Oscilloscope Extension
The Oscilloscope class serves as an orchestrator for the complex interplay of its various subsystems, each encapsulated within its own class. Unlike a classical inheritance structure, the Oscilloscope class does not serve as a superclass from which subsystems inherit. Instead, it aggregates these subsystems—such as Trigger, Timebase, Waveform, WaveGen, Acquire, and Channel—as components, illustrating a composition-based architecture.
This design philosophy allows for a high degree of modularity, enabling each subsystem to be developed, tested, and modified independently while the Oscilloscope class provides a cohesive and unified interface for the user. The result is a robust and scalable structure, where the complexity of the instrument’s functionalities is managed with grace and precision.
The pymetr package reflects this architecture, segregating related functionalities into dedicated subsystem classes. This not only enhances code organization but also fosters intuitive and object-oriented control over each aspect of the oscilloscope. Below is a visual representation of the Oscilloscope class composition:
![digraph architecture {
node [shape=record fontname=Helvetica fontsize=10];
rankdir=UD;
PyVisa [label="{PyVisa|+ open()\l+ close()\l+ write(command: str)\l+ read(): str\l+ query(command: str): str\l}"];
Instrument [label="{Instrument|+ identity()\l+ reset()\l+ status()\l}"];
Oscilloscope [label="{Oscilloscope|+ run()\l+ stop()\l+ single()\l+ autoscale()\l}"];
Acquire [label="{Acquire|+ _mode: Mode\l+ _type: Type\l}"];
Channel [label="{Channel|+ coupling: Coupling\l+ display: DisplayState\l}"];
Timebase [label="{Timebase|+ mode: Mode\l+ position: float\l}"];
Trigger [label="{Trigger|+ mode: Mode\l+ level: float\l}"];
Waveform [label="{Waveform|+ format: Format\l+ source: Source\l}"];
WaveGen [label="{WaveGen|+ function: Function\l+ output: Output\l}"];
PyVisa -> Instrument [arrowhead="onormal", style="dashed"];
Instrument -> Oscilloscope [arrowhead="onormal", style="dashed"];
Oscilloscope -> Acquire [arrowhead="odiamond"];
Oscilloscope -> Channel [arrowhead="odiamond"];
Oscilloscope -> Timebase [arrowhead="odiamond"];
Oscilloscope -> Trigger [arrowhead="odiamond"];
Oscilloscope -> Waveform [arrowhead="odiamond"];
Oscilloscope -> WaveGen [arrowhead="odiamond"];
{rank=same; Acquire Channel Timebase Trigger Waveform WaveGen}
}](_images/graphviz-b59df5faa97b7d0ca9b0e19e324442839b9d46ab.png)
Root Functions
The Oscilloscope class also includes root-level functions which do not below to a subsystem. These include functions like run, stop, single, and autoscale. As well a high level data acquisition and processing specific further abstracting the use of the instrument.
Note
The Oscilloscope class is designed with the user in mind, abstracting the complexities of the oscilloscope operation and providing a user-friendly interface that reflects the natural workflow of an engineer or technician working with the instrument.
Getting Started with the Oscilloscope Class
To begin using the Oscilloscope class, first ensure that PyVISA is installed and properly configured in your environment. Here’s a quick rundown on creating an instance of the Oscilloscope and running basic operations:
from pymetr.oscilloscope import Oscilloscope
# Replace with your oscilloscope's VISA resource string
resource_string = 'TCPIP0::192.168.1.111::hislip0::INSTR'
osc = Oscilloscope(resource_string)
osc.open()
print(f"Identification string: '{osc.identity()}'")
osc.close()