Setting Up Your Instruments

Before you use instruments with the Lager Client, you must identify and organize the connected devices. This applies to both the CLI and the Python library.

View Connected Instruments

To view all instruments currently connected to a specific Lager Box, run:

lager instruments --box my-lager-box

This command detects and lists all physical instruments connected to the Lager Box via USB or network. Example output:

┌─────────────────────────┬──────────┬────────────────────────────────┐
│ Instrument              │ Channels │ Address                        │
├─────────────────────────┼──────────┼────────────────────────────────┤
│ Rigol_DP832             │ CH1,CH2  │ USB0::0x1AB1::0x0E11::DP8...   │
│ LabJack_T7              │ AIN0-13  │ T7-12345678                    │
│ Aardvark                │ I2C,SPI  │ USB0::0x0403::0xE0D0::...      │
│ Segger_JLink            │ SWD      │ USB::001::002                  │
└─────────────────────────┴──────────┴────────────────────────────────┘

To view configured nets (logical mappings to instruments), use:

lager nets --box my-lager-box

This shows the nets you’ve created, their types, and which instruments they’re mapped to.

Example Output:

Name      Net Type      Instrument        Channel       Address
===============================================================================================
ADC_0     adc           LabJack_T7        AIN0          USB0::0x0CD5::0x0007::::INSTR
ARM       arm           Rotrix_Dexarm     /dev/ttyACM0  USB0::0x0483::0x5740::206E399E4753::INSTR
GPIO_0    gpio          LabJack_T7        FIO3          USB0::0x0CD5::0x0007::::INSTR
GPIO_1    gpio          LabJack_T7        FIO2          USB0::0x0CD5::0x0007::::INSTR
GPIO_2    gpio          LabJack_T7        FIO1          USB0::0x0CD5::0x0007::::INSTR
GPIO_3    gpio          LabJack_T7        FIO0          USB0::0x0CD5::0x0007::::INSTR
I2C_0     i2c           Aardvark          --            USB0::0x0403::0xE0D0::2420032::INSTR
SPI_0     spi           Aardvark          --            USB0::0x0403::0xE0D0::2420032::INSTR
TEMP_0    thermocouple  Phidget           0             USB0::0x06C2::0x0046::751053::INSTR
TEMP_1    thermocouple  Phidget           1             USB0::0x06C2::0x0046::751053::INSTR
UART      uart          SiLabs_CP210x     0001          USB0::0x10C4::0xEA60::0001::INSTR
USB_0     usb           Acroname_8Port    0             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_1     usb           Acroname_8Port    1             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_2     usb           Acroname_8Port    2             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_3     usb           Acroname_8Port    3             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_4     usb           Acroname_8Port    4             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_5     usb           Acroname_8Port    5             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_6     usb           Acroname_8Port    6             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
USB_7     usb           Acroname_8Port    7             USB0::0x24FF::0x0013::807D0C12::INSTR
WEBCAM    webcam        Logitech_BRIO_HD  /dev/video0   USB0::0x046D::0x085E::20786B34::INSTR

Automatic Net Creation

When you plug an instrument into a Lager Box, Lager creates a default Net for each supported function.

A simple, single-function device like a power supply will create one Supply Net.
A multi-function device such as a LabJack T7 DAQ creates several Nets. It creates one each for GPIO, ADC and DAC, plus I2C and SPI when you configure them.
An I2C/SPI adapter supports both protocols. A Total Phase Aardvark, for example, creates an I2C Net and an SPI Net.

Some instruments carry several channels of the same type, such as a 4-channel oscilloscope. You can assign and configure a Net for each channel.

Modify or Assign Nets Using the TUI

The interactive TUI (text user interface) assigns new Nets on a multi-channel instrument such as a LabJack or a PicoScope. It also renames an existing Net. To launch the Net TUI, run:

lager nets tui --box my-lager-box

Within the TUI, you can:

Add new Nets
Rename existing Nets
Delete unused Nets

RS-232 Instruments (Manual Assignment)

Some instruments have no USB control port. They connect through a USB-serial adapter instead, such as a Rigol DP711 power supply on its RS-232 port. The Lager Box sees only the adapter cable. It cannot tell which instrument is behind that cable, so nothing appears automatically.

Rigol DP711 — crossover cable required. The DP711’s RS-232 port is wired as DTE, the same as the RS232-to-USB adapter Rigol ships with it. Connecting the two directly will not work — TX talks to TX and nothing gets through. You must insert a null-modem (crossover) cable or adapter between the DP711 and the USB-serial adapter so the TX/RX lines are swapped. Without it the cable shows up in lager nets assign --list but the supply never responds to commands.

Tell the box what the cable is connected to, once per cable:

# See the unassigned USB-serial cables on the box
lager nets assign --list --box my-lager-box

# Assign the cable to the instrument — and create a supply net in one step
lager nets assign Rigol_DP711 --serial 00000006 --as-net main_supply --box my-lager-box

The Net TUI (lager nets tui) offers the same flow under the Assign Device button. Pick the cable, pick the instrument, and name the net. After you assign it, the instrument appears in lager instruments and in the TUI like any auto-detected device. You add nets for it in the usual way. The box stores the assignment, which survives a reboot and a replug. See the nets assign reference for port-pinned assignments, baud-rate overrides, and removal.

Debug Nets

For debug instruments (e.g., Segger J-Link, ST-Link), you must specify the target MCU when creating the net. This is easily done through the TUI, as it will prompt you to input the MCU type.

Important: The MCU type must match a valid target device supported by your debug probe. If the MCU type is not recognized, the debugger will not function correctly.

Next Steps

With your instruments configured, start controlling them:

Interacting With Nets — Send commands to your instruments via CLI or Python

Getting Started

Resources

Setting Up Your Instruments

View Connected Instruments

Example Output:

Automatic Net Creation

Modify or Assign Nets Using the TUI

Within the TUI, you can:

RS-232 Instruments (Manual Assignment)

Debug Nets

Next Steps

​View Connected Instruments

​Example Output:

​Automatic Net Creation

​Modify or Assign Nets Using the TUI

​Within the TUI, you can:

​RS-232 Instruments (Manual Assignment)

​Debug Nets

​Next Steps

View Connected Instruments

Example Output:

Automatic Net Creation

Modify or Assign Nets Using the TUI

Within the TUI, you can:

RS-232 Instruments (Manual Assignment)

Debug Nets

Next Steps