Agilent Technologies N8700 User Manual

4 Operating the Power Supply Remotely
62 Series N8700 User’s Guide
SCPI Commands – an Introduction
SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) is an
ASCII-based instrument command language designed for test and
measurement instruments. SCPI commands are based on a
hierarchical structure, also known as a tree system. In this system,
associated commands are grouped together under a common node or
root, thus forming subsystems. Subsystem commands perform
specific power supply functions. A portion of the SOURce subsystem
is shown below to illustrate the tree system.
[SOURce:]
CURRent
[:LEVel]
[:IMMediate] <NRf+>
:TRIGgered <NRf+>
:PROTection
:STATe <Bool>
SOURce is the root keyword of the command, CURRent is a second-
level keyword, LEVel and PROTection are third-level keywords, and
IMMediate, TRIGgered and STATe are fourth-level keywords. Colons
(:) separate higher-level from lower-level keywords.
Syntax
The following command syntax is used in this manual:
Square Brackets [ ]
Items within square brackets are optional. The representation [SOURce:]VOLTage
means that SOURce: may be omitted.
Angle brackets < > Items within angle brackets are parameter descriptions. For example, <NR1>
indicates a specific form of numerical data.
Vertical bar |
Vertical bars separate alternative parameters. For example, VOLT | CURR indicates
that either "VOLT" or "CURR" can be used as a parameter.
The syntax characters cannot be included in the command string.
Multiple Commands in a Message
Multiple SCPI commands can be combined and sent as a single
message with one message terminator. There are two important
considerations when sending several commands within a single
message:
 Use a semicolon (;) to separate commands within a message.
 There is an implied path that affects how commands are
interpreted by the power supply.
The command path can be thought of as a string that gets inserted
before each keyword within a message. For the first command in a
message, the path is a null string. For each subsequent command the
path is defined as the characters that make up the keywords of the

Agilent Technologies N8700 Specifications

General

Brand	Agilent Technologies
Model	N8700
Category	Power Supply
Language	English