Remote Control
R&S
®
CMW500
119User Manual 1173.9463.02 ─ 06
LAN connection
Remote control via LAN requires a VISA installation but no additional hardware at the
controller. VISA provides the TCPIP interface type and several protocol types to com-
municate with LAN-connected devices.
USB connection
A USB connection requires the VISA library to be installed. VISA will detect and configure
the R&S CMW500 automatically when it is plugged to the computer. No separate driver
installation is necessary.
SCPI compatibility
SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) instrument-control com-
mands are used for remote control.
The SCPI standard is based on standard IEEE 488.2 and aims at the standardization of
device-specific commands, error handling and the status registers. The R&S CMW500
is compatible with the final SCPI version 1999.0.
SCPI-confirmed commands are explicitly marked in the command reference chapters.
Commands without SCPI label are device-specific, however, their syntax follows SCPI
rules. The tutorial "Automatic Measurement Control - A tutorial on SCPI and IEEE 488.2"
from John M. Pieper (R&S order number 0002.3536.00) offers detailed information on
concepts and definitions of SCPI.
Reset states for manual and remote control
The R&S CMW500 provides different reset states for manual control (Preset) and remote
control (Reset).
Remote control programs should always start from a well-defined initial state (e.g. with
the command *RST) and then implement the required settings in order to keep full control
over the instrument.
5.1.1 Drivers for Graphical Programming Interfaces
Many Rohde & Schwarz customers prefer graphical programming interfaces when writing
applications for the R&S CMW500. Examples for such interfaces are LabVIEW and Lab-
Windows/CVI from National Instruments or VEE from Agilent.
As a service, Rohde & Schwarz provides software device drivers free of charge for this
purpose. The drivers are available for download from http://www.rohde-schwarz.com.
5.1.2 Establishing and Testing a LAN Connection
In the following example, a direct LAN connection is set up to the R&S CMW500. The
connection is tested using a simple test script.
The steps in detail depend on the test environment in use. The present example is based
on a test tool which requires an additional VISA installation.
Remote Control Operation
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