Instrument Control Toolbox
Control test and measurement instruments and communicate with computer peripherals and industrial automation equipment
Instrument Control Toolbox™ lets you connect MATLAB® directly to instruments such as oscilloscopes, function generators, signal analyzers, power supplies, and analytical instruments. The toolbox connects to your instruments via instrument drivers such as IVI and VXIplug&play or via text-based SCPI commands over commonly used communication protocols such as GPIB, VISA, TCP/IP, and UDP. You can also control and acquire data from test equipment without writing code.
With Instrument Control Toolbox, you can generate data in MATLAB to send out to an instrument or read data into MATLAB for analysis and visualization. You can automate tests, verify hardware designs, and build test systems based on LXI, PXI, and AXIe standards.
The toolbox provides built-in support for TCP/IP, UDP, I2C, SPI, and Bluetooth® serial protocols for remote communication with other computers and printed circuit boards (PCBs) from MATLAB. It also includes functions and apps for the MODBUS protocol, enabling communication with industrial automation equipment such as programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and programmable automation controllers (PACs).
Test 5G and LTE Signals
Send out and acquire wireless waveforms over the air using RF test equipment.
Acquire and Output Signals
Use an RF signal generator to output 5G, LTE, WLAN, and custom wireless signals that you have designed in MATLAB; acquire data over the air from RF signal and spectrum analyzers for further analysis in MATLAB.
Build Test Applications
Automate test sequences and build graphical applications (UIs).
Automate and Deploy Tests
Use Instrument Control Toolbox to connect to your test equipment; use App Designer to build UIs that automate your design verification and production test procedures. Use MATLAB Compiler™ to deploy your test application to multiple test stations.
App to acquire data and adjust scope settings.
Interact with Instruments
Use apps and functions to interact with a wide variety of instruments, such as oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, RF signal generators, network analyzers, and power supplies. Send out RF signals over the air and acquire RF signals for further analysis.
Quick-Control Interfaces
Quick-control interfaces provide the most common functions needed to control oscilloscopes, function generators, and RF signal generators. Read waveforms, adjust offset and coupling on scopes, and download arbitrary waveforms to signal generators.
Spectrum of LTE signal to be output by instrument.
Instrument Control App
Use the Instrument Control app to communicate with and configure instruments without writing code. The app automatically generates MATLAB code from an instrument control session that you can incorporate into other automated test programs.
Text-Based Instrument Control
Communicate with instruments using text-based SCPI commands over interfaces, such as VISA, GPIB, USB, TCP/IP, and Serial. Use IVI, VXIplug&play, and MATLAB instrument drivers to simplify programming of your instruments.
Power spectral density of acquired IQ data.
Use and Develop Instrument Drivers
Use IVI, VXIplug&play, and MATLAB instrument drivers directly; develop and test custom instrument drivers.
Use Instrument Drivers
Use instrument drivers to communicate with instruments independently of device protocols. Directly use vendor-provided IVI and VXIplug&play instrument drivers, or create MATLAB instrument drivers with driver development tools included in the toolbox.
Web tool to find instrument drivers.
Customize Instrument Drivers
Use the MATLAB Instrument Driver Editor to import and customize existing drivers and to create MATLAB instrument drivers from IVI and VXIplug&play drivers.
View driver properties in Instrument Driver Editor.
Interact with Modbus Servers
Use apps and functions for Modbus communication to acquire data from industrial equipment such as PLCs.
Modbus Explorer App
The Modbus Explorer app lets you communicate with Modbus slaves without writing code. Configure a Modbus connection over Modbus RTU or Modbus TCP/IP. Automatically generate a MATLAB script from the app, and use this MATLAB code in other programs.
I2C, SPI, and Bluetooth
Use apps and functions to acquire data from I2C sensors, SPI sensors, and Bluetooth sensors.
Connect to Digital Sensors
Open connections with individual I2C or SPI sensors on your circuit board, and read and write data from these devices. Transfer data to or from any Bluetooth device that supports Bluetooth Serial Port Profile (SPP).
Read data from a digital accelerometer using I2C.
TCP/IP and UDP Communication
Send and receive data over TCP/IP and UDP protocols.
Connect to Networked Devices
Interface with test equipment and other networked devices over TCP/IP and UDP from both MATLAB and Simulink®. Send data from a Simulink model to a remote computer over UDP.
Plot of acquired IQ (inphase/quadrature) signals.
Supported Hardware
Build test systems using a variety of instruments, including oscilloscopes, signal analyzers, signal generators, network analyzers, power supplies, and power meters.
Supported Hardware and Standards
Multiple manufacturers of benchtop and modular instruments are supported, including Keysight™, Rohde & Schwarz, Tektronix®, and National Instruments®. VISA, GPIB, SCPI, IVI, VXIplug&play, LXI, PXI, and AXIe standards are supported. See link for details:
View list of supported hardware.
Latest Features
Modbus Explorer App
Configure Modbus communication and read and write to registers without authoring code
Modbus Protocol Support
Communicate with hardware using the MODBUS protocol over TCP/IP and Serial
Quick-Control RF Signal Generator Interface
Use a simple interface to easily download signals and control RF signal generators
VISA Support
Communicate with instruments using Rohde & Schwarz R&S VISA
UDP and TCP/IP Communication
Send and receive data with more flexibility in Simulink using the expanded configuration options found in the UDP and TCP/IP client blocks
See release notes for details on any of these features and corresponding functions.
Instrument Control Toolbox™ lets you connect MATLAB® directly to instruments such as oscilloscopes, function generators, signal analyzers, power supplies, and analytical instruments. The toolbox connects to your instruments via instrument drivers such as IVI and VXIplug&play, or via text-based SCPI commands over commonly used communication protocols such as GPIB, VISA, TCP/IP, and UDP. You can also control and acquire data from your test equipment without writing code.
With Instrument Control Toolbox, you can generate data in MATLAB to send out to an instrument, or read data into MATLAB for analysis and visualization. You can automate tests, verify hardware designs, and build test systems based on LXI, PXI, and AXIe standards.
For remote communication with other computers and devices from MATLAB, the toolbox provides built-in support for TCP/IP, UDP, I2C, SPI, MODBUS, and Bluetooth® serial protocols.
