GPIB Tools

These 7 tools provide IEEE-488 protocol-level operations — device clearing, status polling, service request handling, triggering, interface control, and local/remote mode management.

Instruments are addressed by VISA resource string ("GPIB0::22::INSTR") or by a configured alias ("dmm"). Backend-level operations (check_srq, interface_clear) take a backend name instead.

`instrument_clear`

Send Selected Device Clear (SDC) to a specific instrument. Clears the instrument’s input buffer and resets its parser to a known state without changing configuration settings.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`instrument`	string	Yes	VISA resource string or configured alias

Example

# Clear by alias
result = await client.call_tool("instrument_clear", {
    "instrument": "dmm"
})

# Clear by VISA resource string
result = await client.call_tool("instrument_clear", {
    "instrument": "GPIB0::22::INSTR"
})

Returns

Sent Selected Device Clear to dmm (GPIB0::22::INSTR)

`serial_poll`

Serial poll an instrument. Returns the 8-bit status byte. Bit 6 (0x40) indicates the device is requesting service (RQS/SRQ).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`instrument`	string	Yes	VISA resource string or configured alias

Example

result = await client.call_tool("serial_poll", {
    "instrument": "dmm"
})

Returns

Serial poll dmm (GPIB0::22::INSTR): status=0x40 (64) [SRQ]

Status byte bit assignments (IEEE 488.2):

Bit	Mask	Meaning
6	`0x40`	RQS — device is requesting service
5	`0x20`	ESB — event status bit (check `*ESR?`)
4	`0x10`	MAV — message available in output queue
0—3, 7	varies	Instrument-specific

`check_srq`

Check if the SRQ (Service Request) line is asserted on the bus. If SRQ is asserted, the tool automatically identifies which device is requesting service.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`backend`	string	Yes	Name of the backend to check

Example

result = await client.call_tool("check_srq", {
    "backend": "bench-a"
})

Returns

When a device is requesting service:

SRQ ASSERTED on bench-a — GPIB0::22::INSTR requesting service (status=0x50)

When no device is requesting service:

SRQ not asserted on bench-a

`bus_trigger`

Send Group Execute Trigger (GET) to an instrument. Triggers cause instruments to initiate a pre-configured action, typically a measurement.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`instrument`	string	Yes	VISA resource string or configured alias

Example

result = await client.call_tool("bus_trigger", {
    "instrument": "dmm"
})

Returns

Triggered dmm (GPIB0::22::INSTR)

`interface_clear`

Assert Interface Clear (IFC) for 150 microseconds. This resets all bus interfaces to their idle state and establishes the adapter as Controller-In-Charge (CIC).

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`backend`	string	Yes	Name of the backend

Example

result = await client.call_tool("interface_clear", {
    "backend": "bench-a"
})

Returns

IFC asserted on bench-a — this adapter is now Controller-In-Charge

`instrument_local`

Return an instrument to local (front panel) control. Sends the IEEE-488 Go To Local (GTL) message.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`instrument`	string	Yes	VISA resource string or configured alias

Example

# Return a single instrument to local control
result = await client.call_tool("instrument_local", {
    "instrument": "dmm"
})

Returns

Instrument dmm (GPIB0::22::INSTR) returned to local control

`instrument_remote`

Put an instrument in remote mode by asserting REN (Remote Enable). The front panel may be partially or fully disabled depending on the instrument.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
`instrument`	string	Yes	VISA resource string or configured alias

Example

result = await client.call_tool("instrument_remote", {
    "instrument": "dmm"
})

Returns

Instrument dmm (GPIB0::22::INSTR) set to remote