Total Visibility. Total Control.
Why It Matters
In most control systems, devices are opaque.
You see:
- A value
- A status light
- Maybe an error message
But you don’t see the device.
You don’t see:
- The port
- The driver
- The communication state
- The last command sent
- The last response received
When something fails, troubleshooting becomes guesswork.
Devices removes the opacity.
HUD → Overview → Devices
The workflow is intentional:
- HUD shows what matters now.
- Overview shows full structured state.
- Devices exposes the machinery underneath.
Devices is where you go when you need to understand the system at a technical level.
Full Device Registry
UnicornOne maintains a structured device registry.
For every device:
- Unique ID
- Assigned port
- Driver class
- Communication protocol
- Current state
- Historical state
- Last command
- Last response
Nothing is hidden.
Everything is inspectable.
Per Port. Per Device.
Devices are organized by port type:
- Serial
- TCP/IP
- Simulation
- Internal pipeline
You can see:
- Which port is active
- Which devices are attached
- Communication latency
- Error states
- Reconnect attempts
The hardware abstraction layer becomes visible.
Full Control
From the Devices view you can:
- Manually send commands
- Inspect raw responses
- Enable or disable a device
- Switch drivers
- Simulate a device
- Inject test values
This is not a black box.
It is a structured machine.
The Technician’s Best Friend
When:
- A gauge stops responding
- A heater drifts
- A shutter misbehaves
- A port drops unexpectedly
Devices gives you the truth.
You can determine:
- Is it hardware?
- Is it wiring?
- Is it protocol?
- Is it driver-level?
- Is it system-level?
Troubleshooting time drops dramatically.
Virtual Hardware Rack Integration
Devices integrates directly with the Virtual Hardware Rack.
You can:
- Swap a real device for a simulated one
- Test behavior without hardware
- Validate communication logic
- Train operators safely
Real and virtual devices are treated equally.
Structured by Design
Each device driver:
- Encodes and decodes messages
- Maintains a shadow copy of state
- Logs interactions
- Integrates into Recipes and Workbooks
This makes devices programmable, testable, and extensible.
The Philosophy
Hardware should not be mysterious.
It should be:
- Structured
- Inspectable
- Replaceable
- Simulatable
If it speaks, we listen.
If it listens, we speak.
Devices is where that promise becomes tangible.
Bizmuth 