5-2 Automating Measurements
Automated Measurement Setup and Control
The production of RF components often involves several steps, with each
step requiring a unique set of instrument settings. Likewise, the
different test configurations at each step may require associated
calibrations. Requiring the operator to manually enter these sets of
parameters (or “states”) or to calibrate at each step in the manufacturing
process is slow, prone to operator error, and costly.
An automated measurement system can be used to achieve fast and
consistent transitions between measurement setups. In an automated
system, the instrument parameters are set under program control. The
control program can be an IBASIC program running inside the analyzer,
or a program in another language running on an external computer. The
control program sends SCPI and IEEE-488 commands to the analyzer's
HP-IB or LAN interface. The HP-IB commands rapidly change the
instrument settings or calibration.
Figure 5-1 Measurement Control
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