Command-line Control of Rohde & Schwarz HMC804x PSUs

This is a simple Python3 command-line utility that can remote control Rohde & Schwarz HMC8041, HMC8042 and HMC8043 PSUs (from here-on called HMC804x) over either TCP/IP or USB.

The script has no dependencies apart from the Python3 standard library.

Additionally, if you have zeroconf installed it can detect and list instruments on the local network (using zeroconf)

What can it do?

• For each output channel:
  • turn on or off
  • set voltage
  • set maximum current
  • toggle (turn off, wait 500ms, then on)
• Print PSU overall status (default command)
• Turn on/off master enable
• Measure current on some channel for given time or number of reports
• Sleep some time (between commands)

You can issue multiple commands on the command-line, e.g. configuring voltages for three channels and turning on master enable:

$ rspsu master=0 v1=3.7 v2=5 v3=4 master=1

Installation

On Linux: Copy the script to somewhere in your PATH (e.g. $HOME/bin) and chmod +x rspsu.

On windows, copy it to some directory in your PATH

Examples

# Get status
$ rspsu
Master: ON
Chan 1: ON   3.700 V  3.000 A  CUR: 1.184 A
Chan 2: ON   5.000 V  3.000 A  CUR: 0.966 A
Chan 3: off  4.000 V  1.041 A  CUR: 0.000 A

# Turn output channel 1 off
$ rspsu off1

# Change output voltage of channel 3
$ rspsu v3=3.2

# Perform 10 current measurements (if current change > 3%)
$ rspsu mi2,20
Measuring current for 9999s, report if change > 3%, 10 reports
Time               dt   I/mA dI/mA d/pct
14:01:26.105   0.000s    638    +0    0%
14:01:27.664   1.560s    742  +105   16%
14:01:27.935   0.271s    644   -98  -13%
14:01:28.145   0.210s    709   +64   10%
14:01:28.960   0.815s    731   +22    3%
14:01:29.683   0.723s    759   +28    4%
14:01:30.458   0.775s    704   -55   -7%
14:01:30.677   0.219s    780   +76   11%
14:01:30.990   0.313s    737   -43   -6%
14:01:31.197   0.207s    867  +129   18%

# Change output voltage, sleep 1s, measure current (3 times)
# and with verbose output so the SCPI commands are printed
$ rspsu v3=3 w=1 mi3 v3=3.1 w=1 mi3 v3=3.2 w=1 mi3 -v
send: *IDN?
recv: Rohde&Schwarz,HMC8043,034889436,HW42000000,SW01.400
send: INST OUT3
send: VOLT 3.000000
send: SYSTem:ERRor?
recv: 0,"No error"
wait: 1.0s
send: MEASure:CURRent?
recv: 0.0000E+00
14:06:48.733   0.000s      0    +0    0%
send: VOLT 3.100000
send: SYSTem:ERRor?
recv: 0,"No error"
wait: 1.0s
send: MEASure:CURRent?
recv: 0.0000E+00
14:06:49.753   0.000s      0    +0    0%
send: VOLT 3.200000
send: SYSTem:ERRor?
recv: 0,"No error"
wait: 1.0s
send: MEASure:CURRent?
recv: 0.0000E+00
14:06:50.792   0.000s      0    +0    0%
213ms

# List all instruments using zeroconf 
$ rspsu -l
Found Rohde&Schwarz HMC8043._lxi._tcp.local.
      Address: 192.168.2.21:80
      Server:  HMC8043.local.
      Props:   textver=1 Manufacturer=Rohde&Schwarz Model=HMC8043 SerialNumber=012345678 FirmwareVersion=01.400

Adding Your Own Functions / Commands

You can add new commands easily by adding a new method to the PSUCmdFuncProxy class. The new method will automatically be available as a command-line command.

Adding a PSU Model From Another Vendor

The HMC804x SCPI command API is simple and thus the RohdeSchwarzHMC8043 class that implements the actual SCPI operations over TCP is also simple.

It should be relatively easy to replace the RohdeSchwarzHMC8043 class with one for another PSU instrument. If you do that, please contact me and I will add a link to it in this README!

Adding Another Type of Instrument

If you want to modify this script to work with an entirely different instrument, you need to replace both the RohdeSchwarzHMC8043 and the PSUCmdFuncProxy classes.