Welcome to piec’s documentation!

piec (/peek/) is a Python library for controlling instruments and fast prototyping experiments that enables scientists to quickly test and build new experimental setups.

Getting Started

• What is PIEC?
  • Who is PIEC for?
  • How PIEC fits into your workflow
• Installation
  • Installing PIEC
  • Driver Dependencies
• Quickstart
  • Running a virtual hysteresis measurement
  • Next steps

User Guide

• The Driver
  • Driver inheritance hierarchy
  • What each level provides
  • Folder structure
  • Virtual instruments
  • Using a driver
  • Parameter validation
  • Class attributes
  • State tracking
• Connecting to the Instrument
  • Instrument Autodetection
  • Finding Your Instrument’s Address Manually
  • Virtual mode
• Running Measurements
  • General workflow
  • Measurement class structure
• Data and Analysis
  • CSV file format
  • File naming
  • Reading saved data
  • Utility functions reference
  • Example: hysteresis analysis walkthrough

Measurements

• AMR Measurement Documentation
  • Overview
  • Hardware Setup & Feedback Loop
  • Software Architecture
  • How to Use the Notebook
  • How to Use the GUI
  • Features Summary
• Ferroelectric Measurement Documentation
  • Overview
  • Hardware Setup
  • Software Architecture
  • How to Use the Notebook
  • How to Use the GUI
  • Features Summary
• DCIV Measurement Documentation
  • Overview
  • Hardware Setup
  • Software Architecture
  • How to Use the GUI
  • Features Summary

Supported Instruments

• Supported Instruments
  • Universal Requirements
  • Verified Versions
  • Category Overview
  • Awg
  • Daq
  • Dc Callibrator
  • Dmm
  • Lockin
  • Oscilloscope
  • Pulser
  • Sourcemeter
  • Stepper Motor

API Reference

• API Reference
  • piec.analysis
  • piec.drivers
  • piec.measurement

Contributing

• Contributing to PIEC
  • Adding a Driver
  • Instrument Driver Development Guide
  • Adding a Measurement
  • Bug reports
  • Pull request workflow
  • Test functions
  • AI use guidelines
• Adding a Driver
  • Step 1: Gather your materials
  • Step 2: Create the file skeleton
  • Step 3: Run the AI coding session
  • Step 4: Register the driver
  • Step 5: Validate with the test notebook
  • Before contributing
  • Code Rules Reference
• Instrument Driver Development Guide
  • 1. The 3-Level Architecture
  • 2. Constructor (__init__)
  • 3. Autodetection (AUTODETECT_ID)
  • 4. Class Attributes (Capabilities & Limits)
  • 5. Method Conventions: set_, configure_, and run_
  • 6. Method Signatures and Default Parameters
  • 7. Communication & Protocol Convenience
  • 8. Automatic State Tracking
  • 8a. Automatic String Lowercasing
  • 9. Optional Methods
  • 10. Argument Mapping
  • 11. Repository Folder Structure
• Adding a Measurement
  • Where to put the file
  • Choosing the right base class
  • Implementing the required methods
  • Adding analysis functions
  • Documenting the measurement

Administrative Info

• License
• Authors & Citation
• Changelog
• Code of Conduct