Getting Started

This chapter shows you how to install the client software, connect the Pulse Streamer 8/2 to your network, and generate your first pulse using the graphical user interface (GUI) or the application programming interface (API).

Software installation

The Pulse Streamer 8/2 does not require any driver installation. It uses a standard Ethernet interface for communication, so all drivers are already provided with your operating system. The only requirement is that the Pulse Streamer 8/2 must be added to your network. See the Network Connection section for further information. A direct connection to the network card of your PC is also supported.

Client software

Please visit the Software Downloads section of our website and download the client and example files for any of the supported programming languages. Alternatively, the packages for Python, MATLAB and LabVIEW are available via PyPI, MATLAB Add-on Explorer and VI Package Manager, respectively.

• The Python module for Pulse Streamer can be installed either from the www.pypi.org with the following command

  pip install pulsestreamer
  
  # or if you want to use gRPC client then
  # install the pulsestreamer with optional "grpc" support
  pip install pulsestreamer[grpc]
  

  or from a local package file using the command

  pip install path/to/packagefile.whl
  

  Replace path/to/packagefile.whl with the actual path of the package file.

• The MATLAB toolbox can be installed with the MATLAB Add-on Explorer or by downloading and double-clicking the toolbox package file on Windows. The toolbox is compatible with MATLAB versions starting from 2014b.

• The LabVIEW package installation requires the free JKI VI Package Manager, which is often installed alongside LabVIEW. You can find the “Pulse Streamer” package in the community repository if you search for it in the VI Package Manager.

Graphical User Interface

The Pulse Streamer Application provides basic configuration functionality and allows for the generation of simple signals.

1. Download and install the most recent Pulse Streamer Windows App from our downloads site.

2. Start the Pulse Streamer Application from the Windows start menu.

3. The GUI window should show up on your screen.

Note

If you already have the Pulse Streamer App v1.0.2 installed, you must uninstall it before installing the latest version.

Generate simple pulse pattern

This section shows a simple example of how to generate a simple signal on digital output channel “0” of the Pulse Streamer 8/2. The signal will consist of a single pulse, which is repeated an infinite number of times. While this example is extremely simple, it shows a very typical way of defining and generating various signals.

Client software

PythonMATLABLabVIEW

# import API classes into the current namespace
from pulsestreamer import PulseStreamer, Sequence 

# A pulse with 10µs HIGH and 30µs LOW levels
pattern = [(10000, 1), (30000, 0)]

# Connect to Pulse Streamer
ip = 'pulsestreamer'
ps = PulseStreamer(ip)

# Create a sequence object
sequence = ps.createSequence()

# Create sequence and assign pattern to digital channel 0
sequence.setDigital(0, pattern)

# Stream the sequence and repeat it indefinitely
n_runs = PulseStreamer.REPEAT_INFINITELY
ps.stream(sequence, n_runs)

Detailed information about the programming interface of the Pulse Streamer 8/2 and the API can be found in the Programming interface section.

Graphical User Interface

After startup, the Pulse Streamer Application scans the network for connected Pulse Streamers and displays detailed information about all discovered devices.

Pulse Streamer Application: Start screen

If your device is not shown, make sure it is correctly connected to the network and press the Auto Discover button. Devices with firmware version v1.0.x can only be discovered with Network Scan.

1. Choose your device and click Connect.

2. On the right side, change the drop-down field DIGITAL 0 from Constant to Pulse.

3. Set Period to 40,000 ns and Duration to 10,000 ns.

4. Click the Play button.

Pulse Streamer Application: Sequence configuration

Note

The Pulse Streamer Application provides easy-to-use device setup functionality, such as network configuration and firmware updates. However, it currently offers only basic functionality for sequence generation and streaming. It allows setting simple pulse repetitions or square waves for demonstration purposes. Particularly its capabilities of merging different channel patterns are limited. As a result, placing individual pulse patterns on different digital channels with only one or a few repetition counts will always preserve the desired frequencies (set via Period, Time offset and Duration) but might lead to deviation of the Repetition count set in the GUI window. We recommend using our API to benefit from the full functionality of the Pulse Streamer 8/2.

Firmware update

We recommend continuously updating all devices to our latest Pulse Streamer 8/2 firmware. The Pulse Streamer GUI will inform you about available updates and guide you through the firmware update process. On the startup-screen with the listed devices, press the Update firmware button behind the field with the firmware version to open the firmware-updater-window and follow the further instructions.

Note

Please ensure you have installed the latest version of the Pulse Streamer Application before you update your Pulse Streamer 8/2 firmware.

Pulse Streamer Application: Firmware Updater

In case you need to update a device located in a network without internet access, you can manually download the updater file from our downloads site. After that, you can perform the firmware update process independently by using the offline mode and specifying the path to the updater.

Pulse Streamer Application: Firmware Updater offline mode

Note

If the GUI looses connection to the Pulse Streamer 8/2 during the firmware update process (e.g. due to incompatible network settings [1] of the firmware versions), it shows a message in the update window and asks for the new IP address. Please open a second instance of the PUlse Streamer Application, press the Auto Discover button to scan for the device with your serial number and enter the respective IP address in the update window command line.

If you face any problems or if your device is not equipped with firmware v1.0.1 or later, please contact support@swabianinstruments.com. We will provide a customized firmware update for you.

Third-party notices

The Pulse Streamer 8/2 firmware includes third-party software. The corresponding license texts and notices are bundled inside the updater package (see the file named License).

Where required by the respective terms, the corresponding source code is available from Swabian Instruments upon request. Please contact info@swabianinstruments.com.

[1]

With firmware version v2.1.x and later, there is no longer a second permanent fallback IP address (169.254.8.2) when a static IP address is configured (see DHCP/auto-IP and Static IP address configuration). Suppose you update via this fallback address when a static IP address is configured. In that case, you might have to switch back to DHCP configuration (reset button) before the device is detectable via the GUI with firmware v2.x).