science

Instrument driver

Instrument driver is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Instrument driver rather than just read about it. In short: An instrument driver, in the context of test and measurement (T&M) application development, is a set of software routines that simplifies remote instrument control. Instrument drivers are specified by the IVI Foundation and define an I/O abstraction layer using the virtual instrument software architecture (VISA).

Key takeaways

Instrument driver belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Instrument driver to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Instrument driver from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

An instrument driver, in the context of test and measurement (T&M) application development, is a set of software routines that simplifies remote instrument control. Instrument drivers are specified by the IVI Foundation and define an I/O abstraction layer using the virtual instrument software architecture (VISA). The VISA hardware abstraction layer provides an interface-independent communication channel to T&M instruments. The drivers encapsulate the Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments (SCPI) commands, which are an ASCII-based set of commands for reading and writing instrument settings and measurement data. This standard allows an abstract way of using various programming languages to program remote-control applications instead of using SCPI commands. An instrument driver usually has a well-defined API.

Standards

VXIplug&play The VXIplug&play Systems Alliance was founded in 1993 with the aim of unifying VXI hardware and software to achieve 'plug and play' interoperability for VXI and GPIB instruments. As part of the unifying process, VXIplug&play instrument drivers were also defined.

IVI When the IVI Foundation took over the Alliance in 2002, it defined a new generation of instrument drivers to replace the VXIplug&play standard. The IVI instrument driver specification intends to overcome the drawbacks of VXIplug&play. These IVI (Interchangeable Virtual Instrumentation) drivers are currently defined in three different architectures:

The IVI-COM driver architecture is based on the Microsoft Component Object Model. The IVI-C drivers are based on C programming language shared components (shared libraries). The IVI.NET driver architecture was specified in 2010. The IVI.NET drivers are based on the .NET framework.

Instrumentation remote control Instrument drivers allow quicker development of remote-control applications for instrumentation. The drivers reduce the difficulty of string formatting when using SCPI commands by providing a well-defined API. The IVI and VXIplug&play Instrument Drivers use the VISA as the hardware abstraction layer so that hardware-independent applications can be developed.

I/O hardware abstraction layer VISA The VISA library allows test and measurement equipment to be connected through various hardware interfaces. The following interfaces are available:

Serial Port GPIB/IEEE-488 VXI-11 (over TCP/IP) USB488/USBTMC (USB Test & Measurement), USB Test & Measurement Class Specification HiSLIP (over TCP/IP).

LXI The LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) standard defines the communications protocols for controlling test and measurement systems using Ethernet. The standard requires vendors to offer IVI compliant instrument drivers.

See also Instrument control Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments Automation IEEE-488 VISA LabVIEW LabWindows Agilent VEE MATLAB LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation

References

External links IVI Foundation SCPI Consortium Archived 2011-02-06 at the Wayback Machine VXIplug&play Systems Alliance Archived 2010-03-29 at the Wayback Machine LXI Consortium Introduction to Attribute Based Instrument Drivers Development Hints and Best Practices for Using Instrument Drivers

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Instrument driver

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Instrument driver claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Instrument driver before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Instrument driver ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Instrument driver

In research: Instrument driver appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Instrument driver in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Instrument driver is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Electronic test equipment, Input/output, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Instrument driver outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Instrument driver in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Instrument driver means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Instrument driver out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Instrument driver in simple terms?

Why does Instrument driver matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Instrument driver?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Instrument driver.