Tektronix MSO56 Operating and maintenance manual

xx
5SeriesMSO
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP
ZZZ
Programmer Manual
*P077130502*
077-1305-02

5SeriesMSO
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP
ZZZ
Programmer Manual
xx
www.tek.com
077-1305-02

Copyright © Tektronix. All rights reserved. Licensed software products are owned by Tektronix or its subsidiaries
or suppliers, and are protected by national copyright laws and international treaty provisions.
Tektronix products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending. Information in this publication
supersedes that in all previously published material. Specifications and price change privileges reserved.
TEKTRONIX and TEK are registered trademarks of Tektronix, Inc.
FlexChannel, FastFrame, OpenChoice, iView, Pinpoint, RT-Eye, TekVPI, FastAcq, and e*Scope are registered
trademarks of Tektronx, Inc.
TekSecure is a trademark of Tektronix, Inc.
5 Series MSO Programmer documentation. 077-1305-02 Released January 16, 2018.
Contacting Tektronix
Tektronix, Inc.
14150 SW Karl Braun Drive
P.O. Box 500
Beaverton, OR 97077
USA
For product information, sales, service, and technical support:
In North America, call 1-800-833-9200.
Worldwide, visit www.tek.com to find contacts in your area.

Table of Contents
Preface.............................................................................................................. iii
Getting Started ............................................................. .. .. .. .. ............................... 1-1
Setting Up Remote Communications Hardware ........................................................ . 1-1
Ethernet .................................................................................................. 1-1
USB....................................................................................................... 1-2
Setting Up Remote Communications Software ....................... .. .. ............................... 1-3
Using VISA.............................................................................................. 1-3
Using the LXI Web Page and e*Scope ............................................................... 1-4
Using a Socket Server.................................................................................. 1-5
Documentation .......................................................................................... 1-7
Dynamic programmatic interface.......................................................................... 1-7
Implicit activation ........................................................................................... 1-7
Creating, deleting, and listing dynamic instances........................................................ 1-8
Command Syntax................................................................................................. 2-1
Command and Query Structure ............................................................................ 2-1
Clearing the oscilloscope ................................................................................... 2-3
Command Entry.............................................................................................. 2-3
Constructed Mnemonics .................................................................................... 2-5
Argument Types.............................................................................................. 2-7
Command groups............................................................................................... 2-11
Acquisition command group ............................................................................. 2-11
AFG Command Group.................................................................................... 2-12
Alias command group..................................................................................... 2-13
Bus command group....................................................................................... 2-14
Calibration command group.............................................................................. 2-19
Cursor command group ................................................................................... 2-20
Digital command group .................................................................................. 2-26
Display control command group......................................................................... 2-28
DVM Command Group................................................................................... 2-31
Ethernet Command Group................................................................................ 2-31
File system command group.............................................................................. 2-33
Horizontal command group............................................................................... 2-35
Math command group..................................................................................... 2-37
Measurement command group ........................................................................... 2-39
Miscellaneous command group .......................................................................... 2-53
Plot command group ...................................................................................... 2-55
Power command group.................................................................................... 2-55
Save and Recall command group ........................................................................ 2-62
Save On command Group ................................................................................ 2-63
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer i

