3rd Party Integrations

The versatility of our products has led to the integration of our >> APIs into various third-party tools. Third-party integrations describe software products from manufacturers who see added value in integrating our products.

The relevant components for the third-party integrations are not part of PI’s software. The installation is provided by the corresponding third-party software provider. Some integrations are done in commercial software packages, but there are also several open-source software packages where usually the community implements the necessary code.

Most integrations are based on the PI GCS2DLL. If you want to use a controller that is not listed on the given pages listed below, please contact us so that we can check an appropriate extension.

Do you want to integrate our drivers into your software environment and have questions in this regard? Is the integration already completed and you would like to be mentioned on this page as well?

µManager

µManager and µManager2 are open-source programs for the control and automation of microscope hardware. PI has developed a so-called device adapter that is part of the official version of µManager. Therefore, the user does not need to download and install further components from PI for the application. We recommend our PIMikroMove software for the configuration of the controller and stage.

All PI controllers that use GCS2 are supported and can be used with the typical interfaces. The stages can be combined in any way and are supported as both "Z stage" (focus) and "XY stage" (sample). Any number of stages can be connected, however, only the active Z stage or XY stage can be selected in the user interface.

For more information, contact:

PI GCS 2 - MICRO-MANAGER

EPICS

EPICS is a set of open-source libraries that control scientific instruments. PI provides a driver for the motor module based on the PI GCS2 driver that is part of the EPICS distribution. The driver for EPICS can be extended on request. The list of supported PI products and the download for the module can be found under the following links:

EPICS Hardware Support: by Manufacturer

EPICS: Motor Record and Device/Driver support

ScanImage

ScanImage is a software package used to control multiphoton and laser-scanning microscopes.

A list of PI controllers integrated into the MBF Bioscience software can be found under the link below. There you can also find more information about the software.

ScanImage® - MBF Bioscience

ScanImage® - PI Motor Controllers

TANGO

Tango is a free open-source toolkit for controlling any kind of hard- or software and building SCADA systems, initiated by the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in Grenoble, France.

Tango supports already exist for many PI controllers; however, PI does not offer its own driver for Tango. Where this is not the case, PI gladly supports its customers with the implementation.

Tango Device Server User's Guide

More information about TANGO

Robot Operating System (ROS)

The Robot Operating System (ROS) is a flexible framework that is used to develop software for robotics. It offers a set of tools, software libraries, and rules that help you build and control complex robotic applications.

PI offers a ROS driver with which PI hexapods can be integrated into a ROS environment. The PI hexapods can comfortably be controlled with it. Additionally, ROS offers the possibility to visualize and simulate the application. For certain hexapods, models exist that are automatically available when the ROS driver is downloaded.

The download is available on GitHub:

PI ROS Driver

Ros.org Docu

Disclaimer: PI has only contributed to a limited extent to the development of the software solutions mentioned above, and does not take any responsibility for the drivers/modules not exclusively developed by PI.

Do you want to integrate our drivers into your software environment and have questions in this regard? For this purpose, PI can provide devices, advise on the integration, or actively support the software development if required. Is the integration already completed and you would like to be mentioned on this page as well?