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How do I transfer the time capture buffer data from my 89441A or 89410A VSA to a PC?

Operational "How to" Guides

Summary

How do I transfer the time capture buffer data from my 89441A or 89410A VSA to a PC?

Description

1) Use FTP Protocol

In this case, the VSA must have option UG7 Advanced LAN support as well as UFG or UTH Extended RAM. To determine if the options are present, press System Utility > Options Setup, and then scroll up and down the list of options. Look for "Yes" in the "Installed" column next to the option. The Operator’s Guide describes the use of FTP in the VSA, which must be connected to the LAN with a valid ip address.

From the DOS prompt, type:
ftp (IP address of VSA)
When prompted for a username and password, press (Enter).

 

Once logged in, you can list the contents of the root directory like this:
ftp> ls
There are 4 directories in root, and they are int (floppy disk), nvram, ram and data. You may not create additional directories in the root or data directories. The time capture data is in the data directory, so type:
ftp> cd data
ftp> get tcap.dat
Here is an example of how this looks in the DOS window:

89441A_time_capture_3.gif

This file is in SDF format so to convert to ASCII, use the SDF Utilities and manual that ship with the VSA, and refer to the FAQ link at the end of this document.
The file includes header information.

Use the "put" command to push a capture file back into the VSA. (Be sure that you ftp from the directory where the capture file resides.)

2) Use the MMEM:DATA? Query

In this case, transfer the time capture buffer to another memory, for example the RAM, first. Here is an example line of code to do that:
MMEM:STOR:TCAP 'RAM:tcap.dat'

Then read it back with this line:
MMEM:DATA? 'RAM:tcap.dat'

Again, the resulting file is in SDF format, so the SDF Utilities must be used to convert it to ASCII. It is raw data and includes header information. Refer to the 89400 Series GPIB Command Reference on our website (link at the end of this document) for details on these commands. A screen shot of a VEE program using these commands is shown below and there is a link to the program at the end of this document too.

89441A_time_capture_1.gif

3) Use the SENSE:DATA? Query

This method returns the real and imaginary voltage pairs in ASCII format so the conversion step with the SDF Utilities is eliminated.   (The data may also be returned as Real, which is faster since it’s binary.  It may then be converted to ASCII in your program.)  It is formatted data with no header information.  Refer to the screen shot here of the program commands and the link at the end of this document to two VEE programs, one returning ASCII data and the other Real data.  The commands are:
SENSe:DATA? TCAP1
to return the data and
SENSe:DATA:HEAD:POINts?
to return the number of measurement points in the buffer.

89441A_time_capture_2.gif

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