Table of Contents
Search and Mark command group ....................................................................... 2-64
Self Test command group................................................................................. 2-74
Status and Error command group ........................................................................ 2-75
Trigger command group .................................................................................. 2-76
Vertical command group.................................................................................. 2-85
Waveform Transfer command group .................................................................... 2-88
Zoom command group .................................................................................... 2-92
Commands listed in alphabetical order....................................................................... 2-93
Status and Events................................................................................................. 3-1
Registers ...................................................................................................... 3-1
Queues ........................................................................................................ 3-4
Event Handling Sequence................................................................................... 3-5
Synchronization Methods................................................................................... 3-7
Appendix A: Character Set..................................................................................... A-1
Appendix B: Reserved Words.................................................................................. B-1
Appendix C: Factory Defaults ................................................................................. C-1
Default Setup................................................................................................ C-1
Appendix D: Waveform Transfer (WFMOutpre and CURVe Query) Examples ......................... D-1
Example 1: Analog Waveform (Channels 1–4) ......................................................... D-1
Example 2: Digital Waveform ............................................................................ D-3
Example 3: Digital with 4 Bytes Per Point and Zoom Off............................................. D-5
Example 4: Digital with 8 Bytes Per Point and Zoom Off............................................. D-8
Example 5: Digital with 4 Bytes Per Point and Zoom On ........................................... D-10
Example 6: Digital with 8 Bytes Per Point and MagniVu On ....................................... D-13
Example 7: RF Frequency Domain Waveform........................................................ D-15
Appendix E: Search and Trigger Command Sequence Examples.......................................... E-1
Example 1: Single Threshold Edge Search.............................................................. E-1
Example 2: Single Threshold Edge Trigger ............................................................. E-2
Example 3: Dual Threshold Runt Search ................................................................ E-2
Example 4: Single Threshold Logic Search on Three Waveforms.................................... E-3
Glossary
Index
ii MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer

Preface
This programmer guide provides you with the information required to use
Programmable Interface commands to remotely control your instrument.
The programmer manual is divided into the following major topics:
Getting started. This topic introduces you to the programming information
and provides basic information about setting up your instrument for remote
control.
Command syntax. This topic provides an overview of the command syntax
that you use to communicate with the instrument and other general information
about commands, such as how commands and queries are constructed, how to
enter commands, constructed mnemonics, and argument types.
Command groups. This topic contains all the commands listed in functional
groups. Each group consists of an overview of the commands in that group and
a table that lists all the commands and queries for that group. You can click a
command in the listing to display a detailed description of the command.
Commands listed in alphabetical order. This topic contains all commands
listed in alphabetical order. Command details, syntax, and examples are
provided.
Status and events. This topic discusses the status and event reporting system
for the programming interfaces. This system informs you of certain significant
events that occur within the instrument. Topics that are discussed include
registers, queues, event handling sequences, synchronization methods, and
messages that the instrument might return, including error messages.
Appendices. These topics contain miscellaneous information, such as a list
of reserved words, a table of the factory initialization (default) settings, and
interface specifications that can be helpful when using commands to remotely
control the instrument.
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer iii

Preface
iv MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer

Getting Started
This manual explains the use of commands to remotely control your oscilloscope.
With this information, you can write computer programs to perform functions,
such as setting the front-panel controls, taking measurements, performing
statistical calculations, and exporting data for use in other programs.
Familiarity with the User Manual for your oscilloscope is assumed. You can
download the User Manual from the Tektronix website at www.tek.com.
NOTE. Most examples in this document assume that both HEADer and VERBose
are set to ON.
SettingUpRemoteCommunicationsHardware
You can remotely control communications between your oscilloscope and a PC
via Ethernet or USB cables.
Ethernet If you are using Ethernet, start by connecting an appropriate Ethernet cable to the
Ethernet port (RJ-45 connector) on the rear panel of your oscilloscope. This
connects the oscilloscope to a 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T local area
network.
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 1-1

