The "Tecnai-Server" is an additional TEM interface used to control a FEI Tecnai-TEM via the instamatic software. We have tested the server software on a FEI Tecnai G2 microscope. The program provides access for the instamatic software to the com-scripting interface of the TEM.
The server software was developed in a Python 3.4 software environment (Windows XP). Following you have to install the Python 3.4 software package on your microscope-PC. The additional needed software-side packages are:
comtypesPyYAMLtyping
Those packages can by either local installed or by the standard pip-mechanism of the python packaging system. Furthermore the FEI com-scripting interface should be available on your TEM-PC.
Microscope PC: This script Camera PC (or other): instamatic software
The instamatic instance on the camera PC communicates with "Tecnai-Server"-software over the network.
The "Tecnai-Server"-software is provided as a standard python-program. You can download and install the software in your chosen directory on the microscope-PC. After you have opened a MS-DOS command prompt you are navigating to the installation directory. The server will be started by the usual python invocation py tem_server.py. A corresponding start.bat -file is provided in the installation directory.
The software will be configured by the .yaml-files in the utils-subdirectory. For instance the correct network address of your microscope-PC is set in the settings.yaml file. The magnification table of your TEM or the scripting interface tecnai are saved in the microscope.yaml file.
In our experimental setup the instamatic software is installed on a separate PC (camera PC). In this case the configuration files of Instamatic must be adapted like in the server software. Especially the interface="tecnai", the microscope, the network address and the flag use_tem_server" should be verified. Afterwards the instamatic software should be starting without errors on your PC. You can try it out in an IPython shell if the TEMController-object has access to TEM.
Thanks to Steffen Schmidt (CUP, LMU München) for providing this script.