General Commands¶

These commands work regardless of which instrument is active.

scan¶

Re-scan for connected VISA instruments and connect any new ones found.

scan

Instruments are identified by querying *IDN? and matched against the supported instrument list. They are assigned names like psu1, dmm1, scope1, awg1. If multiple of the same type are found they are numbered: psu1, psu2, etc.

Already-connected instruments keep their current state — a re-scan will not turn off a PSU that is actively sourcing. Only newly discovered instruments are initialised to safe defaults.

Tip

You don't need to run scan manually on startup — the REPL scans automatically when it launches.

force_scan¶

Disconnect all instruments, re-scan from scratch, and reset every output to safe defaults (0 V, off).

force_scan

Use this when you want a clean slate — for example, at the start of a new test sequence where you need all instruments back to a known-safe state.

Warning

This will turn off all instrument outputs. If a PSU is actively sourcing, its output will be disabled and zeroed.

disconnect¶

Remove a connected instrument from the current session without rescanning.

disconnect <name>

Parameter	Required	Description
`name`	required	Instrument name as shown by `list` (e.g. `psu1`, `scope2`)

The device is removed from the REPL's device list. If it was the active selection, the selection is cleared. Use scan to rediscover it.

disconnect psu1    # remove psu1 from the session

Note

This does not physically disconnect the instrument — it just removes it from the device list. Run scan to bring it back.

list¶

Show all currently connected instruments.

list

Displays each instrument's assigned name, model, and whether it is currently active (set via use).

use¶

Set the active instrument for subsequent generic commands.

use <name>

Parameter	Required	Description
`name`	required	Instrument name as shown by `list` (e.g. `psu1`, `scope2`)

When only one instrument of a type is connected it is selected automatically. With multiple of the same type you must use the desired one before using generic commands like psu set.

use psu1          # make psu1 active
psu set 5.0       # acts on psu1

use psu2          # switch to psu2
psu set 12.0      # now acts on psu2

Direct addressing

You can skip use entirely by prefixing the instrument name to any command:

psu1 set 5.0
psu2 set 12.0

This does not change the active selection.

idn¶

Query a instrument's identification string (*IDN?).

idn [name]

Parameter	Required	Description
`name`	optional	Instrument to query. Defaults to the active instrument if omitted.

The response is the instrument's manufacturer, model, serial number, and firmware version.

idn           # query active instrument
idn scope1    # query scope1 specifically

raw¶

Send a raw SCPI command or query directly.

raw <command>

Parameter	Required	Description
`command`	required	Any SCPI string. If it ends with `?` the response is printed.

raw *RST              # reset the instrument
raw OUTP:STAT ON      # send a command
raw MEAS:VOLT:DC?     # query — prints the response

Note

raw sends to the active instrument. Use use <name> first if needed, or prefix the command: psu1 raw *RST.

state¶

Set the active instrument to a named state.

state <on|off|safe|reset>

Value	Effect
`on`	Enable output
`off`	Disable output
`safe`	Outputs off, returns to safe defaults
`reset`	Sends `*RST` — restores factory defaults

state safe     # safe state on active instrument
state reset    # factory reset active instrument

all¶

Apply a state to every connected instrument simultaneously.

all <on|off|safe|reset>

Same values as state. Useful as a quick emergency stop or to reset everything before a new test.

all safe      # put everything in safe state
all off       # turn off all outputs

sleep¶

Pause for a specified duration.

sleep <duration>[unit]

Parameter	Required	Description
`duration`	required	Duration to pause. A bare number is treated as seconds. Append a unit suffix for other scales.

Suffix	Meaning	Example
(none)	seconds	`sleep 1.0`
`s`	seconds	`sleep 1.5s`
`ms`	milliseconds	`sleep 500ms`
`us`	microseconds	`sleep 100us`
`m`	minutes	`sleep 2m`

sleep 1.0       # wait 1 second
sleep 0.5       # wait 500 ms
sleep 500ms     # same — 500 ms
sleep 100us     # 100 microseconds

Also valid as a script directive: sleep {delay}

status¶

Show all connected instruments and which one is currently active.

status

Identical to list. See the list command for full details. status exists as a convenience alias.

close¶

Disconnect all instruments and release VISA resources.

close

Use scan to reconnect after closing.

docs¶

Open the full documentation in your web browser — REPL commands, Python API, scripting, and more.

docs

Serves the bundled MkDocs site via a local HTTP server on a random port. If the site has not been built yet and mkdocs.yml is present, it automatically runs mkdocs build first.

Tip

The HTTP server stays alive for the rest of the session. Calling docs again reuses the same port — no second server is started.

Note

Auto-build requires: pip install mkdocs-material

clear¶

Clear the terminal screen.

clear

reload¶

Restart the REPL process, disconnecting all instruments.

reload

version¶

Print the installed version of the toolkit.

version

exit¶

Close the REPL and disconnect all instruments safely.

exit