Getting Started
To change the Ethernet settings on your oscilloscope, do the following:
1. Select the Utility drop-down menu.
2. Select the I/O menu.
3. Select the LAN panel.
4. In the menu, if you are on a DHCP Ethernet network that supplies the IP
address automatically by a DHCP, tap Auto.
5. In the menu, if you want to supply your own network settings, tap Manual
to set a hard coded TCP/IP address.
USB If you are using USB, start by connecting the appropriate USB cable to the USB
3.0 super-speed (SS) Device port on the rear panel of your oscilloscope. This
port requires that the cable connected from the port to the host computer meets
the USB 3.0 specification for super speed connections. Typically, such cables
should be 3 feet or shorter in length, but this is determined by the quality of the
cable and, with higher quality cables, this length can be extended. (It is also
dependent upon the drive capability of the host USB port to which the instrument
is connected.) The use of high quality short cables is recommended to avoid USB
connection problems.
With USB, the system automatically configures itself. To verify that the USB is
enabled:
1. Select the Utility drop-down menu.
2. Select the I/O menu.
3. Touch USB Device Port to open the USB Device Port configuration menu.
4. If USB is disabled, tap USB Device Port to enable the USB Device port.
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Getting Started
After connection, the host, with appropriate software, can list the oscilloscope as a
USB device with the following parameters: (See Table 1-1.)
Table 1-1: USB Device Parameters
Parameter Value
Manufacturer ID 0x0699 (decimal 1689)
Product ID 0x0522
(You can send the
USBTMC:PRODUCTID:HEXadecimal?
query to read the value)
Serial number Serial number
Manufacturer description “Tektronix”
Interface description “USBTMC-USB488”
Setting Up Remote Communications Software
Connect your oscilloscope directly to a computer to let the PC analyze your data,
collect screen images, or to control the oscilloscope using a program of your own
creation. Three ways to connect your oscilloscope to a computer are through the
VISA drivers, the e*Scope Web-enabled tools, or via a socket server.
Using VISA VISA lets you use your MS-Windows computer to acquire data from your
oscilloscope for use in an analysis package that runs on your PC, such as
Microsoft Excel, National Instruments LabVIEW, Tektronix OpenChoice Desktop
software, or your own custom software. You can use a common communications
connection, such as USB or Ethernet, to connect the computer to the oscilloscope.
To set up VISA communications between your oscilloscope and a computer:
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 1-3

Getting Started
1. Load the VISA drivers on your computer. Also, load your application, such
as OpenChoice Desktop. You will find the drivers and OpenChoice Desktop
software on the appropriate CD that comes with your oscilloscope or at the
Tektronix software finder Web page (www.tektronix.com\downloads).
2. Connect the oscilloscope to your computer with the appropriate USB or
Ethernet cable. Cycle the power on the oscilloscope.
3. Select the Utility drop-down menu
4. Select I/O menu.
5. If you are using USB, the system sets itself up automatically for you, if
USB is enabled. Check USB DEVICE PORT panel to be sure that USB is
enabled. If it is not enabled, toggle the On/Off button to On.
6. To use Ethernet, select the LAN panel. Use the controls to adjust your
network settings, as needed. For more information, see the e*Scope setup
information below.
7. If you want to change socket server parameters, select the Socket Server
panel and enter new values through the resulting panel controls.
8. Run your application software on your computer.
Quick Tips The USB 3.0 super-speed (SS) device port is the correct USB port for
computer connectivity. Use the rear- and front-panel USB 2.0 or 3.0 host
ports to connect your oscilloscope to USB flash drives, hard drives, keyboards
or mice. Use the USB Device port to connect your oscilloscope to a PC.
There are both USB 2.0 and 3.0 host ports on the instrument. The device
port is USB 3.0. Printers are not supported on host ports. PictBridge printers
are not supported on the device port.
Using the LXI Web Page
and e*Scope
With e*Scope, you can access your Internet-connected instrument from a web
browser. To set up e*Scope communications between your oscilloscope and a
webbrowserrunningonaremotecomputer:
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Getting Started
1. Connect the oscilloscope to your computer network with an appropriate
Ethernet cable.
2. Select the Utility drop-down menu.
3. Select the I/O menu.
4. Select the LAN panel.
5. At the top left of the panel, there is an indicator light which turns red if the
device detects a fault.
6. Read the network parameters configured on your oscilloscope.
7. Tap LAN Reset to restore the LAN defaults to your oscilloscope.
8. Tap Test Connection to check if your oscilloscope can find an attached
network.
9. Double tap Host Name,Domain Name,orService Name to change the
name of the oscilloscope, the domain name, or the service name using the
pop-up keyboard.
10. Start your browser on your remote computer. In the browser address line,
enter the host name, a dot, and the domain name together. Alternatively, just
enter the IP address of the instrument. Either way, you should then see the
LXI Welcome page on your Web browser on your computer screen.
11. Click “Network Configuration” to view and edit the network configuration
settings.
12. For e*Scope, click the Instrument Control (e*Scope) link on the left side of
the LXI Welcome page. You should then see a new tab (or window) open in
your browser with e*Scope running.
Using a Socket Server A socket server provides two-way communication over an Internet Protocol-based
computer network. You can use your oscilloscope’s socket server feature to let
your oscilloscope talk to a remote-terminal device or computer.
To set up and use a socket server between your oscilloscope and a remote terminal
or computer:
1. Connect the oscilloscope to your computer network with an appropriate
Ethernet cable.
2. Select the Utility drop-down menu.
3. Select the I/O menu.
4. Tap Socket Server.
5. On the resulting Socket Server panel, tap the top entry to toggle the Socket
Server On..
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 1-5

