Open AccessPython-Microscope – a new open-source Python library for the control of microscopes
Author(s) -
David Miguel Susano Pinto,
Michael A. Phillips,
Nicholas Hall,
Julio MateosLangerak,
Danail Stoychev,
Tiago Susano Pinto,
Martin J. Booth,
Ilan Davis,
Ian M. Dobbie
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of cell science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.384
H-Index - 278
eISSN - 1477-9137
pISSN - 0021-9533
DOI - 10.1242/jcs.258955
Subject(s) - python (programming language) , microscope , computer science , software , scalability , computer hardware , computer graphics (images) , programming language , operating system , physics , optics
Custom-built microscopes often require control of multiple hardware devices and precise hardware coordination. It is also desirable to have a solution that is scalable to complex systems and that is translatable between components from different manufacturers. Here we report Python-Microscope, a free and open-source Python library for high-performance control of arbitrarily complex and scalable custom microscope systems. Python-Microscope offers simple to use Python-based tools, abstracting differences between physical devices by providing a defined interface for different device types. Concrete implementations are provided for a range of specific hardware, and a framework exists for further expansion. Python-Microscope supports the distribution of devices over multiple computers while maintaining synchronisation via highly precise hardware triggers. We discuss the architectural features of Python-Microscope that overcome the performance problems often raised against Python and demonstrate the different use cases that drove its design: integration with user-facing projects, namely the Microscope-Cockpit project; control of complex microscopes at high speed while using the Python programming language; and use as a microscope simulation tool for software development.