Hardware Lab
Public docs for Hardware Lab — the same topic as in-app User Guide Chapter 23 (23_hardware_lab.md). Citation-ready definition: What is Hardware Lab?. Product surface: /embedded#hardware-lab.
This site also has a separate public chapter for OTA Updates at /docs/ota-updates. That OTA chapter is not Hardware Lab.
What this chapter covers
- Virtual hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) on a virtual clock
- Timeline scenarios, assertions, pass/fail
- Bench — 2D pinout/board views A–E (virtual parts, wires, live mirror; not 3D)
- Run on Device and Record over SSH/SFTP
- The 33-board library (Raspberry Pi is in that count)
- Free/base vs Pro AI (AI Scenario / AI Fix)
What Hardware Lab is
Hardware Lab runs your device code against a simulated board — pins, I2C, UART — so a failing GPIO sequence costs a second instead of a reflash. Then the same scenario can run on the real device.
It is not the Fleet Test Panel. Fleet Test Panel is device-connected test suites under Fleet tools. See Fleet Management §Test Panel and the Related note there.
Simulate → assert → Run on Device → diff
- Simulate — run the file against a virtual board. The simulator uses a virtual clock, so a
sleep()advances simulated time instantly. A 30-second hardware scenario can finish in under a millisecond and give the same answer every run. That is not wall-clock electrical HIL. - Assert — put stimuli on a timeline, then state expectations: pin states, pulse counts, I2C writes, log output. You get pass/fail with the check that failed.
- Run on Device — over your open SSH/SFTP session, Hardware Lab may push a tiny temporary HIL helper (
hil_device_agent) for that run, execute the same scenario against real GPIO outputs and timing, and stream output edges back. Scenario inputs are GPIO-API injected (not electrical jumpers). That helper is not Aida Lite, not Lite-micro, and not a standing “Hardware Lab agent”. - Diff — compare simulation and bench edge by edge: matched edges with timing skew in milliseconds, edges the device never produced, and edges only the device produced.
Record points the same ephemeral path at a few pins and captures real physical inputs from the bench, then turns them into a scenario you can replay at your desk.
Bench (A–E)
Bench is a 2D pinout/board view — layouts A–E — with virtual parts, wires, and a live mirror of pin state. It is not a 3D CAD scene. Phase F (3D) is not started.
33 boards
The library is 33 boards with real pin maps. Raspberry Pi is in that count. Simulation Board and Generic Linux GPIO are in the 33 — not only Jetson, Arduino, and ESP32.
| Family | In the 33 |
|---|---|
| Simulation Board | Yes — virtual target for scenarios |
| Generic Linux GPIO | Yes |
| Raspberry Pi | ×6 — Generic, 3B, 4B, 5, Zero W, Zero 2 W |
| ESP32 classic | ×3 |
| Jetson | ×6 |
| Arduino | ×10 |
| Espressif | ×6 — S2, S3, C3, C6, ESP8266 NodeMCU, D1 Mini |
The same board registry feeds Hardware Lab, the Board Library Manager, and the editor's board picker.
Agents — what Hardware Lab does and does not install
AidaIDE is agentless SSH/SFTP by default. Terminal, SFTP, and LCOT on a normal host need only standard SSH/SFTP.
- Optional Aida Lite (port 5050) — fleet opt-in.
- Optional Lite-micro (
aida-lite/micro) — MicroPython on-device web IDE on MCUs. Distinct from Lite and from Hardware Lab. Do not call it a standing Micro agent or Hardware Lab agent. - Run on Device / Record may push a temporary HIL helper (
hil_device_agent) over SSH/SFTP for that run only.
There is no standing Hardware Lab agent product.
Free vs Pro
| Capability | Tier |
|---|---|
| Virtual board / HIL, timeline scenarios, assertions, pass/fail | Free / base |
| Bench (2D A–E) and pinout replay | Free / base |
| Run on Device over SSH + sim vs bench diff | Free / base |
| Record on hardware, replay as a scenario | Free / base |
| AI Scenario (model writes stimuli and expectations) | Pro AI suite |
| AI Fix (model proposes a fix from failing checks) | Pro AI suite |
There is no separate Hardware Lab license. See pricing. Optional Pro is $19/mo or $190/yr. Teams Pro is $70/mo or $700/yr for 5 seats.
OS and download
AidaIDE ships for Windows today. macOS and Linux builds are in progress. Create a free account to download.
Related
- What is Hardware Lab? — citation-ready definition (canonical URL;
/hardware-labredirects here) - Embedded — product page
- Fleet Management §Test Panel — device-connected tests, not marketing Hardware Lab
- LCOT Panel — Local Chain of Thought is the command library, not HIL
- OTA Updates — fleet firmware rollouts