Getting Started
6. Choose whether the protocol should be None or Term inal. A communication
session run by a human at a keyboard typically uses a terminal protocol.
An automated session might handle its own communications without using
such a protocol.
7. If required, change the port number by rotating multipurpose knob a.
8. If required, press OK to set the new port number.
9. After setting up the socket server parameters, you can now have the computer
“talk” to the oscilloscope. If you are running an MS Windows PC, you could
run its default client with its command-like interface. One way to do this is
by typing “ Telnet ” in the Run window. The Telnet window will open on
the PC.
NOTE. On MS Windows 7, you must first enable Telnet in order for it to work.
10. Start a terminal session between your computer and your oscilloscope by
typing in an open command with the oscilloscope LAN address and port
#. You can obtain the LAN address by pushing the LAN panel to view the
resulting LAN setting panel. You can obtain the port # by tapping the Socket
Server panel and viewing the Port item.
For example, if the oscilloscope IP address was 123.45.67.89 and the port
# was the default of 4000, you could open a session by writing into the MS
Windows Telnet screen:
open 123.45.67.89 4000
The oscilloscope will send a help screen to the computer when it is done
connecting.
11. You can now type in a standard query, as found in the programmer manual,
such as *idn?
The Telnet session window will respond by displaying a character string
describing your instrument. You can type in more queries and view more
results on this Telnet session window. You can find the syntax for relevant
queries and related status codes in other sections of this manual.
NOTE. Do not use the computer’s backspace key during an MS Windows' Telnet
session with the oscilloscope.
Socket Server Terminal Protocol Mode Commands. Following are Tektronix
Instrument Control Terminal Session Control commands:
!t <timeout> : set the response timeout in milliseconds.
!d : send device clear to the instrument.
1-6 MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer

Getting Started
!r : read response from instrument.
!h : print this usage info.
NOTE. Commands containing a ? are treated as queries, and the responses are
read automatically.
Documentation Documentation for your instrument is available for download at www.tek.com.
Dynamic programmatic interface
This programmatic interface is dynamic. This means the instrument will not
recognize certain commands until the objects referenced by those commands
actually exist. For example, commands related to measurements are not
recognized until measurements are added. Therefore, the response to a *LRN?
query will not normally include the instrument's complete command set.
The following command groups are not available when the instrument is in its
default state:
Measurement
Math
Bus
Search and Mark
Plot
Adding an instance of one of those components will cause all commands
related to that component to be recognized. For example, sending the
MEASUrement:ADDNew command adds a measurement at which point the
measurement commands will be recognized. Conversely, once all instances of a
component have been deleted, the commands related to that component will no
longer be recognized.
Implicit activation
When you send a command or query related to a dynamic object (such as
Math1, Bus3, or Meas2) to the instrument and that instance does not yet exist,
the instrument:
creates a default instance with the name you specified
adds all relevant commands and queries to the set of recognized commands
responds to the command or query
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 1-7

