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Agilent N518xA, E8663B, E44x8C, and E82x7D Signal Generators Programming Guide 45
Using IO Interfaces
Using RS-232 (ESG, PSG, and E8663B Only)
Using RS-232 (ESG, PSG, and E8663B Only)
NOTE The RS-232 serial interface is available on the ESG signal generators.
The PSG and E8663B’s AUXILIARY INTERFACE connector is compatible with ANSI/EIA232
(RS-232) serial connection but GPIB and LAN are recommended for making faster
measurements and when downloading files. Refer to the User’s Guide.
The RS-232 serial interface can be used to communicate with the signal generator. The RS-232
connection was once standard on most PCs but has now been replaced by USB. RS-232 can be
connected to the signal generator’s rear-panel connector using the cable described in Table 2-2 on
page 47. Many functions provided by GPIB, with the exception of indefinite blocks, parallel polling,
serial polling, GET, non-SCPI remote languages, SRQ, and remote mode are available using the
RS-232 interface.
The serial port sends and receives data one bit at a time, therefore RS-232 communication is slow.
The data transmitted and received is usually in ASCII format with SCPI commands being sent to the
signal generator and ASCII data returned.
The following sections contain information on selecting and connecting IO libraries and RS-232
interface hardware on the signal generator to a computer’s RS-232 connector.
• “Selecting IO Libraries for RS-232” on page 45
• “Setting Up the RS-232 Interface” on page 46
• “Verifying RS-232 Functionality” on page 48
Selecting IO Libraries for RS-232
The IO libraries can be downloaded from the National Instrument website, http://www.ni.com, or
Agilent’s website, http://www.agilent.com. The following is a discussion on these libraries.
CAUTION Because of the potential for portability problems, running Agilent SICL without the
VISA overlay is not recommended by Agilent Technologies.
HP Basic The HP Basic language has an extensive IO library that can be used to control the
signal generator over the RS-232 interface. This library has many low level
functions that can be used in BASIC applications to control the signal generator
over the RS-232 interface.
VISA VISA is an IO library used to develop IO applications and instrument drivers that
comply with industry standards. It is recommended that the VISA library be used
for programming the signal generator. The NI-VISA and Agilent VISA libraries are
similar implementations of VISA and have the same commands, syntax, and
functions. The differences are in the lower level IO libraries used to communicate
over the RS-232; NI-488.2 and SICL respectively.
NI-488.2 NI-488.2 IO libraries can be used to develop applications for the RS-232 interface.
See National Instrument’s website for information on NI-488.2.