GTAPE Prologix Drivers

Python drivers for lab instruments via Prologix GPIB-USB
Completely serial communication based with pyserial
No NI-VISA required

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Supported Instruments

Category	Instruments
Oscilloscopes	TDS3054, TDS3012B, TDS460A
Multimeters	HP34401A
Power Supplies	Agilent E3631A
Electronic Loads	Kikusui PLZ164W
Waveform Generators	HP33120A

Installation

From PyPI (stable releases)

pip install gtape-prologix-drivers

For oscilloscopes and AWG (requires numpy):

pip install gtape-prologix-drivers[all]

From Git (latest development version)

For the newest features that may not be released yet:

Using pip:

pip install git+https://github.com/gtape/gtape-prologix-drivers.git

Using uv:

uv pip install git+https://github.com/gtape/gtape-prologix-drivers.git

Or add to your pyproject.toml:

[tool.uv.sources]
gtape-prologix-drivers = { git = "https://github.com/gtape/gtape-prologix-drivers.git" }

Editable Install (for development)

Clone the repo and install in editable mode:

git clone https://github.com/gtape/gtape-prologix-drivers.git
cd gtape-prologix-drivers

# Using pip
pip install -e .

# Using uv
uv pip install -e .

Quick Example

from gtape_prologix_drivers import PrologixAdapter, HP34401A

adapter = PrologixAdapter(port="COM4", gpib_address=22)
dmm = HP34401A(adapter)

voltage = dmm.measure_voltage()
print(f"{voltage:.6f} V")

adapter.close()

Documentation

📖 Getting Started — Installation and basic usage

📚 API Reference:

Module	Description
PrologixAdapter	Core GPIB communication
TDS3000 Series	TDS3054, TDS3012B oscilloscopes
TDS460A	TDS460A oscilloscope
HP34401A	Digital multimeter
AgilentE3631A	Power supply
PLZ164W	Electronic load
HP33120A	Waveform generator

Typical Operation Timing

Measured delays for common instrument operations via Prologix GPIB-USB:

Instrument	Operation	Typical	Range
HP34401A	Voltage measurement (fixed range)	75 ms	73–90 ms
Agilent E3631A	Current measurement	236 ms	204–253 ms
Kikusui PLZ164W	Current read	50 ms	42–108 ms

Note: HP34401A in autorange mode can take up to seconds for near-zero readings. Use fixed range for consistent timing.

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• Prologix GPIB-USB Controller

License

MIT