Getting Started
Example 1 *RST followed by a *LRN? will not return any MATH<x> commands because in
the default state, the instrument does not have any math waveforms. However
querying :MATH:MATH1:DEFinition? will add MATH1 with the default math
expression Ch1 - Ch2. Then the query will return the expected result. Note that if
Ch1 or Ch2 is not active, they will be activated as part of this action. A *LRN
issued after this will return MATH commands in addition to other available
commands.
Example 2 *RST followed by :MEASUrement:MEAS3:TYPE? createsameasurement
named MEAS3 and return it's type. Since the default type is Period, you
will get Period as the response. A *LRN issued after this will return all
MEASUrement:MEAS3 commands in addition to other available commands.
Not all commands in these groups start implicit activation. ADDNew, DELete,
and LIST commands do not result in implicit activation.
Creating, deleting, and listing dynamic instances
You can create a new default instance of a dynamic feature by using the ADDNew
command. For example, :MEASUrement:ADDNew "Meas1" will create a new
measurement named Meas1. Meas1 will be a Period measurement since the
default type for measurements is Period. Note that you can change Meas1 type
to any other supported type using :MEASUrement:MEAS1:TYPE command.
The DELete command deletes the named dynamic instance. For example
:BUS:DELete “B2” will delete a bus named B2 if it exists. You can delete only
one instance at a time. The LIST command returns a list of all dynamic instances
currently in existence. For example, if you have added three measurements named
Meas1, Meas2 and Meas3, :MEASUrement:LIST? returns MEAS1, MEAS2,
MEAS3.
1-8 MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer

Command Syntax
You can control the operations and functions of the oscilloscope through the
Ethernet port or the USB 3.0 super speed (SS) device port using commands and
queries. The related topics listed below describe the syntax of these commands
and queries. The topics also describe the conventions that the oscilloscope uses
to process them. See the Command Groups topic in the table of contents for a
listing of the commands by command group, or use the index to locate a specific
command.
Backus-Naur Form
Notation
This documentation describes the commands and queries using Backus-Naur
Form (BNF) notation. Refer to the following table for the symbols that are used.
Table 2-1: Symbols for Backus-Naur Form
Symbol Meaning
<> Defined element
=Is defined as
| Exclusive OR
{ } Group; one element is required
[] Optional; can be omitted
.. . Previous element(s) may be repeated
Command and Query Structure
Commands consist of set commands and query commands (usually called
commands and queries). Commands modify oscilloscope settings or tell the
oscilloscope to perform a specific action. Queries cause the oscilloscope to return
data and status information.
Most commands have both a set form and a query form. The query form of the
command differs from the set form by its question mark at the end. For example,
the set command ACQuire:MODe has a query form ACQuire:MODe?.Notall
commands have both a set and a query form. Some commands have set only and
some have query only.
Messages A command message is a command or query name followed by any information
the oscilloscope needs to execute the command or query. Command messages
may contain five element types, defined in the following table.
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 2-1

Command Syntax
Table 2-2: Command Message Elements
Symbol Meaning
<Header> This is the basic command name. If the header ends with a question
mark, the command is a query. The header may begin with a colon
(:) character. If the command is concatenated with other commands,
the beginning colon is required. Never use the beginning colon with
command headers beginning with a star (*).
<Mnemonic> This is a header subfunction. Some command headers have only one
mnemonic. If a command header has multiple mnemonics, a colon (:)
character always separates them from each other.
<Argument>This is a quantity, quality, restriction, or limit associated with the header.
Some commands have no arguments while others have multiple
arguments. A <space> separates arguments from the header. A
<comma> separates arguments from each other.
<Comma> A single comma is used between arguments of multiple-argument
commands. Optionally, there may be white space characters before
and after the comma.
<Space> A white space character is used between a command header and the
related argument. Optionally, a white space may consist of multiple
white space characters.
Commands Commands cause the oscilloscope to perform a specific function or change one of
the settings. Commands have the structure:
[:]<Header>[<Space><Argument>[<Comma> <Argument>]...]
A command header consists of one or more mnemonics arranged in a hierarchical
or tree structure. The first mnemonic is the base or root of the tree and each
subsequent mnemonic is a level or branch off the previous one. Commands at a
higher level in the tree may affect those at a lower level. The leading colon (:)
always returns you to the base of the command tree.
2-2 MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer

