Keithley Adds Free Graphing Toolkit to Series 3700 System Switch/Multimeter Firmware

Keithley Instruments, Inc., a provider of electrical test instruments and systems, announced the addition of a Web-browser-based, multi-channel graphing toolkit capability to its Series 3700 System Switch/Multimeter family.

Keithley said the data visualization capability, which is included at no charge in the firmware for all new Series 3700 mainframes, offers users a way to observe measurement data vs. time as channel measurements are made with the optional built-in digital multimeter, without the need for programming or any data file manipulation.

This capability, the company noted, allows users to gauge the progress of long-duration tests, and then to take corrective action if measurement results are not as anticipated. There's no need to write code in Keithley's TSP script language, LabView, or Visual Basic programming environments and then to extract data from an instrument's reading buffer into a third-party analysis package or a spreadsheet package such as Microsoft Excel to create graphs.

This capability leverages the Series 3700's compatibility with the LAN eXtensions for Instrumentation (LXI) standard by expanding upon the built-in instrument control Web page included on many LXI instruments. There is no need to install new software on a PC or on the Series 3700 mainframe - the capability is included in the mainframe's firmware and can be accessed via any standard Web browser, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and others. The toolkit builds upon the Web-based instrument controls already included in Series 3700 mainframes for controlling and monitoring the switching cards installed in the mainframe and the optional built-in digital multimeter. The graphical user interface also provides access to a special version of Keithley's Test Script Builder application for writing test scripts to create testing functions.

Series 3700 System Switch/Multimeter instruments include a variety of capabilities optimized for high speed testing, including LXI Class B compliance with IEEE 1588 time synchronization. Other capabilities that enhance testing speed include Keithley's embedded Test Script Processor (TSP) technology, which brings PC-like functionality into the instrument, and TSP-Link, a master/slave communication bus for system expansion. TSP-Link provides for integration with Series 2600A System SourceMeter instruments, for adding I-V source and measurement capabilities.

Keithley said the graphing toolkit capability is included in all Series 3700 System Switch/Multimeter mainframes; owners of existing Series 3700 mainframes can download a free firmware upgrade that includes support for this capability at keithley.com.

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