PR for the Prep backend refactor is up!
I’ve refactored the core tcp_backend (with minor tweaks to nimbus_backend) to make it compatible with the Prep. I hope the bundling is alright—the improved interface makes a big difference. Both backends’ demo notebooks are tested on my hardware to make sure nothing broke.
A few points for your feedback:
-
API Design: The Prep uses four separate commands for aspirate/dispense. To keep things platform-agnostic, I aligned the signature with the STAR API (one command+args) and handled the logic/appropriate command dispatch in the backend. Does this approach seem reasonable?
-
Current Status: Basic behaviors are fully functional. LLD, well geometries, and TADM aren’t fully tested yet and could use some help getting fleshed out.
-
Liquid Classes: I’m currently using STAR defaults. They are much closer to Prep’s “ground truth” than being uncalibrated, though we should eventually pull Prep-specific data if one of us has a chance to sit down and pull the defaults.
-
Demo notebook(s): Moved to docs/user_guide to get rid of the nimbus-dev dir. Prep demo notebook is here.
@rickwierenga and @CamilloMoschner. Give it a spin if you have a chance, would love to hear how this runs for you guys. Super fun hardware!