# Use the Airscope DAQ Software

We provide a web application to control and monitor Airscope.

## Binary installation package

We provide a 1.6 MB binary installation package for direct use. Simply download `airscope.msi`, follow the installation instructions, and run `airscope.exe` after installation.

## Running with Python

Alternatively, navigate to the `airscope_pybackend` folder and run:

```bash
python server.py
```

The frontend webpage will automatically open in your browser.

## Software usage

```{figure} ../assets/images/GUI@4x.png
:alt: Airscope DAQ software GUI
:align: center
:figwidth: 90%
:width: 100%
```

### Left panel: Device list

- Click **Scan** to automatically detect Airscope devices connected to the same local network. Once a device is detected, the server queries the `/whoami` HTTP interface to get the device name and status, then displays it in the device list.
- If the scope is not on the same subnet as the host computer, you can manually add the scope using its IP address. The IP address is saved to the registry after entry and will be used for automatic detection next time.
- Multiple Airscopes can be added and managed. Click a detected Airscope device to open its preview and control window.

:::{admonition} Time synchronization
:class: note

When the web application is running, Airscope communicates with a UDP service running on the backend server to synchronize its clock with the computer system time. The synchronization delay is typically within 20 ms. The synchronized timestamp can be used to align Airscope recordings with other devices, such as behavior cameras.
:::

### Middle panel: Live Preview and Recording

- Click the **Preview** button to start live preview. During preview, you can check the focus and adjust camera parameters to get the best image quality.
- Click the **Snapshot** button to save one frame to the computer. This is useful for quick testing, alignment, and checking image quality. Snapshot images are saved locally to a folder on the computer.
- Click the **Recording** button to start recording. During recording, Airscope stores image frames directly to the SD card for stable data storage. The recording folder name can be set in the control panel. Image frames, timestamps, and IMU data are saved in the recording folder on the SD card.

### Right panel: Device Control

- Specify the saving directory and recording time.
- Control LED intensity, gain, exposure time, image compression quality, and other advanced parameters.
- View device information, including IP address, MAC address, firmware version, and other details.
- Use the embedded serial monitor to view serial outputs when Airscope is connected through serial.
- Set default values. When Airscope starts, it reads the default parameter values from `config.json` on the SD card. During operation, you can adjust the parameters in the web application. Click **Save Config** to save the current settings back to `config.json`. The saved values will be used as the default settings the next time Airscope starts.