pylabinstruments 0.1.0

A Python library for interfacing with various laboratory instruments through GPIB/VISA connections

Lab Instrument Library

A Python library for interfacing with laboratory instruments through GPIB/VISA connections. Control multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, SMUs, and more with a unified, Pythonic API.

Born from real-world lab experience - this library supports the common instruments you'll find in professional electronics and research labs, curated from years of hands-on testing and characterization work.

Quick Start

from pylabinstruments import Multimeter

# Auto-detect and connect to any supported multimeter
dmm = Multimeter("GPIB0::15::INSTR")
voltage = dmm.measure_voltage()
print(f"Measured: {voltage} V")
dmm.close()

Supported Instruments

Multimeters (4 models)

• HP 34401A
• Keithley 2000
• Keithley 2110
• Tektronix DMM4050

Source Measure Units (SMUs) (3 models)

• Keysight B2902A (2-channel, advanced features)
• Keithley 228
• Keithley 238

Power Supplies (5 models)

• Agilent E3631A (Triple output)
• Agilent E3632A (Single output)
• Keysight E3649A (Dual output)
• Keysight E36313A (Triple output)
• Keysight E36234A (Quad output)

Oscilloscopes (4 series)

• Tektronix TDS1000/2000 Series
• Tektronix DPO/MSO2000 Series
• Tektronix MDO3000 Series
• Tektronix TBS1000 Series

Other Instruments

• Function Generators: Tektronix AFG3000 series
• Network Analyzers: Agilent/Keysight E5061B
• Temperature Controllers: Thermonics T-2500SE, T-2420, X-Stream 4300
• Temperature Sensors: Thermocouples, Thermometers

Installation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/rothenbergt/pylabinstruments.git
cd pylabinstruments

# Install in development mode
pip install -e .

# Optional: Install with GUI utilities
pip install -e ".[gui]"

# Optional: Install with development tools
pip install -e ".[dev]"

Requirements:

• Python 3.10+
• PyVISA and a VISA backend (NI-VISA or Keysight IO Libraries)
• NumPy, Pandas, Matplotlib, Pillow (installed automatically)

Usage Examples

Multimeter - Quick Measurements

from pylabinstruments import Multimeter

# Auto-detect instrument model
dmm = Multimeter("GPIB0::15::INSTR")

# Quick measurements
voltage = dmm.measure_voltage()
current = dmm.measure_current()
resistance = dmm.measure_resistance()

# Statistics from multiple readings
stats = dmm.measure_statistics("VOLT", samples=10)
print(f"Mean: {stats['mean']:.6f} V, StdDev: {stats['std_dev']:.6f} V")

dmm.close()

Power Supply - Set and Measure

from pylabinstruments import Supply

ps = Supply("GPIB0::26::INSTR", selected_instrument="E36313A")

# Set 3.3V with 500mA current limit on channel 1
ps.set_voltage(3.3, 0.5, channel=1)
ps.enable_output(channel=1)

# Measure actual output
v = ps.measure_voltage(channel=1)
i = ps.measure_current(channel=1)
print(f"Output: {v:.3f}V @ {i*1000:.1f}mA")

ps.disable_output(channel=1)
ps.close()

SMU - IV Characterization

from pylabinstruments.smu import KeysightB2902A

smu = KeysightB2902A("USB0::0x0957::0xCE18::MY51141974::INSTR")

# Perform voltage sweep and measure current
voltages, currents = smu.measure_iv_curve(
    channel=1,
    start_v=0,
    stop_v=5,
    points=50,
    current_limit=0.1
)

smu.close()

Oscilloscope - Capture Waveform

from pylabinstruments.oscilloscope import TektronixTDS2000

scope = TektronixTDS2000("GPIB0::7::INSTR")

# Configure and capture
scope.auto_set()
scope.set_vertical_scale(1, 0.5)  # Channel 1: 500mV/div
scope.set_horizontal_scale(0.001)  # 1ms/div

# Acquire waveform data
time, voltage = scope.acquire(1)

# Save screenshot
scope.save_image("capture.png")

scope.close()

Temperature Control

from pylabinstruments.thermonics import Thermonics

tc = Thermonics("GPIB0::21::INSTR", selected_instrument="Thermonics T-2500SE")

# Set and monitor temperature
tc.set_temperature(-40)
temp = tc.get_temperature()
print(f"Current: {temp}°C")

# Return to ambient
tc.select_ambient()
tc.close()

Architecture

The library uses a base class pattern for consistency:

LibraryTemplate (base.py)
├── MultimeterBase → HP34401A, Keithley2000, Keithley2110, TektronixDMM4050
├── SMUBase → KeysightB2902A, Keithley228, Keithley238
├── OscilloscopeBase → TektronixTDS2000, TektronixDPO2000, ...
└── PowerSupplyBase → E3631A, E3632A, E36313A, ...

Key Features:

• 🎯 Common methods shared across instrument types
• 🔧 Model-specific capabilities when needed
• ✅ Parameter validation via decorators
• 🛡️ Consistent error handling

Development

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pytest

# Run with coverage
pytest --cov=pylabinstruments --cov-report=html

# Run specific test file
pytest tests/test_multimeter_factory.py -v

Git hooks and linting

This repo includes a pre-commit configuration using Ruff (lint + format).

Enable it locally:

pip install -e .[dev]
pre-commit install
# Run on all files once
pre-commit run --all-files

Ruff configuration lives in pyproject.toml. The hook auto-fixes where possible.

Project Structure

pylabinstruments/
├── pylabinstruments/   # Main package
│   ├── multimeter.py         # Multimeter implementations
│   ├── smu.py                # SMU implementations
│   ├── oscilloscope.py       # Oscilloscope implementations
│   ├── supply.py             # Power supply implementations
│   ├── base.py               # Base classes
│   └── utils/                # Utilities and decorators
├── tests/                    # Test suite
├── examples/                 # Usage examples
└── docs/                     # Documentation

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes with tests
4. Run the test suite (pytest)
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
7. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Documentation

• 📚 Full API Documentation: [Coming soon]
• 💡 More Examples: See the examples/ directory
• 🐛 Issues & Bugs: GitHub Issues

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Tip: All instrument classes include links to official programming manuals in their docstrings. Check the source code for SCPI command references!