Matter Lab Vacuum Controls

matterlab_vacuum_controls provides Python drivers for vacuum controllers used in Matter Lab automation workflows.

The package currently includes:

• VacuumControl: abstract base class for vacuum controller interfaces
• IKAVC10: serial driver for the IKA VC10 vacuum controller

Installation

Use the matterlab conda environment and install the package in editable mode during development:

pip install -e .[dev]

The package depends on matterlab_serial_device for serial communication.

Quick Start

from matterlab_vacuum_controls import IKAVC10

vacuum = IKAVC10(com_port="COM4", min_pressure=50)
print(vacuum.name)
print(vacuum.pressure)
vacuum.hysteresis = 25
vacuum.mode = "manual"
vacuum.pressure = 250
vacuum.standby()
vacuum.stop()

Testing

Simulation tests are the default and are the only tests intended for CI enforcement.

One-click local sim run:

python examples/test_sim.py

Direct pytest run:

pytest

Real hardware tests are present for manual validation but are skipped unless explicitly enabled.

Run real tests with a COM port:

pytest tests/test_ika_vc10_real.py --run-real --com-port COM4

You can also provide the port through an environment variable:

set VACUUM_COM_PORT=COM4
pytest tests/test_ika_vc10_real.py --run-real

Examples

Additional examples live in examples/README.md:

• examples/test_sim.py for the sim suite
• examples/real_devices.py for readable hardware usage examples

Development Notes

• Source code lives under src/
• Pytest uses src as the import root
• Hardware-backed tests are marked with @pytest.mark.real
• The repository keeps generated coverage and build artifacts out of version control