VISA software control

This page shows all available VISA software control functions in Engee.

To work with the VISA software control functions in Engee, follow the instructions given in the article engee-hardware/integration-with-hardware.adoc#hardware-installation.

Afterwards, it is necessary to create a VISA object that will be used to interact with the measuring instruments:

visa = VISA.Visa()

`VISA` methods

EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.close_instrument
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.close_session
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.create_instrument
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.create_session
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.flush
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.get_ports
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.read
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.readbinblock
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.visatrigger
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.write
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.writebinblock
EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.writeread

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.close_instrument — Method

VISA.close_instrument(visa::Any, port::String)

Releases the bus for an instrument connected via VISA specification.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the device connected via the VISA specification. Can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.create_instrument(visa, port)
VISA.close_instrument(visa, port)

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.close_session — Method

VISA.close_session(visa::Any)

Closes the VISA session.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object.

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.close_session(visa)

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.create_instrument — Method

VISA.create_instrument(visa::Any, port::String)

Creates an instance of the instrument connected on the specified port.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. Can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.create_instrument(visa, port)

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.create_session — Method

VISA.create_session(visa::Any, backend:String)

Creates a session for working with VISA.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
backend::String: hardware implementation of the VISA specification, e.g. "@py" or "@ni".

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.flush — Method

VISA.flush(visa::Any, port::String, flush_type::String)

Clears the I/O buffer of the instrument.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via VISA specification. Can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
flush_type::String: purge type. For example: "flush_write_buffer" or "flush_transmit_buffer".

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.create_instrument(visa, port)
VISA.flush(visa, port, "flush_write_buffer")

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.get_ports — Method

VISA.get_ports(visa::Any)

Gets a list of available physical ports.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object.

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.read — Function

VISA.read(visa::Any, port::String, termination::String)

Reads data from the instrument.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. Can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
termination::String: instrument-specific read termination character. If not defined, leave empty "".

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
read_result = VISA.read(visa, port, "").data

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.readbinblock — Method

VISA.readbinblock(visa::Any, port::String, size::Int64)

Reads binary data from the instrument.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via VISA specification. Can be obtained using the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
size::Int64: buffer size for reading bytes, for example: 8.

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
bytes = VISA.readbinblock(visa, port, 8).data

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.visatrigger — Method

VISA.visatrigger(visa::Any, port::String)

Sends interrupt commands to the device.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. Can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.visatrigger(visa, port)

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.write — Function

VISA.write(visa::Any, port::String, message::String, termination::String)

Records messages in the instrument.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. Can be retrieved using the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
message::String: message with SCPI command. For example: "RST;:SYSTEM:LOCK OFF" to reset.
termination::String: instrument specific write termination character. If not defined, you must leave blank "".

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
VISA.create_instrument(visa, port)
numbytes = VISA.write(visa, port, "*RST;:SYSTEM:LOCK OFF", "").data

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.writebinblock — Method

VISA.writebinblock(visa::Any, port::String, message::Vector{UInt8})

Writes binary data to the device.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. It can be obtained with the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
message::Vector{UInt8}: binary data to be written. For example: [0x01, 0x00].

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
numbytes = VISA.writebinblock(visa, port, [0x01, 0x00]).data

# EngeeDeviceManager.Devices.VISA.writeread — Function

VISA.writeread(visa::Any, port::String, message::String, delay::Float64)

Writes in the instrument and reads the answer.

Arguments

visa::Any: VISA specification object. The command visa = VISA.Visa() is used to create the object .
port::String: port of the instrument connected via the VISA specification. Can be retrieved using the function VISA.get_ports(visa::Any).
message::String: message with SCPI command. For example: ":CHAN1:BASE:WAV?" will return the signal type in channel one.
delay::Float64: delay to receive a response from the instrument (optimal value 1.0, for older instruments up to 1.5). For more information about the response delay, please refer to the documentation of the instrument you are using.

Examples

VISA.create_session(visa, "@py")
ports = VISA.get_ports(visa).data
port = last(ports)
writeread_result = VISA.writeread(visa, port, ":CHAN1:BASE:WAV?", 1.2).data