New Era Syringe Pump — MCP Server

Let an AI agent set up the syringe, infuse or withdraw an exact volume at a set rate, follow the dispensed volume and stop New Era Pump Systems syringe pumps through their documented RS-232 Basic-mode command set.

Try it without hardware

uvx labmcp-new-era --simulate --check

The simulator pumps in real time. Add --option sim_speed=20 to make simulated time run 20× faster for demos.

Connect your pump

1. Pump setup: the pump must be in Address mode (the default, Ad:nn in the Setup menu) and in Basic communications mode (the default; if someone enabled Safe mode, send SAF0 from a terminal or run a master reset). Factory settings are 19200 baud, 8N1, network address 0.
2. Cable: New Era CBL-PC-PUMP-7 (plus CBL-USB232 for USB) into the pump's To Computer jack.
3. Find the port: uvx labmcp ports
4. Test the connection:

   uvx labmcp-new-era --address /dev/ttyUSB0 --check            # Linux
   uvx labmcp-new-era --address /dev/tty.usbserial-XXXX --check  # macOS
   uvx labmcp-new-era --address COM5 --check                    # Windows
   

   Non-default baud rates go in the address: serial://COM5?baudrate=9600.
5. Pump networks: up to 100 pumps can be daisy-chained (To Network → next pump's To Computer), each with its own address 0–99. Run one server per pump and select it with --option pump_address=3. Without the option, commands carry no address prefix, which the pumps treat as address 0.

Add to your MCP client

Claude Code

claude mcp add syringe-pump -- uvx labmcp-new-era --address /dev/ttyUSB0

Claude Desktop / Cursor / Windsurf (claude_desktop_config.json, .cursor/mcp.json, …)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "syringe-pump": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["labmcp-new-era", "--address", "/dev/ttyUSB0"]
    }
  }
}

Each server controls one pump (--option pump_address=N on a daisy-chained network). A serial port can only be opened by one server at a time, so to drive two pumps at once give each its own cable/port. Add --read-only to allow monitoring but block pumping and settings changes.

Tools

Safety limits

Override at launch: --limit max_rate_ml_min=0.5 --limit max_volume_ml=2 (e.g. for a microfluidic chip). The pump itself also refuses rates outside what the syringe diameter allows (?OOR), and the server explains that range.

Example prompts

• "Set the pump for a BD 10 mL syringe and infuse 2 mL at 0.5 mL/min into the reactor. Tell me when it's done."
• "Withdraw 250 µL at 100 µL/min, then report how much was actually withdrawn."
• "What's the pump doing right now? Is there an alarm?"
• "Our syringe is a 5 mL glass Hamilton with 10.30 mm inside diameter — set that, then prime by infusing 0.1 mL at 1 mL/min."
• "Stop the pump now."

Notes

• Diameter is everything. The pump converts volume to plunger travel from the inside diameter. Presets come from the reference table in the NE-1000 manual (section 12.7); always confirm against your syringe manufacturer's data. Changing the diameter resets the dispensed-volume counters, and the pump works in µL for diameters ≤ 14.0 mm and in mL above.
• Stored program is overwritten. infuse/withdraw program phase 1 as a RATE phase (rate, volume, direction) and phase 2 as STOP, so the pump stops after the volume. Any multi-phase Pumping Program you stored on the pump is overwritten in phases 1–2.
• Rounding. The pump accepts at most 4 significant digits (and 3 decimals). The server picks the rate units (µL/min, mL/min, µL/h, mL/h) that represent your rate most precisely and reports the exact values it sent.
• infuse/withdraw return as soon as pumping starts; long infusions keep running after the tool call. stop_pump sends STP and, if the program is then paused, a second STP so the program cannot be resumed by accident.
• The first reply after the pump powers up is a reset alarm (A?R). The server acknowledges it and repeats the command; stall alarms (A?S) are reported, never retried.
• Safe mode is not supported. Safe mode (CRC-16 framing, communication watchdog) is recommended by New Era for production. This server uses Basic mode only.
• The NE-300 "Just Infusion" manual documents no RS-232 interface, so it is not supported. Syringe rate ranges quoted by list_syringe_presets are for the NE-1000; other models (e.g. NE-8000, NE-1010) have different speed ranges.

Hardware verification