AmpLabs Playground and BatteryLab SDK

One package gives both the free AmpLabs Playground and the full BatteryLab SDK for AmpLabs account users.

Simulate, parameterize and validate battery cells from Python or the command line. The SDK calls the AmpLabs BatteryLab API. You do not need the web UI.

You can run simulations with no account (see "Try it with no account"). Fitting, data upload and custom cells need an AmpLabs account (join the beta at https://amplabs.ai).

Install

pip install amplabs-playground          # Python SDK
pip install "amplabs-playground[cli]"   # SDK and the `amplabs` command
pip install "amplabs-playground[plot]"  # SDK and matplotlib, for result.plot()

The import name is amplabs (from amplabs import AmpLabs). amplabs --version shows the installed version.

Do not install the old amplabs 0.2.x package next to it; both use the import name amplabs.

Supported platforms

The package is published as compiled wheels only:

On a different platform or Python version (for example 32-bit Windows, PyPy, or Python 3.9), pip finds no wheel, and pip install amplabs-playground stops with:

ERROR: Could not find a version that satisfies the requirement amplabs-playground (from versions: none)
ERROR: No matching distribution found for amplabs-playground

Try it with no account

from amplabs import AmpLabs

bl = AmpLabs()  # no token: anonymous trial
r = bl.simulate(cell="LG_M50T", current=-5, duration=3600)
print(r.voltage[-1], bl.remaining_today)

With no token, simulate() runs in the AmpLabs playground:

• The first run on a machine does a one-time setup of about 20 s: a proof of work on one CPU core. The SDK keeps the pass it gets in ~/.amplabs/anon_pass.json and renews it before it expires. A new network address needs a new setup.
• Built-in cells only: Samsung_IN21700_30T and LG_M50T. At most 120 h of simulated time per run. Each series has at most 4,000 points.
• With no thermal_mode, an anonymous run uses "convective", the playground's default (a signed-in run uses "adiabatic").
• Each machine has 5 runs a minute and 30 runs a day. A network address has about 100 runs a day. The day starts at 00:00 UTC. When few runs are left, the SDK says so on stderr. At the limit, simulate() raises AnonymousLimitError with reset_at.
• Fitting, data upload, custom cells and every other call need an account. They raise AccountRequiredError. Run amplabs login with an AmpLabs account (join the beta at amplabs.ai).

The SDK sends sha256(salt + machine ID), never the raw machine ID or a MAC address. The machine ID is IOPlatformUUID on macOS, /etc/machine-id on Linux and MachineGuid on Windows. In a container, or when there is no machine ID, the SDK makes a random ID once and keeps it in ~/.amplabs/anon (mode 600).

From the command line, with no account:

pip install "amplabs-playground[cli]"
amplabs simulate --cell LG_M50T --rate 1C --duration 1h

The playground layer

Anonymous simulate() is a thin wrapper over amplabs.playground, a small layer that any program can use (the MCP server uses it too). It lists the playground's modules and runs any live action with a client pass:

from amplabs import PlaygroundClient

with PlaygroundClient() as playground:            # base_url= for another API
    print([m["id"] for m in playground.modules()])
    answer = playground.call("standard-simulation", "run", {"cell": "LG_M50T", "current": -5})
    print(answer.answer["results"]["voltage"][-1], answer.remaining_today, answer.reset_at)

call() returns a PlaygroundAnswer: the server's allow-listed answer, and remaining_today, remaining_minute, limit_day and reset_at from the server. read(module, action) reads a stored action's answer (no run is counted). PlaygroundClient(notices=False) prints nothing to stderr.

Open a simulation dashboard

python -m amplabs playground --json

This command needs only pip install amplabs-playground. No login, plotting package or local solver is required. It runs a fully charged Samsung 30T discharging at 1C and 25 °C with convective cooling (0.3 W/K), stopping at 2.5 V, on the production API. The JSON receipt names the actual HTML dashboard and Simulation Data (BDF) files (.bdf.csv). Open or preview that HTML file; in an agent, return a clickable file link and the BDF download. The receipt’s bdf field lists the files; csv remains a compatibility alias. Measured UDDS data is a separate attributed BDF file on its original timestamps. Do not claim the webpage was opened or publicly hosted unless that actually happened. The file works offline, with interactive voltage/current/temperature charts, settings, metrics, simulated time and measured time to result. UDDS includes the independent measured trace and its BDF download. No result is uploaded or published.

python -m amplabs playground --scenario charge --rate 1 --temperature 25 --json
python -m amplabs playground --scenario udds --temperature 25 --json
python -m amplabs playground --cell LG_M50T --rate 0.75 --thermal adiabatic --temperature 44 --json

Use --base-url only when the copied task explicitly names another AmpLabs API. The selected API must offer the requested live mode; otherwise the command stops without creating a success page. Use --open to request a local browser, or --output my-result.html for an explicit filename (existing files are never overwritten). Default filenames are unique for each run. The command respects the browser's supported cells, charge limits and measured UDDS temperatures. No private fitted parameters, identity/pass files or raw response metadata are written into the dashboard.

