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# PicoStream
A fast, simple GUI for streaming from PicoScope 5000a series scopes. Built on [labdaemon](https://github.com/qnslab/labdaemon).
## What's new in v1.0
Complete rewrite with:
- **Dual channels** — acquire A and B simultaneously (16-bit = single channel only)
- **Ring buffer** — configurable lookback (5–120s) with on-demand recording
- **Pre-trigger capture** — include N seconds of data before you hit record
- **Keep or discard** — stop recording and either save or trash the file
- **VisPy plotting** — hardware-accelerated OpenGL, much faster than before
- **Zarr format** — chunked storage, faster than HDF5 for large files
- **PyQt6** — bumped from PyQt5
## Install
Requires Python ≥3.10, PicoSDK installed.
Install PicoSDK from [picotech.com/downloads](https://www.picotech.com/downloads).
Linux users: create `/etc/udev/rules.d/99-picoscope.rules`:
```
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTR{idVendor}=="0ce9", MODE="0666"
```
Then run `sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger`.
From PyPI:
```bash
pip install picostream
```
For development:
```bash
just sync
```
## Run
After pip install:
```bash
picostream
```
During development:
```bash
just gui
```
## Quickstart
1. Enter scope serial (or `MOCK` to simulate), click **Connect**
2. Set channels, voltage ranges, sample rate, resolution
3. **Start Acquisition** (Space bar)
4. **Start Recording** (R) when you want to save
5. **Stop & Keep** (K) or **Stop & Discard** (Del)
Recordings save to `~/picostream/` by default.
## Crash Cleanup
If the app crashes during recording, incomplete Zarr files remain in `~/picostream/`.
These are useless. Delete them:
```bash
rm -rf ~/picostream/*.zarr
```
Change save location in the GUI (Record Controls → Change...).
## Shortcuts
| Key | Action |
|-----|--------|
| Space | Start/stop acquisition |
| 1, 2 | Toggle channels |
| R | Start recording |
| K | Stop + keep |
| Del | Stop + discard |
| Ctrl+O | Open existing Zarr file |
## Development
```bash
just gui # run from source
just test # run tests
just test-cov # run tests with coverage
just format # format all code
just lint # lint code
just typecheck # type check
just build # build PyInstaller executable
just clean # remove build artifacts
just sync # install dependencies
just update # update dependencies
just help # see all commands
```
## Acknowledgements
This began as a fork of [JoshHarris2108/pico_streaming](https://github.com/JoshHarris2108/pico_streaming) (unlicensed). The original producer-consumer architecture and PicoSDK integration came from Josh's work.
## Changelog
### v1.0.0
Complete rewrite — new architecture, new file format, dual channels, GUI-only.
### v0.2.0
CLI + HDF5 + single channel + PyQt5/PyQtGraph.
### v0.1.0
Initial release.
|
