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Operating Instructions
49
Plus and minus signs are considered numeric characters. All numeric data fields may contain an optional plus or minus sign
on both the number itself and the scale factor, such as +1.23E-2.
All numeric data fields may contain leading spaces, and embedded spaces will be accepted between optional signs and
digits, digits and E, decimal point and E, and E and optional sign. The following two examples contain one embedded space
in each position in which they are allowed:
+ 1.23 E + 4 + 123. E + 4
Embedded spaces will not be accepted between digits or between digits and decimal point.
At least one digit must precede E. For example, 1E 4 is correct, E + 4 is incorrect. Lower case e is treated the same as upper
case E.
Numbers Returned To Controller. The format of numbers returned to the controller depends upon the type of data
requested, and is given in Table 3-8.
Leading zeroes are sent as spaces, except that the first digit to the left of a decimal point is never sent as a space.
All numeric data sent to the controller are preceded by a header consisting of alpha characters that identify the type of data,
such as VOUT or ISET. The header consists of upper case characters only, with no embedded spaces. No suffixes are
attached to numeric data.
Separators For Data Sent To Power Supply. Separators are used by the power supply to break up commands into
pieces, called tokens, which it can interpret. Separation of commands into tokens is accomplished either explicitly by the
insertion of separator characters or implicitly by noting a change from one class of input to another.
The explicit separators are commas and spaces. An explicit separator is required between tokens consisting of alpha
characters. For example, SRQ ON is correct, SRQON is not correct. Commas are used only to separate parameters in the
UNMASK command. Only one comma is allowed, and it may be preceded or followed by any number of spaces. For
example, both these commands are correct.
UNMASK CC,OR,FOLD
UNMASK CC, OR, FOLD
but this command is incorrect
UNMASK CC OR FOLD
Spaces are used in all other cases requiring explicit separators. Any number of consecutive spaces is treated as one space.
Implicit separation occurs when the received characters change from upper or low case alpha (A...Z, a...z) to numeric ( +, -
,0...9). Spaces may also be used where implicit separation takes places. For example, both the following commands are
correct:
VSET 5 V VSET5V
The question mark is implicitly separated from alpha characters, for example:
VMAX? VMAX ?
are both correct.