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User Interface
The 34980A offers the most
modern instrument I/O options for
interfacing a controller PC with the
switch system: GPIB, USB and
LAN. All three Input/Output
interface connections come
standard with the 34980A
mainframe. If you choose to modify
or upgrade your test system I/O,
the 34980A is system ready.
You can also easily control the
34980A without connecting to a PC
by pressing the front-panel buttons,
an advantage when first setting up
or troubleshooting a system.
Upgrading your test system from
using the 3499A/B/C GPIB to the
34980A GPIB, or newer USB or
LAN is quick and easy. If you have
used I/O Config from the Agilent
I/O Libraries to set your GPIB
instrument connection, you would
use the same I/O Config to set up
your LAN or “TCPIP” instrument
connection. Retrieve the LAN,
TCPIP address from your
instrument and enter it into I/O
Config. When you address your
instrument in a program, it will
look similar to; TCPIP0::9::INSTR.
For more information on
connecting to Agilent instruments
you can access the Agilent
Technologies USB/LAN/GPIB
Interfaces Connectivity Guide at
www.agilent.com/find/connectivity
With LAN, the instrument can be
located closer to the device under
test without worrying about the
distance to the PC. A USB to
instrument connection is even
easier. The computer
automatically detects instruments
that are USB ready. If you are
currently using the 3499A/B/C
RS232 interface, it is recommended
to upgrade to the 34980A GPIB,
USB or LAN interface to achieve
optimal data transfer rates.
Instrument Control
(Programming)
The 34980A and 3499A/B/C can
both be controlled locally from the
front panel, or by sending either
instrument or driver commands
from a PC for remote control. The
34980A’s instrument commands
and drivers are based on modern
standards such as SCPI (standard
commands for programmable
instruments) and IVI-C and IVI
COM drivers. The SCPI instrument
commands of the 34980A are
similar to the 3499A/B/C’s but
they are not interchangeable. A
comparison of the commands is
provided in appendix A. The
34980A's IVI-C and IVI-COM
drivers are similar to Plug & Play
drivers, the 3499A/B/C's Plug &
Play driver for example, but
include improvements. The IVI
(Interchangeable Virtual
Instruments) driver specification
was built upon the Plug&Play
driver specification but adds the
capabilities provided by the
Microsoft ActiveX technologies
which simplify instrument
interchangeability, and product
performance. The 34980A also
includes many new commands for
the operation of the embedded
DMM. A 34980A Web interface
provides a new easy way to
communicate via LAN with the
instrument.
Table 3 shows a summary of the
programming control options
available for the 3499A/B/C and the
34980A. There is similarity between
the instrument commands, however,
the 34980A has evolved to use the
most modern and widely accepted
instrument command standards.
Table 3. Control Options for 3499A/B/C and 34980A
3499A/B/C 34980A
Front Panel Buttons ●●
3488 Legacy Commands ●
SCPI Commands ●●
Plug & Play driver ●
IVI COM driver ●●
IVI-C driver ●
LabVIEW driver ●
Web Interface ●