Pandora

Contents

Overview

Welcome to the PANDORA project documentation. PANDORA is a versatile instrument control system that orchestrates multiple laboratory subsystems—such as the monochromator, shutter, flip mounts, Keysight electrometers, and Zaber stages— to provide a unified, automated workflow. This documentation offers a high-level introduction, installation guidance, quick-start examples, and detailed API references.

How to Install

Installation instructions are under development. Please check back soon for a comprehensive guide on setup, configuration, and dependency management.

Command Line Interface

The PANDORA project includes a command-line interface (CLI) for quick access to common functionalities. This allows you to control subsystems, set parameters, and perform measurements without writing a full Python script.

To use the CLI, simply run the pb command followed by the desired action. For example:

# Set the monochromator to 500 nm
pb set-wavelength 500

# Open the shutter
pb open-shutter

# Get 1 second electrometer readout
pb get-keysight-readout 1 --name K2 --nplc 10 --autoRange

# Get a spectrum plot
pb get-spectrometer-readout 50 --is_plot

# Close the shutter
pb close-shutter

This command will set the monochromator to 500 nm, open the shutter, move a flip mount named “pd2” into the beam, and acquire a short spectrometer reading (50 ms) while plotting the result.

Please refer to the Command Line Interface documentation for a full list of commands and options.

Quick Start

Kickstart your experience with PANDORA using this minimal example:

from pandora_controller import PandoraBox
pandora = PandoraBox()
pandora.initialize_subsystems()

Hello, world!

Upon initialization, the subsystems assume their default safe states:

  • Monochromator: go to home state (400 nm).

  • Shutter: Closed, blocking the light path.

  • Flip Mounts: Not on the optical path.

  • Keysight Electrometers: On standby.

  • Zaber Stages: At home (off light path).

Once the subsystems are initialized, you can control them individually or in combination to suit your experimental needs.

For more details on controlling the hardware, see the Controlling Subsystems.

API Reference

For a detailed breakdown of classes, methods, and usage examples, please refer to the PANDORA Controller API Documentation.

Additional Resources

  • User Guides: Comprehensive tutorials and operational tips will be added soon.

  • Troubleshooting: Find common issues and their solutions.

  • Contributing: Learn how to contribute improvements to PANDORA and its documentation.

Happy experimenting with PANDORA!