Oxford Instruments Mercury iTC User Manual

Handbook
November 2011 / 59-UMC0071 / Issue 01
Mercury iTC
Page 95
REMOTE OPERATION
Original Instructions
7 REMOTE OPERATION
The iTC can be remotely operated via any of the following interfaces:
 RS232 or ISOBUS
 GPIB (IEEE-488)
 Ethernet
 USB
This allows a computer to interrogate the instrument and, if required, to take control of it.
7.1 Notes on instrument addresses
A iTC can have a GPIB address and an ISOBUS address. These addresses are distinct
and can be different.
The ISOBUS address can be changed via ISOBUS (see Section 7.3).
The GPIB address is set from the GPIB Settings page on the unit (see Section 3.2.12.6).
The USB interface is a one-to-one connection, and no addresses are required.
7.2 Communication protocols for RS232 and GPIB
The same command protocols are used for the RS232 and the GPIB interfaces.
All commands consists of a string of printing ASCII characters, terminated by a
Carriage Return character. A Line Feed may optionally be sent after the Carriage
Return, but the iTC ignores it.
Unless a command starts with a $ (dollar) character, all commands evoke a response
from the iTC. The response consists of a string of one or more printing ASCII
characters, terminated by a Carriage Return character. This may optionally be followed
by a Line Feed character.
If the first character of the command is $, the command is obeyed but no response is
sent.
Any response is normally sent immediately after the command is received. The
following scenarios may delay the response:
 If a GUI button is tapped when the command is received, the response may be
delayed until the button is released.
 If the RS232 interface is in use, the response is automatically sent as soon as the
interface is available.
 If the GPIB is used, the response is sent when the instrument is next addressed to
talk.

Oxford Instruments Mercury iTC Specifications

General

Brand	Oxford Instruments
Model	Mercury iTC
Category	Controller
Language	English