National Instruments’ (NI) LabVIEW 2018 (Fig. 1) was just one of many new product announcements at this year’s NI Week. LabVIEW 2018 adds a number of new features including support for Python.

Not to worry, as there is a library for that, too: PyVISA is an easy-to-use package that connects Python scripts to GPIB, RS232, USB, and Ethernet instruments. LabVIEW is still the best option to make ...