... 2-102
VRMS? .......................................................................... 2-103
WIRING ........................................................................ 2-104
ZERO............................................................................ 2-105
ZOOM ........................................................................... 2-106
ZOOM? ......................................................................... 2-107
Multilog Application Guide...............................................2-108
Appendix A –command summary
Appendix B –configurable parameters
Appendix C –MULTILOG parameters

PPA55xx communications manual
1-1
1Using remote control
The instrument is fitted with an RS232 serial
communications port, USB, IEEE488 (GPIB) and LAN
interface. All the interfaces use the same ASCII protocol
with the exception of the end of line terminators:
Rx expects
Tx sends
RS232
USB, LAN
carriage return
(line feed ignored)
carriage return
and line feed
IEEE488
carriage return or
line feed or EOI
carriage return
with EOI
All the functions of the instrument can be programmed via
any interface, and results read back. When the IEEE488
interface is set to ‘remote’ the other ports are ignored.
The commands are not case sensitive and white space
characters are ignored (e.g. tabs and spaces). Replies
from the instrument are always upper case, delimited by
commas, without spaces.
Only the first six characters of any command are important
–any further characters will be ignored. For example, the
command to set the generator frequency is FREQUE but
the full word FREQUENCY may be sent as the redundant
NCY at the end will be ignored.
Fields within a command are delimited by comma, multiple
commands can be sent on one line delimited with a semi-
colon. Eg.
FQREF,CURRENT;POWER?
Mandatory commands specified in the IEEE488.2 protocol
have been implemented, (e.g. *IDN?, *RST) and all
commands that expect a reply are terminated with a
question mark (query).

PPA55xx communications manual
1-2
The instrument maintains an error status byte consistent
with the requirements of the IEEE488.2 protocol (called
the standard event status register) that can be read by the
mandatory command *ESR? (See section 2).
The instrument also maintains a status byte consistent
with the requirements of the IEEE488.2 protocol, that can
be read either with the IEEE488 serial poll function or by
the mandatory command *STB? over RS232 or IEEE or
LAN (see section 2).
The IEEE address defaults to 23 and can be changed via
the COMMS menu.
The keyboard is disabled when the instrument is set to
“remote” using the IEEE. Press HOME to return to “local”
operation.
RS232 data format is: start bit, 8 data bits (no parity), 1
stop bit. Flow control is RTS/CTS (see section 1.3), baud
rate is selectable via the MONITOR menu.
A summary of the available commands is given in the
Appendix. Details of each command are given in the
communication command section of the manual.
Commands are executed in sequence except for two
special characters that are immediately obeyed:
Control T (20) –reset interface (device clear)
Control U (21) –warm restart

PPA55xx communications manual
1-3
1.1 Standard event status register
PON
CME
EXE
DDE
QYE
OPC
bit 0 OPC (operation complete)
cleared by most commands
set when data available or sweep complete
bit 2 QYE (unterminated query error)
set if no message ready when data read
bit 3 DDE (device dependent error)
set when the instrument has an error
bit 4 EXE (execution error)
set when the command cannot be executed
bit 5 CME (command interpretation error)
set when a command has not been recognised
bit 7 PON (power on event)
set when power first applied or unit has reset
The bits in the standard event status register except for
OPC are set by the relevant event and cleared by specific
command (*ESR?, *CLS, *RST). OPC is also cleared by
most commands that change any part of the configuration
of the instrument (such as MODE or START).

PPA55xx communications manual
1-4
1.2 Serial Poll status byte
ESB
MAV
ALA
RDV
bit 0 RDV (result data available)
set when results are available to be read as
enabled by DAVER
bit 3 ALA (alarm active)
set when an alarm is active and enabled by
ALARMER
bit 4 MAV (message available)
set when a message reply is waiting to be read
bit 5 ESB (standard event summary bit)
set if any bit in the standard event status
register is set as well as the corresponding bit
in the standard event status enable register
(set by *ESE).

PPA55xx communications manual
1-5
1.3 RS232 connections
The RS232 port on the instrument uses the same pinout as
a standard 9 pin serial port on a PC or laptop (9-pin male
‘D’ type).
Pin
Function
Direction
1
DCD
in (+ weak pull up)
2
RX data
in
3
TX data
out
4
DTR
out
5
GND
6
DSR
not used
7
RTS
out
8
CTS
in
9
RI
not used
The instrument will only transmit when CTS (pin 8) is
asserted, and can only receive if DCD (pin 1) is asserted.
The instrument constantly asserts (+12V) DTR (pin 4) so
this pin can be connected to any unwanted modem control
inputs to force operation without handshaking. The
instrument has a weak pull up on pin 1 as many null
modem cables leave it open circuit. In electrically noisy
environments, this pin should be driven or connected to
pin 4.
To connect the instrument to a PC, use a 9 pin female to 9
pin female null modem cable:
1 & 6
-
4
2
-
3
3
-
2
4
-
1 & 6
5
-
5
7
-
8
8
-
7

