Third-Party Integration

ARKEO as a platform, not just an instrument

The ARKEO platform is designed around its native hardware ecosystem, but it is not limited to it. Any instrument that supports programmable control can be integrated into the ARKEO environment, both at the hardware and software level.

This enables ARKEO to act as a central orchestration layer for complex experimental setups.

Why integrate third-party equipment?¶

Integrating external instruments into ARKEO allows you to:

Centralize control of all devices within a single interface
Automate complex measurement routine involving multiple instruments
Synchronize data acquisitiom across heterogeneous systems
Standardize data output regardless of instrument origin
Simplify post-processing and analysis using ARKEO’s unified data format

All acquired data is stored using ARKEO’s standard structure, ensuring compatibility with existing workflows and tools (see Data Management). Once integrated, third-party instruments become native elements of ARKEO routines:

Included in automated sequences (e.g., JV + PL + environmental control)
Triggered and synchronized with ARKEO hardware
Logged using the same metadata-rich file structure
Fully compatible with analysis and visualization tools

ARKEO can interface with third-party equipment via:

SCPI-based instruments (USB / GPIB / Ethernet)
Serial communication (UART / RS-232 / RS-485)
Custom APIs (TCP/IP, REST, SDKs)
LabVIEW drivers or custom wrappers

This flexibility allows integration ranging from simple command-based devices to fully featured measurement systems.

Examples of integrated instruments¶

Several third-party devices have already been successfully integrated into ARKEO workflows:

Source Measure Units (SMUs) Keithley and Keysight instruments for steady-state electrical measurements
Spectrometers Ocean Optics and Stellarnet spectrometers for luminescence and spectral analysis
Monochromators Bentham and ScienceTech monochromators for IPCE and wavelength-dependent measurements