Labs · Electronics and measurement

DvG Arduino lock-in amplifier (Alia_protocol_serial.Alia)

DvG Arduino lock-in amplifier (Alia_protocol_serial.Alia), adapted from dennis-van-gils/dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp. It reads ref_clipping_high, ref_clipping_low, adc_autocal_valid, adc_autocal_gaincorr and 4 more; sets ref_waveform, ref_freq, ref_offset, ref_amplitude and 1 more; runs start_acquisition and stop_acquisition. start_acquisition: start the lock-in acquisition (the native on command); it takes no input. A hardware driver: the market serves its fake backend, so no instrument is needed.

hardwareRisk R1MITcontract_checkedserved on the fake backend
openai4s lab add labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp

Install

Three ways to run this device. Each one serves its fake backend: no instrument, no simulator install and no upstream checkout.

OpenAI4S (one command)

shell
openai4s lab add labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp

Installs the device into the OpenAI4S Lab on its fake backend and starts it. First time? See setup below.

Or, in the workbench, open the Lab tab → Market → Install.

Standalone MHS endpoint

shell
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/PKU-YuanGroup/OpenMHS.git && cd OpenMHS
PYTHONPATH=MHS/sdk/src python3 -m mhs serve labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp --port 7400
# in a second terminal, from the same directory:
PYTHONPATH=MHS/sdk/src python3 -m mhs describe --endpoint http://127.0.0.1:7400

Serves the device as an MHS endpoint on port 7400 from an OpenMHS clone (Python 3.10 or later, standard library only); describe prints what it offers.

Any MCP host (Claude Desktop, Cursor, …)

mcp configuration
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dvg-arduino-lock-in-amp": {
      "command": "python3",
      "args": [
        "-m",
        "mhs",
        "serve",
        "labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp",
        "--mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "PYTHONPATH": "/path/to/OpenMHS/MHS/sdk/src"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add this server to the host's MCP configuration and replace /path/to/OpenMHS with the path of your OpenMHS clone. The host starts the server and talks to it on stdin and stdout.

What it does

Measures

  • ref_clipping_high
  • ref_clipping_low
  • adc_autocal_valid
  • adc_autocal_gaincorr
  • adc_autocal_offsetcorr
  • sampling_rate
  • block_size
  • running

Adjusts

  • ref_waveform
  • ref_freq
  • ref_offset
  • ref_amplitude
  • ref_amplitude_rms

Actions

start_acquisition
Start the lock-in acquisition (the native on command); it takes no input
stop_acquisition
Stop the lock-in acquisition (the native off command, the safe state); it takes no input

Names as the driver declares them. Units, limits and the safety declaration are in the package's REFERENCE.md.

First-time setup

The OpenAI4S workbench with the OpenMHS lab, from a source checkout:

shell
# OpenAI4S workbench with the OpenMHS lab (source checkout)
git clone --recursive https://github.com/PKU-YuanGroup/OpenAI4S.git
cd OpenAI4S && ./setup.sh && source .venv/bin/activate
openai4s lab add labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp
openai4s serve        # open the Lab tab

The standalone endpoint and the MCP server need only an OpenMHS clone and Python 3.10 or later. More in the market's getting-started guide and on the OpenAI4S host page.

Source and evidence

Pinned commit
64c0f18f9111
Licence
MIT
Stars
33
Evidence
contract_checked on the fake backend
Backends
fake, hardware

The driver package MHS/drivers/labs/dennis-van-gils__dvg_arduino_lock-in_amp wraps the upstream code at the pinned commit. Its REFERENCE.md documents the full contract: every value, action, unit, limit and the safety declaration.