PPA55xx communications manual
1-6
1.4 Data format
Non integer results are sent as ASCII characters in a
scientific format consisting of 5 or 6 digit mantissa plus
exponent:
+1.2345+E00
+1.23456+E00
For higher speed transfer a proprietary binary format can
be selected which compresses the data into 4 bytes, each
of which is sent with the msb set to distinguish them from
ASCII control characters. The data is sent as a 7 bit signed
exponent, a mantissa sign, and a 20 bit mantissa:
byte
data
1
7 bit signed exponent +63 to -64
2
bit 6 = mantissa sign
bit 5:0 = mantissa bit 19:14
3
mantissa bit 13:7
4
mantissa bit 6:0
The value is coded as a binary fraction between 0.5 and
0.9999…, a multiplier of 2^n and a sign ie:
Value = (mantissa / 2^20) x 2^exponent x -1^sign
value
equivalent
hex data transmitted
3.0
0.75 x 2^2
0x82,0xB0,0x80,0x80
0.1
0.8 x 2^-3
0xFD,0xB3,0x99,0xCD
-320
-0.625 x 2^9
0x89,0xE8,0x80,0x80
Any valid number would have the msb of the mantissa set;
any number without the msb of the mantissa set is zero.

PPA55xx communications manual
2-1
2Communication commands
*CLS
*CLS
Function:
Clear status
Description:
Clears the standard event status register.
Format:
*CLS
Arguments:
none
Reply:
none
Example:
*CLS
*ESR?
0
Notes:

PPA55xx communications manual
2-2
*ESE
*ESE
Function:
Set standard event status enable register.
Description:
Enable which bits of the standard event
status register set the ESB bit in the serial
poll status byte..
Format:
*ESE, value
Arguments:
decimal equivalent of bits in standard
event status enable register
Reply:
can be read by *ESE?
Example:
*ESE, 60
Notes:
The following bits in the standard event
status enable register have been
implemented:
bit 0 OPC (operation complete)
bit 2 QYE (unterminated query error)
bit 3 DDE (device dependent error)
bit 4 EXE (execution error)
bit 5 CME (command interpretation error)
bit 7 PON (power on event)
For example, *ESE, 60 enables all the
error bits so that the ESB bit in the serial
poll status byte is set in the event of any
error.

PPA55xx communications manual
2-3
*ESR?
*ESR?
Function:
Standard event status register query
Description:
Returns the contents of the standard
event status register and clears it.
Format:
*ESR?
Arguments:
none
Reply:
decimal equivalent of bits in standard
event status register
Example:
*ESR?
33
Notes:
The following bits in the standard event
status register have been implemented:
bit 0 OPC (operation complete)
bit 2 QYE (unterminated query error)
bit 3 DDE (device dependent error)
bit 4 EXE (execution error)
bit 5 CME (command interpretation error)
bit 7 PON (power on event)
For example, if a command is sent
incorrectly and is not recognised, the CME
bit will be set and the value of 33 will be
returned.

PPA55xx communications manual
2-4
*IDN?
*IDN?
Function:
Identify query
Description:
Returns a standard format identification
string.
Format:
*IDN?
Arguments:
none
Reply:
An ASCII string in the IEEE488.2 format:
manufacturer,model,serial no,version
Example:
*IDN?
NEWTONS4TH,PPA2530 KinetiQ,
01234,1.00
Notes:

PPA55xx communications manual
2-5
*OPC?
*OPC?
Function:
Test for operation complete
Description:
Returns 1 if previous operation is
completed, 0 if not.
Format:
*OPC?
Arguments:
none
Reply:
0 or 1
Example:
START
*OPC?
0
*OPC?
0
*OPC?
1
Notes:
*OPC? can be used to indicate when data
is available or when a frequency sweep
has completed.

PPA55xx communications manual
2-6
*RST
*RST
Function:
Reset
Description:
Resets the instrument to the default state
and clears the standard event status
register.
Format:
*RST
Arguments:
none
Reply:
none
Example:
*RST
Notes:
The *RST command loads the default
configuration. This is the same as loading
the default configuration via the
PROGRAM menu.
Any preceding setup commands will be
overwritten.

PPA55xx communications manual
2-7
*SRE
*SRE
Function:
Set service request enable register.
Description:
Enable which bits of the status byte
register initiate a service request.
Format:
*SRE, value
Arguments:
decimal equivalent of bits in status byte
register
Reply:
can be read by *SRE?
Example:
*SRE, 1
generate a service request when data
available.
Notes:

PPA55xx communications manual
2-8
*SRE?
*SRE?
Function:
Read service request enable register.
Description:
Read back the present setting of the
service request enable register.
Format:
*SRE?
Arguments:
Reply:
decimal equivalent of bits in status byte
register that would generate a service
request.
Example:
*SRE?
1
Notes: