Creating maintainable test suites for complex systems. The episode describes some complexities involved with hardware testing, then shares techniques for shifting complexity out of the test cases.

• quick overview of what test instruments are
• discussion of API and communication with instruments
• techniques for shifting complexity out of test cases

These techniques should apply to all test suites dealing with complex systems:

• Creating test cases that are easy to read and debug and tell a story about what is being tested.
• Pushing setup complexity into fixtures.
• Pushing lengthy repetitive API call sets into helper functions.
• Using stable, documented, interfaces.

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Links:

• Voltmeter
• Oscilloscope
• Spectrum analyzer
• Function generator
• Arbitrary waveform generator
• Wireless Communications Testers & Systems
• R&S CMW Platform
• SCPI - Standard Commands for Programmable Instruments
• VISA - Virtual instrument software architecture
• PyVISA: Control your instruments with Python
• pytest
• pytest book