Python script to communicate with the Digital Multimeters Agilent U1253A / U1272A / U1273A originally found on http://goo.gl/Gycv9H

agilentdmm.py

#!/usr/bin/env python

# Python script to communicate with the
# Agilent U1253A / U1272A / U1273A etc.
# found originally on http://goo.gl/Gycv9H

# For more information on the protocol, check
# http://blog.philippklaus.de/2014/02/agilent-u1273a/
# and http://goo.gl/oIJi96

import sys
import time
import serial

def init_meter(com_port):
    global meter
    print('meter, starting open:')
    meter = serial.Serial(com_port, 9600, timeout=.1)
    time.sleep(1)
    print('meter,  done open')
    print(meter)
    print('meter,  reseting meter:')
    meter.write("RST\n")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    response = meter.read(100)
    print(response)
    print('meter,  identifying meter:')
    meter.write("*IDN?\n")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    response = meter.read(100)
    print(response)
    print('meter,  Battery:')
    meter.write("SYST:BATT?\n")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    response = meter.read(100)
    print(response)
    print('meter,  Config:')
    meter.write("CONF?\n")
    time.sleep(0.25)
    response = meter.read(100)
    print(response)

    return

def read_meter(second='no'):
    global meter

    if second != 'yes' :
        #print ('not in second')
        meter.write("FETC?\n")
    else :
        #print ('yes in second')
        meter.write("FETC? @2\n")

    #time.sleep(0.05)
    responsestr = meter.read(17)
    #print ('>' + responsestr + '<', len(responsestr))
    response = float(responsestr)
    return response

def close_meter():
    global meter
    print('meter, starting close')
    print(meter)
    meter.close()
    print('meter, closed')

    return meter

if __name__=='__main__':
    try:
        meter = sys.argv[1]
    except:
        print('Please provide device as first argument. Exiting.')
        sys.exit(2)
    init_meter(meter)
    for i in range(100):
        primaryValue = read_meter()
        secondaryValue = read_meter(second='yes')
        #time.sleep(0.1)
        print('count:' , i, "{:10.4f}".format(primaryValue), "{:10.4f}".format(secondaryValue))
    close_meter()