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Installation

This page describes how to install SCPI Instrument Control, a universal Python library for SCPI test equipment — oscilloscopes, function generators/AWGs, power supplies, and DAQ units — with a PyQt6 desktop GUI and a browser-based lab gateway.

Requirements

  • Python: 3.9 or higher
  • Operating System: Windows, macOS, or Linux
  • Network: Ethernet connection to oscilloscope
  • Oscilloscope: Siglent SDS series with SCPI support

Standalone Downloads

If you only want the desktop GUI and would rather not install Python at all, every release attaches a prebuilt bundle for each platform. These carry their own Python runtime and every dependency, so the Python requirement above does not apply — the network and instrument requirements still do.

Download the latest release

Platform File How to run
Windows (x64) SiglentGUI-<version>-Windows-x64.zip Extract, then run SiglentGUI.exe
macOS (Apple Silicon) SiglentGUI-<version>-macOS-arm64.zip Extract, then open SiglentGUI.app
macOS (Intel) SiglentGUI-<version>-macOS-x86_64.zip Extract, then open SiglentGUI.app
Linux (x86_64) SiglentGUI-<version>-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz tar -xzf SiglentGUI-*.tar.gz, then ./SiglentGUI

The bundles are large — roughly 200-300 MB — because each one carries its own Python runtime, PyQt6 and the scientific stack.

The Intel macOS build is available from v6.0.0 onward. Earlier releases shipped an Apple Silicon build only.

Which macOS build do I need?

Apple menu → About This Mac, or run uname -m in Terminal:

  • arm64 → Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) → the arm64 download
  • x86_64 → Intel → the x86_64 download

First launch warnings

The executables are not code-signed, so each operating system will question them the first time. This is expected, and the workaround is per-platform:

  • macOS: right-click the app → Open → confirm. Double-clicking alone will refuse it.
  • Windows: SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC" → More info → Run anyway.
  • Linux: no warning, but you may need chmod +x SiglentGUI before the binary will run.

These bundles give you the desktop GUI only. To use the library from your own scripts, or to run the scpi-web browser gateway, install the Python package as described below.

Basic Installation

Install the base package using pip:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control"

This provides the core functionality for programmatic control.

Optional Features

The library provides several optional feature sets that can be installed as needed:

GUI Application

For the PyQt6-based graphical interface:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[gui]"

Includes:

  • PyQt6 >= 6.6.0
  • PyQt6-WebEngine >= 6.6.0
  • pyqtgraph >= 0.13.0 (high-performance plotting)

Data Export

For advanced data export formats:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[hdf5]"

Includes:

  • h5py >= 3.8.0 (HDF5 file format support)

Vector Graphics

For XY mode vector graphics and shapes:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[fun]"

Includes:

  • shapely >= 2.0.0 (geometric operations)
  • Pillow >= 10.0.0 (text rendering)
  • svgpathtools >= 1.6.0 (SVG support)

Web Gateway

For the browser-based lab gateway (a FastAPI server plus a web UI) so any browser on your LAN can control the instrument, no client install required:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[web]"

Includes:

  • fastapi >= 0.115
  • uvicorn[standard] >= 0.30
  • Pillow >= 10.0

Start it with scpi-web. See the Web Gateway guide for details.

USB / GPIB / Serial

For instruments connected via USB, GPIB, or serial instead of Ethernet:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[usb]"

Includes:

  • pyvisa >= 1.14.0
  • pyvisa-py >= 0.7.0 (pure Python backend, no NI-VISA required)

All Features

Install everything:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[all]"

[all] does not include the web gateway ([web]) or USB/GPIB/Serial support ([usb]) — install those explicitly if you need them.

Development Installation

For contributing to the project:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/little-did-I-know/SCPI-Instrument-Control.git
cd SCPI-Instrument-Control

# Install in editable mode with development dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Set up pre-commit hooks
make dev-setup

Development extras include:

  • pytest and pytest-cov (testing)
  • black (code formatting)
  • flake8 (linting)
  • isort (import sorting)
  • bandit (security checks)
  • build and twine (packaging)

Documentation

To build the documentation locally:

# Install documentation dependencies
pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[docs]"

# Serve documentation locally
mkdocs serve

Then open http://127.0.0.1:8000 in your browser.

Verification

Verify your installation:

import scpi_control
print(scpi_control.__version__)

# Test connection (replace with your oscilloscope IP)
from scpi_control import Oscilloscope
scope = Oscilloscope('192.168.1.100')
scope.connect()
print(scope.identify())
scope.disconnect()

Expected output:

3.3.0
Siglent Technologies,SDS824X HD,SDSMMDD1XXXXX,8.2.5.1.37R9

Network Configuration

Finding Your Oscilloscope IP

  1. On the oscilloscope, press Utility → System → LAN Setup
  2. Note the IP address shown (e.g., 192.168.1.100)
  3. Ensure the oscilloscope and your computer are on the same network

Testing Connection

Ping the oscilloscope to verify network connectivity:

# Windows/macOS/Linux
ping 192.168.1.100

Test SCPI connection using netcat (Linux/macOS):

# Send *IDN? command
echo "*IDN?" | nc 192.168.1.100 5024

Or using PowerShell (Windows):

$client = New-Object System.Net.Sockets.TcpClient("192.168.1.100", 5024)
$stream = $client.GetStream()
$writer = New-Object System.IO.StreamWriter($stream)
$reader = New-Object System.IO.StreamReader($stream)
$writer.WriteLine("*IDN?")
$writer.Flush()
$reader.ReadLine()
$client.Close()

Troubleshooting

Import Errors

Problem: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'siglent'

Solution: Ensure the package is installed in the correct Python environment:

# Check which Python you're using
python --version
pip --version

# Install in the correct environment
python -m pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control"

GUI Missing Dependencies

Problem: ERROR: Missing Required GUI Dependencies

Solution: Install the GUI extras:

pip install "SCPI-Instrument-Control[gui]"

Connection Refused

Problem: SiglentConnectionError: Failed to connect to 192.168.1.100:5024

Possible causes:

  1. Incorrect IP address - Verify on oscilloscope settings
  2. Firewall blocking - Disable firewall temporarily to test
  3. Wrong network - Ensure computer and oscilloscope are on same subnet
  4. Port 5024 blocked - Check if another application is using the port

Solutions:

# Test ping first
ping 192.168.1.100

# Check if port is open (Linux/macOS)
nc -zv 192.168.1.100 5024

# Windows: Use Test-NetConnection
Test-NetConnection -ComputerName 192.168.1.100 -Port 5024

Permission Errors (Linux)

Problem: Permission denied when accessing network

Solution: Run with sudo or add your user to the dialout group:

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Next Steps

Support

If you encounter issues not covered here: