epicsdev_osc_tektronix_mso

An EPICS PVAccess server for Tektronix MSO and DPO oscilloscopes, built with epicsdev.

Tested with:

• Tektronix MSO64B over TCP/IP
• Tektronix DPO2004B over USB

Features

• TCP/IP, USB, and GPIB connectivity through VISA
• Per-channel control and readback of key oscilloscope parameters
• Model-aware setup, including automatic channel-count handling
• Included generator for a basic Phoebus operator screen

Performance

Details here.

Measured waveform-transfer performance:

Oscilloscope	Connection	Throughput
MSO64B	TCP/IP SOCKET	~1.3 million float32 samples/s
DPO2004B	USB	~80,000 float32 samples/s

Actual performance depends on the instrument, VISA backend, network, and waveform settings.

Requirements

Python 3.11 or later, p4p>=4.2.2, epicsdev>=3.0.1, numpy, pyvisa and a compatible VISA backend, such as pyvisa-py.

Installation

pip install epicsdev_osc_tektronix_mso

Running the server

Start the server with a VISA resource string:

python -m epicsdev_osc_tektronix_mso -r 'TCPIP::192.168.1.1::4000::SOCKET'

The default EPICS PV prefix will be: tektronix0:

Phoebus OPI

Generate a simple Phoebus oscilloscope screen:

cd opi
python generate_simplescope.py -t txMSO1 pva://tektronix0:

This creates opi/simplescope.bob.

Notes:

• The prefix argument determines the PV names used by widgets.

• The default prefix is $(DEV):, allowing the screen to use Phoebus macros.

• Install the optional generator dependency if needed:

  pip install phoebusgen

Connection notes

• For TCP/IP, VISA INSTR resources are typically more reliable; SOCKET resources can provide faster large-waveform transfers.
• USB connections can be slow and less reliable on older instruments.