October 26, 2011. Agilent Technologies Inc. has released a new PC software tool that provides access to instrument commands for electronic test. The software, Agilent Command Expert, enables fast and easy instrument control in PC application environments.
The software tool extends the power of the Standard Commands for Programmable Instrumentation (SCPI) and all of its documentation to help the user rapidly generate command sequences. These sequences can then be integrated into the user’s preferred environment such as Microsoft® Excel and Visual Studio®, Agilent VEE and SystemVue, and National Instruments LabVIEW. For non-SCPI instruments, IVI-COM drivers can also be utilized by Agilent Command Expert to build sequences quickly.
“Agilent has taken an innovative lead with this new software,” said Kevin Salter, chief engineer, KDS Systems Engineering Inc. “By offering a method for rapid prototyping of SCPI command sequences this tool allows me to focus my attention on test methodology development and less on code development. I’m very impressed with it.”
Features of the new software include support for many popular programming environments, including Visual Studio, LabVIEW, SystemVue, and VEE; a new add-in to Excel allowing instrument control and data analysis; programming examples and tutorials for fast start up in all environments; and support for instruments that use an IVI-COM driver.
“Our customers are very busy and under constant pressure to do more faster,” said Bob Witte, vice president, Agilent’s Technology Leadership Organization. “This software tool enables them to be more productive, which we have verified via pre-release testing with key customers.”
The software can be used with more than 244 Agilent instruments with SCPI command sets with more being added in the future. Customers may download the Agilent Command Expert software for free at www.agilent.com/find/commandexpert.