Python usage:

from amplabs.demo import run
receipt = run(scenario="discharge", rate=1, temperature=25)
print(receipt["dashboard"])

Battery Data Format (BDF)

BDF is the standard data export throughout AmpLabs. Battery Data Format gives battery data named channels and explicit units for exchange between tools. The SDK writes .bdf.csv files with test time in seconds, voltage in volts, current in amperes, and temperature when available. Each file identifies the cell and data source; simulated and measured data are separate downloads. The CSV encoding keeps BDF files readable in spreadsheets and Python; use receipt["bdf"] to find them.

Reproduce a browser playground task

For a task copied from the marketing playground, use PlaygroundClient.call(). It accepts the same public inputs as the browser, including CCCV and live drive cycles. AmpLabs.simulate() is the simpler constant-current convenience method. It runs CC and CC+Time only, not every browser mode. Use the API address in the copied task, or the default production API when none is stated. Read the live action list before running. If a requested live action is unavailable, report that fact; do not substitute a stored comparison or fabricate a result.

Use the same dashboard command from Python. It preserves the selected settings and exports BDF automatically:

# playground-task-recipe
from amplabs.demo import run

receipt = run(
    cell="Samsung_IN21700_30T", scenario="discharge", rate=1,
    temperature=25, thermal="convective", htc=0.3,
    output="simulation.html",
)
print(receipt["dashboard"])
for filename in receipt["bdf"]:
    print(filename)

• CC discharge: scenario="discharge", the selected C-rate and temperature, starting fully charged and stopping at 2.5 V.
• CCCV charge: scenario="charge", starting empty, charging at the selected rate and holding 4.2 V to the 100% SOC target.
• Live UDDS: scenario="udds", Samsung 30T, and one of the measured temperatures: −20, −10, 0, 10, 25 or 40 °C. This protocol fixes current and thermal settings; the browser disables those controls.
• Cooling for CC/CCCV: thermal="convective", htc=0.3 is the browser default. htc is heat transfer to air in W/K. Use the selected value, or thermal="isothermal"/"adiabatic"; inactive HTC is omitted.
• Cell names: Samsung 30T means Samsung_IN21700_30T (3 Ah); LG M50T means LG_M50T (5 Ah). Use the browser's supported modes and limits.

The chart and BDF downloads must come from the live response. The battery time axis is simulated time; the measured wait includes client setup, network and any retries. The first anonymous setup can take longer than a warmed run. This recipe never downloads fitted cell parameters or a local solver.

See your results

Every simulate() result, with a token or without one, is saved to ~/.amplabs/results/<UTC timestamp>-<id>.json (mode 600), and the SDK prints the path to stderr. The newest 200 files are kept. Pass save=False to save nothing, or set AMPLABS_RESULTS_DIR to use another folder.

r = bl.simulate(cell="LG_M50T", current=-5, duration=3600)
print(r.summary())   # cell, current, C-rate, delivered Ah, end voltage, duration, max temperature
print(r.terminal_plot())   # voltage against time as text, for a terminal with no display
r.plot()             # matplotlib: pip install "amplabs-playground[plot]"
r.saved_path         # the saved JSON file

amplabs simulate prints a summary table and a terminal plot of voltage against time. amplabs simulate --json prints only the raw result as JSON on stdout, for scripts and agents; every other line goes to stderr. --no-save saves nothing.

Saved result files

A later local viewer (amplabs ui) reads these files, so the format is fixed and versioned. One file is one JSON object:

amplabs.results.load(path) reads a file.

Sign in

Each call except an anonymous simulate() needs a personal access token (PAT).

amplabs login                    # opens a browser sign-in, then saves a PAT

amplabs login prints a URL and a code. Approve the sign-in in any browser. The CLI then makes a PAT and saves it in ~/.amplabs/token with mode 600.

For a machine with no browser (CI, a server, an agent), use one of these:

export BATTERYLAB_TOKEN=pat_...  # a PAT from https://hub.amplabs.ai/settings/tokens
amplabs login --machine          # machine client: set AMPLABS_CLIENT_SECRET (and AMPLABS_CLIENT_ID)

AmpLabs() finds the token in this order:

1. the token= argument;
2. the BATTERYLAB_TOKEN environment variable;
3. the file ~/.amplabs/token that amplabs login writes.

