7. Trigger

The image below shows a composite set of the Dual ARB Trigger parameters when connected to an M9383B/M9384B/M9484C.

Trigger Type

Choice: Continuous | Single | Gated | Segment Advance

Choice (M9410A/M9411A/M9415A VXT): Continuous | Single | Segment Advance

Choice (M9381A): Continuous | Single

Default: Continuous

Default (M9410A/M9411A/M9415A VXT): Segment Advance

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the triggering mode.

Continuous – selects the continuous triggering mode, which enables the signal generator to repeat the modulating signal indefinitely until you turn off the modulation format, change triggers, or select another waveform.

Single – sets up a waveform to play once after receiving a trigger.
By Default, click Trigger button will play a waveform once. If you want to repeat the waveform, set Waveform Repeat in Single Trigger which defines how many time the waveform repeats upon you click the Trigger button.

Gated – sets the signal generator to the gated trigger mode, which causes the waveform (modulating signal) to repeatedly start and stop in response to an externally applied trigger signal. To use the gated trigger mode, you must select External as the Trigger Source.

Segment Advance – controls the way the signal generator plays segments within a sequence. This includes determining whether a segment plays once or continuously, and when the sequence advances to the next segment.

Trigger Type

(M9383B/M9384B/M9484C only)

Choice: Continuous | Single

Default: Continuous

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the triggering mode.

Single – sets up a waveform to play once after receiving a trigger.

Trigger Source

Choice: Trigger Key | External | Bus

Choice (M9381A): External | Bus

Default: External

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the triggering method.

Trigger Key – selects the front panel hardkey as the trigger source. After making this selection, press the Trigger hardkey to trigger a waveform.

External – causes a waveform to trigger from an externally supplied trigger signal.

Bus – enables a command sent through the GPIB, LAN, or AUXILIARY IO (RS-232) input connector to trigger a waveform.

Trigger Source

(M9383B/M9384B/M9484C only)

Choice: Trigger Key | External | Bus | Immediate

Default: External

Adjusts the trigger source applied to the PATT TRIG IN or AUX I/O connectors.

Trigger Key − selects the front panel hardkey as the trigger source. After making this selection, press the Trigger hardkey to trigger a waveform.

External − enables you to trigger a waveform with an externally supplied trigger signal.

Immediate − enables immediate triggering of the waveform playing.

Bus − enables you to trigger a waveform by sending a command through the GPIB, LAN, or AUXILIARY IO (RS-232) input connector.

External Termination

(M9383B/M9384B/M9484C only)

Choice: 50 Ohm | High Impedance

Default: High Impedance

Select the way the trigger line is terminated in the hardware.

External Level

(M9383B/M9384B/M9484C only)

Range: -3.5 to 3.5

Default: 0.5

Specifies the threshold level in volts at which the trigger transitions states.

External Source

Choice: Pattern Trigger In 1 | Pattern Trigger In 2

Choice (M9381A): TRIG1 | PXI0 | PXI1 | PXI2 | PXI3 | PXI4 | PXI5 | PXI6 | PXI7

Default: Pattern Trigger In 1

Default (M9381A): PXI0

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the rear-panel input for the external trigger signal. External must be selected as the trigger source.

Pattern Trigger In 1 – selects the PATTERN TRIG IN rear-panel BNC connector

Pattern Trigger In 2 – selects the PATTERN TRIG IN 2 (AUXILIARY I/O) rear panel connector

For the M9381A PXIe VSG, double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the front-panel input for the external trigger signal. External must be selected as the trigger source.

TRIG1 – selects the Trig 1 front-panel SMA connector as the external trigger input for the M9381A PXIe VSG.

PXI0-PXI7 – selects the backplane bus signal for the M9381A PXIe VSG.

External Polarity

Choice: Positive | Negative

Default: Negative

Sets the polarity of the external trigger. This parameter is active only if you select External as the trigger source.

Negative – the signal generator triggers an event when it receives a rising edge in the signal at the PAT TRIG IN rear panel connector.

Positive – the signal generator triggers an event when it receives a falling edge in the signal at the PAT TRIG IN rear panel connector.

External Delay

Choice: On | Off

Default: Off

Turns the external trigger delay off or on. This parameter is active only after selecting External as the trigger source.

External Delay Time

Range: 5 ns to 41 s

Default: 1 ms

Sets the amount of time to delay the signal generator's response to an external trigger. The delay is a path (time) delay between the time the signal generator receives the trigger and when it is applied to the waveform.

Continuous

Choice: Free Run | Trigger & Run | Reset & Run

Default: Free Run

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the continuous mode and one of the following trigger responses.

Free Run – immediately triggers when you turn the format on.

Trigger & Run – waits for and starts on the first trigger; ignores subsequent triggers.

Reset & Run – waits for and starts on the first trigger; resets and plays on a subsequent trigger.

Single

Choice: Buffered Trigger | No Retrigger | Restart on Trigger

Default: Buffered Trigger

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the single mode and one of the following trigger responses.

No Retrigger – the waveform segment ignores triggers during playback

Buffered Trigger – causes a waveform to accept a trigger during playback and to restart after the current play finishes.

Restart on Trigger – causes a waveform to accept a trigger during playback and to restart immediately after receiving a trigger.

This parameter is not available for all instrument models and may be greyed out or not shown in GUI.

Segment Advance

Choice: Single | Continuous

Default: Continuous

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the segment advance mode and one of the following trigger responses.

Single – causes a segment to play once and to wait for a trigger before the sequence advances to the next segment.

Continuous – causes a segment to play continuously until receiving another trigger. Upon receiving the trigger, the sequence advances to the next segment, which then plays continuously.

This parameter is not available for all instrument models and may be greyed out or not shown in GUI.

Gated

Choice: Active High | Active Low

Default: Active High

Double-click or use the drop-down menu to select the gated mode and one of the following trigger responses. To use the gated trigger mode, you must also select External.

Active Low – causes waveform playback to start when the trigger signal goes low and to stop when the trigger signal goes high.

Active High – causes waveform playback to start when the trigger signal goes high and to stop when the trigger signal goes low.

This parameter is not available for all instrument models and may be greyed out or not shown in GUI.

Waveform Repeat in Single Trigger

Range: 1 to 65535

Default: 1

Enter the waveform repeat number in a single trigger operation. Please refer to "Use Trigger Button to Repeat Playing Waveforms" for more details.

This parameter is only supported in Single trigger mode by N5172B/N5182B signal generators with firmware version B.01.30 or later. If not supported by the connected instrument, this parameter will not be displayed.

In order to display the parameter Waveform Repeat in Single Trigger, you can select Simulated hardware to use this feature.

External Hold Off Time

(M9383B/M9384B/M9484C only)

Range: 4 ns to 10 s

Default: 1 ms

Sets the amount of time in seconds to hold off until the next trigger.