Pickering Interfaces has changed how engineers handle remote instrument control with the launch of the Pickering Remote Gateway. Built on the open-source gRPC framework, the new software allows test teams to drive Pickering PXI and PXIe hardware remotely from entirely separate computers, across multiple operating systems and programming languages.
Pickering Remote Gateway Allows:
- Test hardware to remain close to the device under test or in a central lab rack while engineers run their applications from network-connected workstations.
- Supports automated validation, production test and distributed development.
- Helping teams access shared test resources without requiring every application to run on the controller connected to the chassis.
At its core, the software exposes Pickering’s driver APIs through a gRPC Device Server running directly on the host PC or embedded controller.
This means remote requests are simply passed down to the local drivers, preserving a team’s existing hardware setups. Crucially, only the host system requires the actual Pickering drivers, client machines stay lean without needing the full stack installed.
To give developers maximum flexibility, Pickering is providing servers for both Windows and Linux, alongside Protocol Buffers (.proto) files that define the remote interface. Engineers can use these files to easily generate client code for any environment that supports gRPC, including Python, C#, Go, and Java.
By leveraging HTTP/2 transport, the gateway pushes traditional PXI setups toward a modern, service-based architecture. It allows analytics, user interfaces, and test orchestration to run completely separated from the physical instrument host. This makes it significantly easier to support distributed setups, cloud-hosted applications, and automated CI/CD pipelines.
The software supports every product currently covered by the standard Pickering PXI driver. It also integrates seamlessly into existing environments, allowing Pickering modules to remain exactly where they are inside mixed-vendor chassis configurations while still taking full advantage of the new remote access capabilities.
Leadership Comment
“Test teams increasingly work across different locations, operating systems and programming languages, but they still need access to the same physical hardware,” said Alexander Jaiboy, Software Manager at Pickering Interfaces. “Pickering Remote Gateway gives engineers more freedom to work with their existing PXI systems, keeping hardware where it is needed while allowing test applications to run remotely.”
The server software, Protocol Buffers files and user manual are available through the Pickering download site.
