doc/introduction.rst

.. -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

==============
 Presentation
==============

pygpibtoolkit_ is a Python_ toolkit for talking with GPIB devices. It
consist in a set of python modules (low-level and some more
high-level) in order to ease writing python code to play with GPIB
devices.

There are also some utility commands and GUI tools written using this
library (and PyQt4 for GUI parts).

The aim of the project is to have an infrastructure that make it easy
to write code to command/interact with GPIB-controlled devices, and,
as a corrolary, make it easy to write "description" code for specific
test equipments.

Features
========

- Control GPIB devices using cheap Prologix_ USB-GPIB devices using a
  "high" level API; some other GPIB backends could be implemented, but
  I for now only have a Prologix USB bundle...

- A simple (and incomplete) GPIB plotter is available. 

- Infrastructure to "easily" create description of a specific test
  equipment.

Known test equipment
====================

For now, the following test equipment have been (partially)
implemented:

- HP 3562A/3563A Dynamic Signal Analyzer
- Simple GPIB plotter

The devices I should implement soon (well, ASAP):

- HP 8904A Signal Synthetizer
- HP 3456A Meter


.. _pygpibtoolkit: http://www.logilab.org/project/pygpibtoolkit
.. _Prologix: http://www.prologix.com
.. _Python: http://www.python.org