Keithley KickStart Software
Simplify your test and take control of your bench
Overview
Drive innovation through faster test & measurement with KickStart software.
KickStart simplifies what you need to know about the instrument so that in just a few minutes you can take the instrument out of the box and get real data on your device. By plotting data immediately and offering quick statistical summaries of the data in the reading table, KickStart allows you to gather insights faster and make the decisions you need to move on to the next stage of device development. KickStart enables you to focus your time on interpreting the test results so that your team can meet its innovation goals.
Save time
by automating data collection of millions of readings
Simple tools
for visualizing data quickly
Supports SMU instruments
DMMs, power supplies, oscilloscopes, dataloggers and sensitive instruments
Fast and easy
test replication
Set up a multi-instrument test
with the ability to independently control up to eight instruments
Complete the form below to access your free exclusive Kickstart software trial
Applications
Highlights
- Responsive interface allows users to change settings in real time
- Source and preview waveforms remotely
- Ability to control both channels of multi-channel AFGs independently
- Access to a variety of source functions, including pulse, noise, arbitrary, exponential rise, and many more
Videos
How to use the KickStart AFG app
Highlights
- Configure and control up to four Series 2400 Graphical, Series 2600B, 2651A, and 2657A SMU instruments for DC or Pulsed I-V test in either the same app, same project, or a combination of the two
- Enables quick pulse test setup and analysis for the new Model 2601B-Pulse 10us Pulser/SMU for outputting pulses as short as 10us at 10A and 10V
- Perform current versus voltage (I-V) testing on a variety of materials and devices
- Use up to four SourceMeter® SMU instruments in each test
Videos
Pulse KickStart demo guide
Keithley KickStart I-V characterizer app overview
Other resources
Highlights
- Three modes of operation enable data capture and datalogging of waveforms, measurements, and screenshots
- Supports data retrieval from analog channels of supported Tektronix scopes, as well as from reference and math channels
- Capture present data or arm to wait for a trigger, capture data, and re-arm for next trigger
Highlights
- Quickly configure multi-channel data acquisition instruments
- Stream millions of readings directly to PC disk media for safe data archival
- Automatically export data in ready-to-use formats for reports and additional analysis - even while the test is running
Videos
Keithley KickStart DataLogger overview
Highlights
- Run independent or simultaneous tests that log measurements from one or more DMMs
- Get a quick summary of data using statistics built into the data table
Highlights
- Easy access to control voltage bias and current limit while viewing data from primary measurement instrument in main viewing area
- Configure list sweep to automate tests, such as monitoring power consumption or stability of load current
- Export/save statistics with the data
Videos
Analyzing frequency response with a 2 series MSO and AFG31000
Keithley KickStart software power supply app overview
Specialty applications
Overview
The KickStart battery simulator app gives users a simple method to create, manage, and simulate battery models. This optional specialty application for KickStart software is designed for use with Keithley’s 2281S power supply/battery simulator for simulating battery models and the Keithley 2380 DC Electronic Load for battery model generation.
The Battery simulator app includes:
- Ability to generate, edit, and simulate custom battery models
- Responsive user interface which allows changes to the simulated state of charge in real time
- Table and graph views to visualize data collection in real time
- Ability to browse multiple battery models saved to repository on local drive
- Ability to import and export models to and from the instrument and KickStart software
- Dynamic and static battery models
- Dynamic battery model updates values in real time
- Visual representation of battery VOC, Vt, SOC, ESR, current, and capacity
- Easy-to-use app with 3 modes of operation to reduce user error
The KickStart battery simulator application requires a license: either the KICKSTARTFL-BAT floating perpetual license or the KICKSTARTFL-BAT-AN 1-year subscription. A floating license allows selected users to manage transfer of an individual license to different PCs.
Videos
Using the Keithley KickStart Battery Simulator App
Overview
The optional high resistivity application (HRMA) for KickStart is designed for use with Keithley’s 6517B electrometer/ high resistance meter. The 6517B along with the 8009 resistivity test fixture is a laboratory standard for volume and surface resistivity measurements on insulating materials. Together, they can be used to measure resistance up to 1018 Ω at up to 1000V.
The KickStart high resistance measurement option makes it easier for you to:
- Quickly and reliably determine resistivity of material using tests that conform to ASTM D257 standard
- Perform a Step Response test to identify electrification time appropriate to the material’s time constant
- Observe resistivity dependence on temperature and relative humidity of environment using optional probes 6517-TP and 6517-RH
- Use alternating polarity measurement technique to eliminate inherent background currents for the most accurate resistivity measurements
The KickStart high resistivity application requires a license: either the KICKSTARTFL-HRMA2 floating perpetual license or the KICKSTARTFL-HRMA2-AN 1-year time-based license. A floating license allows selected users to manage transfer of individual license to different PCs.
Videos
KickStart high resistivity
Overview
Keithley I-V tracer software leverages the unique touchscreen interface of the 2400 series graphical SourceMeter® Source Measure Unit (SMU) instruments to recreate the familiar user experience of a curve tracer for two-terminal devices.
