🛠️ Tool Documentation & Boilerplate Code

Central repository for hardware initialization, default configurations, and usage snippets.

📖 Overview

This repository serves as the "Source of Truth" for interacting with the hardware tools used in our projects (Cameras, PLCs, Sensors, Microcontrollers, etc.).

The goal is to:

1. Standardize: Ensure everyone initializes a specific camera or PLC the same way.
2. Speed Up: Provide copy-paste ready code blocks to get hardware running in minutes.
3. Document: Record known quirks, required firmware versions, and network settings.

📂 Repository structure

We organize tools by Category > Manufacturer > Model.

tool-documentation/
├── 📷 Cameras/
│   └── Basler/
├── 🤖 Robots/
│   ├── ABB/
│   ├── IGUS/
│   └── UR/
├── 💻 PLCs/
│   ├── Beckhoff/
│   ├── PLCnext/
│   └── Siemens/
├── 📡 Sensors/
│   ├── Keyence/
│   └── SICK/
└── 📄 README.md

🤝 How to contribute

Found a new way to optimize a driver? Added a new sensor to the company stack? Please contribute! Because of permission settings, the process differs depending on your role.

For Staff

If you have write access to this repository

1. Create a branch: feature/add-new-sensor-name.
2. Add your folder: Follow the structure: Category/Manufacturer/Model.
3. Include three things:
   • boilerplate_code: The code to make it run.
   • README.md (specific to that tool): Pinouts, voltage requirements, link to official PDF manual.
   • requirements.txt: Any software dependencies.
4. Submit a pull request: Assign a reviewer from the admin team

For students

If you have Read-Only access to this repository

Option 1: Fork & Pull request

This is the standard open-source workflow.

1. Create a fork: Click the Fork button (top right of this page) to create a copy of this repo under your own account.
2. Add your folder: Follow the structure: Category/Manufacturer/Model.
3. Include three things:
   • boilerplate_code: The code to make it run.
   • README.md (specific to the tool): Pinouts, voltage requirements, link to official PDF manual.
   • requirements.txt: Any software dependencies.
4. Create pull request: Go to the Pull Requests tab, click New Pull Request, set Compare across forks and Select your fork as the source.

Option 2: Contact your counselor or supervisor

If you are not comfortable with Git forks

1. Zip the following three things:
   • boilerplate_code: The code to make it run.
   • README.md (specific to the tool): Pinouts, voltage requirements, link to official PDF manual.
   • requirements.txt: Any software dependencies.
2. Send the zip to your supervisor: Ask your supervisor to review and merge the code to the repository.