With no token in any of these, AmpLabs() is in anonymous mode (bl.anonymous is True; see "Try it with no account").

The SDK and the CLI refuse to read ~/.amplabs/token when other users can read it. Fix it with chmod 600 ~/.amplabs/token, or run amplabs login again.

Example: quote, then fit

from amplabs import AmpLabs

client = AmpLabs()                                   # token= → BATTERYLAB_TOKEN → ~/.amplabs/token
run = client.new_run(model="spme")
run.load(files={"ocv": "c20.csv", "hppc": "hppc.csv", "validation": "udds.csv"})
run.configure(anode_model="graphite_Chen2020", nominal_capacity_ah=5.0)
price = run.quote()["tokens"]                        # nothing is charged
print(f"Fit costs {price} tokens; balance {client.whoami().get('balance')}")
run.fit()
print(run.validate())                                # error against the drive cycle
run.register(name="my cell v1")                      # save as a reusable profile

run.status() tells you which steps are done and which step is next.

Simulate a cell profile:

result = client.simulate(cell="LG_M50T", current=-5, duration=3600)
print(f"Final voltage: {result.voltage[-1]:.3f} V")

Constant-current runs: sign, run time and cooling

simulate() uses the same conventions as the Standard Simulation page and the API:

• Sign. current is in amps. A negative current is a discharge. A positive current is a charge.
• Run time. With no duration (the default), the run goes to the voltage cutoff: v_min for a discharge, v_max for a charge. This is the page's CC mode. The API sizes the run, up to 120 h. Give duration in seconds to stop the run at that time or at the cutoff, whichever comes first (CC+Time). estimate_simulation_tokens() takes the same arguments and quotes the same request.
• Cooling. thermal_mode is "convective", "isothermal" or "adiabatic". htc is the heat transfer coefficient in W/K for "convective"; the API uses 0.3 W/K when you give none. With no thermal_mode, a signed-in run is "adiabatic" and an anonymous run is "convective". The page's default is "convective" with 0.3 W/K.

# 0.5C discharge of the 5 Ah LG M50T, to 2.5 V, cooled as on the page
r = client.simulate(cell="LG_M50T", current=-2.5, thermal_mode="convective", htc=0.3)

amplabs simulate uses the same conventions:

• --rate takes a C-rate (1C, 0.5C) or amps (5A, or a plain number such as 5). A negative value (-5A, -1C) is a discharge and a value with + (+5A) is a charge. A value with no sign is a discharge. You can also write discharge 2C or charge 0.5C; do not use a word and a sign together. Write a negative value as --rate=-5A or --rate -5A.
• --duration takes 2h, 1.5h, 30m, 90min, 3600s or plain seconds (3600). Leave it out to run to the voltage cutoff. Any other value stops the command with a usage error that lists these formats.
• --thermal (also --thermal-mode) is convective (the default, as on the page), isothermal or adiabatic. --htc sets the heat transfer coefficient in W/K for convective.

CLI

amplabs whoami                   # account and credits
amplabs simulate --cell LG_M50T --rate 1C   # to the voltage cutoff
amplabs simulate --rate=-5A --duration 90min --thermal isothermal
amplabs validate profile.json udds.csv --temperature 25
amplabs parameterize --cell my_cell.json --hppc hppc.csv --c20 c20.csv --anode-model graphite_Chen2020
amplabs profiles
amplabs --help

Configuration

Errors

All SDK errors are subclasses of amplabs.BatteryLabError.

result.plot() with no matplotlib raises BatteryLabError with the install command pip install "amplabs-playground[plot]".

GET, PUT and DELETE requests are retried automatically on 429, 502, 503, 504 and on connection errors. POST requests are never retried, so a job is never submitted twice. In anonymous mode, a playground run that the server refuses as busy (503) or as over the per-minute limit (429) is tried again: the server did not run or count it.

A script that does not catch an SDK error stops with one line, for example amplabs.exceptions.AuthError: Authentication failed: …, and exit status 1. Set AMPLABS_TRACEBACK=1 to see the full traceback. The CLI also prints one line for an API error.

Documentation

• AmpLabs Hub: https://hub.amplabs.ai
• API documentation: https://hub.amplabs.ai/docs/api
• API reference (OpenAPI): https://api.hub.amplabs.ai/docs

The package has type stubs, so your IDE shows signatures and docstrings. help(AmpLabs) works too.

The old amplabs 0.x package

The 2024 amplabs 0.x package on PyPI is a different tool (Dash plots). It uses the same import name amplabs, so do not install it next to amplabs-playground. If both are installed, import amplabs warns. Remove the old one with pip uninstall amplabs, then reinstall: pip install --force-reinstall amplabs-playground.

License

Proprietary. See the LICENSE file in the package.