Drivers
Several Modules can load Devices and they are represented by Device Classes which are small python based code snippets allowing you to include and use any equipment with SweepMe!. It basically is a file called main.py written in the programming language python 3.6 (https://www.python.org/). All Device Classes can be found in the folder Devices of the SweepMe! installation.
Download
Version manager
You can download or update Devices via the Version Manager which is part of the SweepMe! installation. (>= v.1.5.4 needed)
Direct download
Click the link "Devices" on our webpage and you will come to a list of all available Devices. You can download the Device directly as a zip-folder and you only need to unzip the Device Class into your local "Devices" folder of your SweepMe! installation.
Upload
To make SweepMe! a powerful tool, we are relying on you! Help us to build up a large library of Devices. Implement your own Device Classes and upload your files to our webpage. Contact us and request an account. Using the dashboard, you can upload, manage, and share your Devices with other users.
Places and folders
SweepMe! can load Device Classes from different places:
pre-installed: These Device Classes come with your installation of SweepMe! You can find them in the folder 'Devices' of your SweepMe! installation, e.g "C:\SweepMe!\SweepMe!_1.5.4\Devices" if you use the suggested installation path
installed: These Device Classes are obtained using the VersionManager ("Modules&Devices"). Every Device Class you download is versionized and will be copied to "C:\ProgramData\SweepMe!\Devices". These folders are read-only. Do not modify them. You can delete these versions using the VersionManager of SweepMe! Please also do not add any Device Class yourself, except you know why.
custom: These Device Classes are placed in the public folder of SweepMe! called "CustomDevices". You can find this folder via the folder link on your desktop that was created during the installation or via the Menu of SweepMe! 'File' -> 'Open Folder' -> 'Public'. We recommend to use this folder to create you own Device Classes as this folder will not be changed if you install a newer version of SweepMe! so that you can still access your Device Class with any further SweepMe! version
These different kinds of Device Classes are shown in the VersionManager of SweepMe! having the label pre-installed, installed, or custom.
Structure
SweepMe! searches for new Device Classes in the folders described above. Each Device Class has to have a name of the following structure:
<Type of the Module>-<Name of the manufacturer>_<Name of the device model>
Examples:
- SMU-Keithley_2400
- LCRmeter-HP_4284A
- Logger-PC_Mouse
The <Type of the Module> must be related to the Modules provided by SweepMe! and every Module provides different functionality to control a certain type of equipment.
The Device Class itself is a file which always has the name "main.py" and which can load further python modules, [dll]s, or simply text files as needed to get your Device Class working.
The Device Class Structure provides various standard functions which can be used at certain points during the run of the measurement sequence.
Creating new Device Classes
You can implement Device Classes on your own into SweepMe!:
1.) Copy a Device Class using the VersionManager ("Modules&Devices") of SweepMe!. Select a Device Class and right-click on a version to select "Copy to public folder 'CustomDevices'". A new version will appear with the label "custom". Right-click again and select either "Open in editor" or "Open in folder" to do first modifications. It still has the name of the original Device Class. Rename the folder of the Device Class if you need a completely new one
2.) Go to Device Class Programming and learn how to create a Device Class from scratch.
After you renamed a Device Class or you created a new folder, please restart SweepMe! to reload all existing Device Classes.
Open/Modify
You can open any Device Class out of SweepMe! in an included notepad++ editor. Any change to the Device Class will automatically affect its operation after saving the file. If you like to try some modifications, we recommend to create a copy of the respective Device Class folder and rename it by keeping the same folder name structure as given above.