This is some simple software to control a relay-switched power bar ((https://a.co/d/0LyXXbR)) using an Arduino Nano running standard firmata. This system allows us to control and reset microscope hardware from our acquisition program.
- Initializes the Arduino Nano and manages its state. The initialization is slow - (5s). The daemon amortizes this time cost at the beginning.
- Sends logic signals to the power bar to control its state.
- Listens for commands via a Unix socket (
/tmp/royerlab_power_daemon.sock). - Supported commands:
on: Powers on the power bar.off: Powers off the power bar.status: Queries the current state of the power bar.
- Provides a command-line interface to interact with the daemon (meaning that the board is already initialized, and the commands are ~instant).
- Automatically starts the daemon if it is not running.
- Supported actions:
on: Sends a command to power on the power bar.off: Sends a command to power off the power bar.status: Queries the current state of the power bar.kill: Stops the daemon process.relaunch: Restarts the daemon process.
The daemon is automatically started by the main.py script if it is not already running.
Run the main.py script with one of the following actions:
python3 main.py [action]on: Powers on the power bar.off: Powers off the power bar.status: Queries the current state of the power bar.kill: Stops the daemon process.relaunch: Restarts the daemon process.
- Ensure the Arduino Nano is connected to the specified port (
/dev/serial/by-id/...). This can be changed using the PORT constant in config.py. - The daemon uses a Unix socket located at
/tmp/royerlab_power_daemon.sock. If the socket file exists but the daemon is not running, it may need to be manually removed. - The power bar must be connected to the Arduino Nano (pin D2 is hardcoded) and configured to accept logic signals for proper operation.
- The Arduino must be running the standard firmata sketch.