A new open-source Python instrument driver package from Tektronix provides a native Python user experience for instrument automation. With integration into daily workflows and utilizing it with a preferred integrated development environment, engineers can now experience the power of auto-complete, precise type hinting, comprehensive built-in help, real-time syntax checking and enhanced debugging capabilities, resulting in unparalleled capabilities for seamless instrument automation. The open-source Python driver package is designed to work across a wide range of Tektronix and Keithley devices to facilitate ongoing development and updates, ensuring users in the test and measurement space have access to the latest features and improvements.
Instrument drivers provide an abstraction layer between test application software and the instrument itself. Drivers hide the lower-level syntax commands needed to control an instrument. Making a simple measurement can take several commands to set up equipment, capture the measurement data and store it. A driver combines those commands, simplifying test automation.
The free and open-source driver package includes PyVISA, a software layer that interfaces the driver to the instrument. The package is now available globally via the Python Package Index.