Agilent Instruments and MATLAB

Agilent Technologies provides core measurement tools such as digitizers, function generators, multimeters, network analyzers, oscilloscopes, signal analyzers and generators, and vector signal analyzers. You can use MATLAB together with Instrument Control Toolbox as your single software environment to configure, control, acquire, and analyze data from Agilent instruments.

Once data is in MATLAB, you can make customized measurements, perform data analysis, generate arbitrary waveforms, and develop automated tests. You can also create graphical interfaces for collecting and analyzing your data and automating tests.

In addition, Agilent offers integration with MATLAB that enables user-defined measurements on select instruments and expands the ability of Agilent oscilloscopes to analyze signals.

Agilent Instrument Drivers

An instrument driver lets you communicate with your instrument using higher-level commands. MATLAB supports IVI and VXIplug&play instrument drivers and LXI-compliant instruments. To communicate with your Agilent instrument using an IVI instrument driver and Instrument Control Toolbox, install the IVI driver and then automatically create a MATLAB driver wrapper by following the instructions in the MATLAB IVI documentation. Some instrument drivers do not require a wrapper and can be used directly from MATLAB. Other IVI drivers have preconfigured MATLAB wrappers. See Using MATLAB with Agilent Instruments to get started using Agilent instruments in MATLAB with IVI instrument drivers.

Find Agilent Instrument Drivers

• Instrument driver search tool (search by model name or number)
• Agilent IVI Web site 
• IVI Foundation Driver Registry

Communication Protocols

If an instrument driver is not available for your instrument, you can communicate directly with the instrument using SCPI commands over these communication protocols:

• GPIB
• Serial
• TCP/IP
• UDP
• VISA

Agilent Digitizers

Data Acquisition Toolbox supports some data acquisition hardware from Agilent. For the complete list of devices supported by the toolbox, see the Data Acquisition Toolbox supported hardware.

Resources

MATLAB Examples for Agilent Oscilloscopes

• Signal Filtering and Analysis Application for Agilent Infiniium and InfiniiVision Oscilloscopes
• Capturing and Analyzing Segmented Data using Agilent Oscilloscopes
• MATLAB GUI Example for Agilent MSO6014A Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

MATLAB Examples for Agilent Signal Generators and Signal Analyzers

• Generating Arbitrary and Standard Waveforms on Agilent MXG, ESG, PSG Signal Sources Using MATLAB
• Agilent (MXG/ESG/PSG) Download Assistant for MATLAB
• Data Visualization Application: Agilent EXA, MXA, and PSA Spectrum Analyzers
• Developing Custom Modulation and Demodulation Schemes Using Agilent Signal Generators and Signal Analyzers
• ECN magazine article: Raising the Bar on Advanced Signal Simulation (Using MATLAB, Instrument Control Toolbox, and the M8190A Arbitrary Waveform Generator)
• Agilent N8241A Arbitrary Waveform Generator
• MATLAB Technical Kit from Agilent

MATLAB Examples for Other Agilent Instruments

• Two Port S-Parameter Measurement Using an Agilent PNA Network Analyzer
• Other Agilent examples (MATLAB Central File Exchange)
• Acquiring Data from Standalone Instruments and Data Acquisition Cards Using MATLAB

Provide Feedback

Tell us about your Agilent instrument, its model number, and the type of application you want to develop, or request additional information about Agilent instruments. To request support for a specific instrument, include the instrument's name and model number.