SCPI Simulator

Why SCPI simulation matters

Lab instruments and test equipment rely on SCPI (Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments) over TCP. Firmware teams, QA labs, and automated test systems need to validate device behavior against SCPI instruments before connecting to physical hardware. But real oscilloscopes, power supplies, and multimeters are expensive, shared resources that cannot run 24/7 in CI.

SPX solves this by simulating SCPI instruments with realistic command responses, measurement behavior, and state management. Teams can run firmware CI, regression suites, and hardware-in-the-loop tests against virtual instruments instead of blocking on lab equipment availability.

Lab problem

Physical instruments are shared, expensive, and unavailable for CI

Oscilloscopes, power supplies, and analyzers cannot run in every developer's CI pipeline or be available on demand for automated testing.

Firmware problem

SCPI command behavior must be validated before hardware integration

Firmware that drives instruments over SCPI needs deterministic, repeatable responses to validate command parsing, error handling, and measurement logic.

Observability problem

Debugging SCPI exchanges against physical instruments is slow

When a SCPI command fails against real hardware, reproduction requires lab access and manual setup, slowing down the debug cycle.

SPX approach

Simulate lab instruments with realistic SCPI behavior

SPX provides virtual multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and analyzers that respond to SCPI commands with deterministic, controllable behavior.

What SPX simulates

SPX includes a growing catalog of SCPI instrument models covering common lab devices from vendors like Siglent, Rohde & Schwarz, Keysight, Tektronix, and Rigol. Each model exposes a SCPI TCP interface that responds to standard instrument commands.

Multimeters

Digital multimeters and measurement devices

SCPI multimeters that respond to MEASure?, READ?, and CONFigure commands with realistic voltage, current, and resistance values.

Oscilloscopes

Oscilloscopes with waveform capture behavior

SCPI oscilloscopes that respond to channel setup, timebase, trigger, and waveform acquisition commands.

Power supplies

Programmable DC power supplies

SCPI power supplies that handle voltage/current setpoints, output enable, and measurement readback.

Lab instruments

Function generators, analyzers, and electronic loads

SCPI function generators, spectrum analyzers, power analyzers, and electronic loads for full bench simulation.

Core capabilities

SCPI simulation in SPX is built for firmware validation, lab automation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. The twins behave like real instruments so teams can trust their test results.

Vendor models