Chapter 1 1-91
Alphabetical Command Reference
FORM
FORM
Syntax
FORM<1|2|3|4|5>;
Description
These 5 commands set the data format for array transfers in and out of the instrument:
Front Panel Equivalents
GPIB only: no front panel equivalent.
Command Description Range Query
Response
FORM1 The analyzer's internal binary format, 6 bytes-per-data
point. The array is preceded by a four-byte header. The first
two bytes represent the string “#A”, the standard block
header. The second two bytes are an integer representing
the number of bytes in the block to follow. FORM1 is best
applied when rapid data transfers, not to be modified by the
computer nor interpreted by the user, are required.
N/A N/A
FORM2 IEEE 32-bit floating-point format, 4 bytes-per-number,
8 bytes-per-data point. The data is preceded by the same
header as in FORM1. Each number consists of a 1-bit sign,
an 8-bit biased exponent, and a 23-bit mantissa. FORM2 is
the format of choice if your computer is not a PC, but
supports single-precision floating-point numbers.
N/A N/A
FORM3 IEEE 64-bit floating-point format, 8 bytes-per-number,
16 bytes-per-data point. The data is preceded by the same
header as in FORM1. Each number consists of a 1-bit sign,
an 11-bit biased exponent, and a 52-bit mantissa. This
format may be used with double-precision floating-point
numbers. No additional precision is available in the
analyzer data, but FORM3 may be a convenient form for
transferring data to your computer.
N/A N/A
FORM4 ASCII floating-point format. The data is transmitted as
ASCII numbers, as described in “Output Syntax” on
page 4-3. There is no header. The analyzer always uses
FORM4 to transfer data that is not related to array
transfers (i.e. marker responses and instrument settings).
Data is comma delimited.
N/A N/A
FORM5 PC-DOS 32-bit floating-point format with 4
bytes-per-number, 8 bytes-per-data point. The data is
preceded by the same header as in FORM1. The byte order
is reversed with respect to FORM2 to comply with PC-DOS
formats. If you are using a PC-based controller, FORM5 is
the most effective format to use.
N/A
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