Scpi

[0xDEADBEEF]

Do commands want to life in trees? I just found out that I have to write 20 lines of SCPI to use a Keithley over GPIB. (Please don't mention Labview as it gives spaghetti code a completely new meaning).
Does anyone else think that SCPI stinks of zealous bureaucrats? Do people like it because they have actually been able to drop in an instrument of another manufacturer?

[cristo]

Is this written in English?

[0xDEADBEEF]

:) SCPI wants to be a standard language for measurement instruments to talk with computers. GPIB is the message bus for that. So the idea is, that you can simply replace a voltmeter from one company for that of another one. But the standard is quite ugly. Keithley is a company pushing that standard. And they produce some of the most common multimeters in physics labs commonly known as "Keithleys".

[Topher925]

We use keithlys at our labs at school and I have a lot of experience with HP's agalents too. Personally, I dont see the reason for the GPIB standard as modern USB and ethernet protocol outperforms GPIB in just about every way. The newer equipment that we use in our lab uses ethernet as everyone now refuses to buy anything with that GPIB BS.

BTW, the primary language on the forums in english.