Adding the I-V Tracer to your SourceMeter instrument gives you a dedicated user interface for tracing the characteristics of your devices through both current and voltage. With a range of compatible instruments, I-V tracer can utilize the full capabilities of each source measure unit, including the dual high-speed digitizers of the 2461 to perform tracing with AC polarity and pulsed DC, in addition to standard DC polarity.
Videos
I-V tracer overview
Videos
Keithley KickStart software graph tools overview
Keithley KickStart software table tools overview
Introduction to KickStart
KickStart overview
Specifications
| Supported instruments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Instrument type | Model | KickStart app |
| Arbitrary function generators | AFG31000 series | AFG |
| SMU instruments | 2400 series, 2600 series, 2650 series, 6430 | I-V characterizer |
| Oscilloscopes | TBS1000 series, TBS2000 Series, 2 series MSO, 3 series MDO, 4 series MSO, 5 series MSO, 5 series B MSO, 5 series MSO low profile, 6 series B MSO, MDO3000 series, MDO4000 series, MSO3000 series, MSO4000 series, DPO3000 series, DPO4000 series, TDS1000 series, TDS2000 series, and TDS200 series | Scope app |
| Data acquisition units | DAQ6510, DMM6500, 2700, 2701, 2750, 3706A | Data logger |
| DMMs | DMM6500, DMM7510, DAQ6510, 2700, 2701, 2750, 2000, 2010, 2110 | Precision DMM |
| Power supplies | 2280S-32-6, 2280S-60-3, 2281S-20-6, 2220 series, 2230 series, 2231A-30-3, 2260B series, 2200 series, and 2306-LAN | Power supply |
| Sensitive | 6517B, 6514, 6485, 6487, 6517A | Precision DMM |
Order information
| New license | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Software | Description | Newark perpetual SKU | Newark subscription SKU |
| KickStart Suite Bundle | Includes the following apps: AFG, I-V characterizer, scope, data logger, DMM, power supply. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 15AJ5912 | 15AJ5911 |
| AFG App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 71AK7356 | 71AK7357 |
| I-V Characterizer App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 39AJ5820 | 62AJ3717 |
| Scope App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 66AJ1936 | 71AJ9129 |
| Data Logger App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 38AJ3146 | 71AJ9123 |
| DMM App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 52AJ6660 | 71AJ9124 |
| Power Supply App | Individual app. Includes 1 year of maintenance | 71AJ9126 | 71AJ9127 |
| Battery Simulator App | The KickStart battery simulator app gives users a simple method to create, manage, and simulate battery models. This optional specialty application for KickStart software is designed for use with Keithley’s 2281S power supply/battery simulator for charging batteries and the Keithley 2380 DC electronic Load for battery discharge. Includes 1 year of maintenance. | 71AK7359 | 69AK5859 |
| High Resistivity App | The optional high resistivity application for KickStart is designed for use with Keithley’s 6517B electrometer/ high resistance meter. Includes 1 year of maintenance. | 69AJ1338 | 15AJ5910 |
| Permanent license | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I-V Tracer App | Keithley I-V tracer software leverages the unique touchscreen interface of the 2400 series graphical SourceMeter® Source Measure Unit (SMU) instruments to recreate the familiar user experience of a curve tracer for two-terminal devices. KickStart software is used as a mechanism to install the I-V tracer app license and upgrade the software on the 2400 series graphical SMU instruments (models 2450, 2460, 2461 and 2470). Includes 1 year of maintenance. | 55AH0165 (1 Instrument) | |||
| 71AJ9131 (3 Instrument) | |||||
| 80AH9086 (5 Instrument) | |||||
Maintenance license
Maintenance for software is authorized through a maintenance license. A maintenance license extends the maintenance period for software enabling ongoing software updates. At a fraction of the price of the software itself, maintenance is the best way to stay up to date when new capability is released. The license applies to perpetual licenses only - considering subscriptions already include maintenance for the duration of the subscription period. A maintenance license should be applied on or before maintenance expiration to receive uninterrupted software updates. If maintenance does expire, it’s easy to extend the maintenance period by purchasing licenses sufficient to catch up and extend from the expiration date. Renewing your maintenance in this way provides a discount for securing updated software compared to purchasing the latest version outright.
Note: Perpetual licenses include maintenance for the first year but will require a new maintenance license every 12 months to continue to receive updates after the first year.
| License | Newark SKU | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Suite bundle maintenance | 15AJ5912 | Learn more |
| AFG maintenance | 71AK7358 | Learn more |
| I-V characterizer maintenance | 62AJ3718 | Learn more |
| Scope maintenance | 71AJ9130 | Learn more |
| Data logger maintenance | 99AJ6357 | Learn more |
| DMM maintenance | 71AJ9125 | Learn more |
| Power supply maintenance | 71AJ9128 | Learn more |
| High resistivity maintenance | 31AJ4403 | Learn more |
| Battery simulator maintenance | 71AK7360 | Learn more |