Tektronix Instruments Overview

Introduction

Watch a video of Flojoy in action with a Tektronix MSO24.

Flojoy makes instrumentation easy and powerful. The visual programming nature of Flojoy allows for easy control of instruments, but we’ve also built Flojoy to allow users to write their own custom Blocks.

You can also request a custom Block that the team will create for you. For faster response time with creating Blocks (or other techincal issues), please contact us using our Discord Server.

This documentation outlines the first few, of many, officially supported Tektronix instruments.

Programming Tektronix Instruments with Flojoy

The majority of Tektronix instrument use SCPI or TSP. These instruments all have similar flow:

1. Establish Connection:
   • Connect: Begin by setting up the connection between Flojoy and the instrument (usually called CONNECT_...).
2. Configuration:
   • Blocks for programming the instruments settings (e.g. changing the voltage for a power supply).
3. Control:
   • Blocks for extracting data from the instrument and turning outputs on or off (e.g. turning on output on for a power supply).
4. Ending the program
   • Disconnection: When an app completes, instruments are automatically disconnected until the next time the app is run.

Example: Blocks for AFG31000

Most instrument blocks names follow the convention: FUNCTION_INSTRUMENTNAME such as OUTPUT_AFG31000.

Initialization Blocks

• CONNECT: Establishes the connection to the AFG31000 (ethernet/TCPIP recommended).

• SAVE_STATE: Saves or recalls the instrument’s state.

• RESET: Resets the instruments to it’s default state.

Configuration Blocks

• FUNCTION: Sets the parameters for the built-in function generator.

• COPY: Copies the parameters from Channel 1 to channel 2 (or the reverse).

• ARBITRARY: Uses the Block’s input data in Flojoy as a artitrary function.

• BASIC_PARAMETERS: Controls the frequency, phase, and voltages of the signals.

Control Blocks

• OUTPUT: Turns the output of the channels on or off.

• ALIGN_PHASES: Aligns the phases of the two channels, using one of them as the reference.

Instruments (Tektronix and Keithley)

CONNECT_MSO2X Open a VISA connection to an MSO2X Tektronix oscilloscope.

CONNECT_AFG31000 Connect Flojoy to a AFG31000 function generator.

CONNECT_2450 Open a VISA connection to an Keithley 2450 SourceMeter.

CONNECT_DMM7510 Open a VISA connection to a Keithley DMM7510.

CONNECTION_MDO3XXX Connect Flojoy to a MDO3XXX oscilloscope.

EXTRACT_SPECTRUM_RSA500 Extracts and returns the spectrum trace from an Tektronix RSA.