PyBERT

PyBERT is a serial communication link bit error rate tester simulator with a graphical user interface (GUI).

It uses the Traits/UI package of the Enthought Python Distribution (EPD) http://www.enthought.com/products/epd.php, as well as the NumPy, SciPy, and SciKit-RF packages.

Notice: Before using this package for any purpose, you MUST read and understand the terms put forward in the accompanying "LICENSE" file.

User Installation

• https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/instant_gratification

Developer Installation

• https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/Developer_Instructions

Wiki

• https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki

FAQ

• https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/pybert_faq

Email List

• pybert@freelists.org

Building, Testing, and Distributing

Note: As of February 2026, Tox is no longer used in the PyBERT build/test/dist. infrastructure.

The PyBERT build/test/dist. infrastructure is a two level structure:

1. A make file provides the main interface for "normal" developers, offering the following targets:

% make
Available targets:
==================
  check: Validate the 'pyproject.toml' file.
  format: Reformats all Python source code. USE CAUTION!
  lint: Run 'ruff' and 'flake8' over the source code.
  type-check: Run type checking, via 'mypy', on the source code.
  docs: Run 'sphinx' on the source code, to generate documentation.
    To view the resultant API documentation, open 'docs/build/index.html' in a browser.
  build: Build both the source tarball and wheel.
  upload: Upload both the source tarball and wheel to PyPi.
  upload_test: Upload both the source tarball and wheel to TestPyPi.
  test: Run tests, using all supported Python versions.
  clean: Remove all previous build results, virtual environments, and cache contents.
  distclean: Runs a 'make clean' and removes 'dist/'.

2. uv is now used, in place of pip, as the "back-end engine". If you peruse the makefile, you'll find that it uses uv extensively, to get its various jobs done. However, this use of uv should be transparent to typical developers. Understanding uv operation should only be necessary for those tinkering with the makefile itself. Everyone else should be able to use make exclusively for building, testing, and distributing.

Documentation

PyBERT documentation exists in 2 separate forms:

• For developers:

  • docs/build/index.html (See the docs make target, above.)
  • https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/Developer_Instructions

• For users:

  • Quick installation instructions at https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/instant_gratification.
  • "Hover tips", which exist for all user entry fields in the GUI.
  • The 'Help' tab of the PyBERT GUI.
  • The PyBERT FAQ at https://github.com/capn-freako/PyBERT/wiki/pybert_faq.
  • Sending e-mail to David Banas at capn.freako@gmail.com.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to the PyBERT project:

David Patterson for being my main co-author and for his countless hours driving the PyBERT project across the Python2<=>Python3 divide, as well as, more recently, completely updating its build infrastructure to be more in sync. w/ modern Python package building/testing/distribution philosophy.

Peter Pupalaikis for sharing his expertise w/ both Fourier transform and S-parameter subtleties. The PyBERT source code wouldn't have nearly the mathematical/theoretical fidelity that it does had Peter not contributed.

Yuri Shlepnev for his rock solid understanding of RF fundamentals, as well as his infinite patience in helping me understand them, too. ;-)

Dennis Han for thoroughly beating the snot out of PyBERT w/ nothing but love in his heart and determination in his mind to drive PyBERT further towards a professional level of quality. Dennis has made perhaps the most significant contributions towards making PyBERT a serious tool for the working professional serial communications link designer.

Todd Westerhoff for helping me better understand what tool features really matter to working professional link designers and which are just in the way. Also, for some very helpful feedback, re: improving the real World PyBERT experience for the user.

Mark Marlett for first introducing me to Python/NumPy/SciPy, as an alternative to MATLAB for numerical computing and signal processing, as well as his countless hours of tutelage, regarding the finer points of serial communication link simulation technique. Mark is also the one, who insisted that I take a break from development and finally write some documentation, so that others could understand what I intended and, hopefully, contribute. Thanks, Mark!

Low Kian Seong for straightening out my understanding of the real purpose of the description field in the setup.py script.

Jason Ellison for many cathartic chats on the topic of quality open source software creation, maintenance, and distribution.

Michael Gielda & Denz Choe for their contributions to the PyBERT code base.

The entire SciKit-RF team for creating and supporting an absolutely wonderful Python package for working with RF models and simulations.

:)