Hi all!
I’m fairly new to the realm of integrated systems, and I’m looking to learn how to develop custom drivers for Cellario Scheduler… Specifically, I’d like to better understand how Cellario calls those drivers, what each of those drivers look like, and how I could get started with writing my own drivers.
I know they have an SDK, but looking to see if there are any resources out there in the lab automation community before committing to that.
Thanks in advance!
Do you know if they support SiLA 2? I know that they develop SiLA interfaces for some of their devices.
There are a bunch of implementations (Python, C#, Java etc.) do develop standardized drivers for lab automation equipment. If you’re lucky, you even find an open-source one.
I can recommend this Python framework: UniteLabs / Connector Development Kit / Python CDK · GitLab
There is also documentation and a tutorial + guides
You can find more implementations here.
Thanks @lukas.bromig!
I would recommend C# as thats what the Driver Development Kit uses. Cellario makes calls to the drivers based on the operation names in protocol design or called manually via the driver window. If you get comfortable writing functions to control your devices standalone from automation you could then use the kit to integrate with Cellario’s scheduling. Most operations like a Read or Dispense will be explicitly defined in a protocol and others commands such as opening and closing a device door will be automatically handled by Cellario. If you have a Cellario instance using the protocol designer and analysis tabs can help understanding the flow of operations and error recovery.
Thanks @Bthomas!
Is it also possible to reverse engineer existing drivers and learn from those?
Reverse engineering HighRes software is a violation of licensing terms, and could incur legal action. The Driver Development Kit doesnt give you access to source code but does have several template drivers, example code with supporting documentation and some developer time.
Gotcha, good to know! Also read your background/intro post on the forum and saw that you’re a Senior Automation Engineer at HRB, so I’m grateful for your time and expertise. Do you happen to know if any of the Cellario trainings go into depth with driver development and the database aspect to Cellario Scheduler? The Automated Work Cell training seems like it does, but would like to hear your thoughts on it!
it’s possible to reserve engineer anything, it’s one of the most common ways of learning the ins and out’s of new software. It’s also one of the reason’s this forum exists.
The automated work cell training doesnt include writing device drivers. It does go into interacting with the database and is mainly focused on operating your Cellario system and getting the most out of it.
The Driver Development kit I believe is the only offering that goes in depth on writing drivers specifically. I can put you in contact with our sales team if you pm me with an email.
Im on the engineering side of things so legal and sales isnt my expertise but happy to help if I can