Oscilloscope Control Example
Control a Tektronix TBS1072B-EDU oscilloscope using PyVISA to set triggers, capture measurements, and read signal parameters.
This example connects to a Tektronix TBS1072B-EDU oscilloscope over USB. It sets a trigger, waits for the trigger event, takes measurements and then prints the peak-to-peak amplitude and frequency of the signal with 3 significant figures.
import pyvisa
import time
# Connect to the oscilloscope
resource_manager = pyvisa.ResourceManager()
oscope = resource_manager.open_resource("USB0::1689::872::C011501::0::INSTR")
try:
# Set time and voltage scales
oscope.write("HORizontal:SCAle 500e-6") # 500us/div
oscope.write("CH1:SCAle 2.0") # 2V/div
# Set trigger level and mode
oscope.write("TRIGger:MAIN:LEVel 2.5") # Set trigger to 2.5V
oscope.write("TRIGger:A:MODe NORMAL") # Normal trigger mode
oscope.write("TRIGger:A:EDGE:SOURce CH1") # Trigger on CH1
oscope.write("ACQuire:STOPafter SEQuence") # Set one-shot mode
oscope.write("ACQuire:STATE ON") # Arm trigger
# Wait for trigger event with timeout
timeout = 5 # seconds
start_time = time.time()
while True:
status = oscope.query("TRIGger:STATE?").strip()
if status == "SAVE":
break
if time.time() - start_time > timeout:
print("Trigger timeout")
break
time.sleep(0.1)
# Configure and retrieve frequency measurement
oscope.write("MEASUrement:IMMed:SOURce CH1")
oscope.write("MEASUrement:IMMed:TYPe FREQuency")
frequency = oscope.query("MEASUrement:IMMed:VALue?").strip()
# Configure and retrieve peak-to-peak voltage measurement
oscope.write("MEASUrement:IMMed:SOURce CH1")
oscope.write("MEASUrement:IMMed:TYPe PK2PK")
peak_to_peak = oscope.query("MEASUrement:IMMed:VALue?").strip()
# Format the measurements to 3 significant figures
try:
frequency = f"{float(frequency):.3g}"
peak_to_peak = f"{float(peak_to_peak):.3g}"
except ValueError:
frequency = "Invalid"
peak_to_peak = "Invalid"
print(f"Frequency: {frequency} Hz")
print(f"Peak-to-Peak: {peak_to_peak} V")
finally:
# Close connection
oscope.close()
resource_manager.close()How is this guide?