Command Syntax
Queries Queries cause the oscilloscope to return status or setting information. Queries
have the structure:
[:]<Header>
[:]<Header>[<Space><Argument> [<Comma><Argument>]...]
You can specify a query command at any level within the command tree unless
otherwise noted. These branch queries return information about all the mnemonics
below the specified branch or level.
Headers Use the HEADer command to control whether the oscilloscope returns headers as
part of the query response. If header is on, the query response returns command
headers, then formats itself as a valid set command. When header is off, the
response includes only the values. This may make it easier to parse and extract the
information from the response. The table below shows the difference in responses.
Table 2-3: Comparison of Header Off and Header On Responses
Query Header Off Header On
TIME? "14:30:00" :TIME “14:30:00”
ACQuire:NUMAVg? 100 :ACQUIRE:NUMAVG 100
Clearing the oscilloscope
You can clear the Output Queue and reset the oscilloscope to accept a new
command or query by using the selected Device Clear (DCL) function.
Command Entry
The following rules apply when entering commands:
You can enter commands in upper or lower case.
You can precede any command with white space characters. White space
characters include any combination of the ASCII control characters 00 through
09 and 0B through 20 hexadecimal (0 through 9 and 11 through 32 decimal).
The oscilloscope ignores commands consisting of any combination of white
space characters and line feeds.
MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer 2-3

Command Syntax
Abbreviating You can abbreviate many oscilloscope commands. Each command in this
documentation shows the minimum acceptable abbreviations in capitals. For
example, you can enter the command ACQuire:NUMAvg simply as ACQ:NUMA
or acq:numa.
Abbreviation rules may change over time as new oscilloscope models are
introduced. Thus, for the most robust code, use the full spelling.
If you use the HEADer command to have command headers included as part
of query responses, you can further control whether the returned headers are
abbreviated or are full-length with the VERBose command.
Concatenating You can concatenate any combination of set commands and queries using a
semicolon (;). The oscilloscope executes concatenated commands in the order
received.
When concatenating commands and queries, you must follow these rules:
1. Separate completely different headers by a semicolon and by the beginning
colon on all commands except the first one. For example, the commands
TRIGger:MODe NORMal and ACQuire:NUMAVg 8, can be concatenated
into the following single command:
TRIGger:MODe NORMal;:ACQuire:NUMAVg 8
2. If concatenated commands have headers that differ by only the last mnemonic,
you can abbreviate the second command and eliminate the beginning colon.
For example, you can concatenate the commands ACQuire:MODe ENVelope
and ACQuire:NUMAVg 8 into a single command:
ACQuire:MODe ENVelope; NUMAVg 8
The longer version works equally well:
ACQuire:MODe ENVelope;:ACQuire:NUMAVg 8
3. Never precede a star (*) command with a colon:
ACQuire:STATE 1;*OPC
Any commands that follow will be processed as if the star command was
not there so the commands, ACQuire:MODe ENVelope;*OPC;NUMAVg 8
will set the acquisition mode to envelope and set the number of acquisitions
for averaging to 8.
4. When you concatenate queries, the responses to all the queries are
concatenated into a single response message. For example, if the display
graticule is set to Full and the display style is set to dotsonly, the concatenated
query DISplay:GRAticule?;STYle? will return the following.
If the header is on:
DISPLAY:GRATICULE FULL;:DISPLAY:STYLE DOTSONLY
2-4 MSO54, MSO56, MSO58, MSO58LP Programmer