Stradus SDK for Vortran lasers

Note: Python library for controlling Vortran Stradus lasers, maintained by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Installation

If you don't have python already on your system you can install it using uv.

Install the package from PyPI:

uv pip install vortran-lbl

You can also first clone this git repository and then install the package using uv directly from the cloned git repository:

uv pip install -e .

Use

The code below shows how to use the package

import vortran_lbl as vortran

lasers = vortran.get_lasers()

laser = lasers[0]

is_open = laser.open_connection()

laser.enable_power_control_mode()
laser.power = 50

base_temp = laser.base_plate_temperature

laser.on()
time.sleep(1)
laser.off()

Logging Configuration

The vortran_lbl library uses Python's standard logging module. By default, no log messages are shown. To see log output, configure logging in your application:

Basic Logging Setup

import logging
import vortran_lbl as vortran

# Show INFO level and above (device discovery, connections)
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.INFO)

# Or show DEBUG level for detailed USB communication
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

lasers = vortran.get_lasers()  # Will now show log messages

Advanced Logging Configuration

import logging
import vortran_lbl as vortran

# Configure specific logger levels
logging.getLogger('vortran_lbl.usb').setLevel(logging.INFO)      # USB device discovery
logging.getLogger('vortran_lbl.laser').setLevel(logging.DEBUG)   # Laser operations
logging.getLogger('vortran_lbl.usb_connection').setLevel(logging.WARNING)  # Only errors

# Custom formatter
formatter = logging.Formatter('%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s')
handler = logging.StreamHandler()
handler.setFormatter(formatter)

logger = logging.getLogger('vortran_lbl')
logger.addHandler(handler)
logger.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)

Log Levels

• DEBUG: Detailed USB communication, retry attempts
• INFO: Device discovery, connection status
• WARNING: Parse errors, failed operations with retries
• ERROR: Connection failures, USB communication errors

Configuration

USB Library Configuration (Windows only)

The library automatically finds libusb in this order:

1. Custom path via VORTRAN_LIBUSB_PATH environment variable
2. libusb package installed via pip (pip install libusb)
3. Default relative paths in your project directory

Setting Custom Path

Linux/macOS (bash):

export VORTRAN_LIBUSB_PATH="/path/to/your/libusb-1.0.dll"

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:VORTRAN_LIBUSB_PATH = "C:\path\to\your\libusb-1.0.dll"

Windows (Command Prompt):

set VORTRAN_LIBUSB_PATH=C:\path\to\your\libusb-1.0.dll

Default Paths

If no custom path is set and libusb package is not installed, the library looks for:

• 32-bit: USB/libusb/x86/libusb-1.0.dll
• 64-bit: USB/libusb/x64/libusb-1.0.dll

Recommended Setup

For easiest setup, simply install the libusb package:

pip install libusb

Development

Running Tests

Install test dependencies:

uv pip install -e ".[test]"

Run tests:

pytest

Run tests with coverage:

pytest --cov=src/vortran_lbl --cov-report=term-missing

Contributing

If you want to contribute, please install and use pre-commit:

uv pip install pre-commit
pre-commit install