Installation
A complete tag system is built from three repositories in the tag-designs organization. Which one you need depends on what you are trying to build.
| Repository | Holds | Build instructions |
|---|---|---|
software |
Host applications and command-line tools, tag firmware, the communication protocol definitions | Software documentation |
hardware |
KiCad board designs, fabrication outputs, mechanical designs for cases and harness jigs | Building Hardware |
tag-designs.github.io |
This site | pip install -r requirements.txt, then mkdocs serve |
Each repository builds on its own. You do not need to clone all three to work on one of them.
Which do you need?
To use tags in an experiment, you need the host applications only — Tag Monitor to configure and download, the visualizer to inspect results. Most people want a release build rather than a source build; see the software documentation.
To build or modify firmware, you need the software repository and an ARM
toolchain. The embedded build is driven by CMake alongside the host build.
To fabricate boards, you need the hardware repository, KiCad and KiBot.
Board outputs are generated from the design files rather than committed.
To assemble finished tags from fabricated boards, see Tag Assembly.
Prerequisites
The toolchain list is long and differs by platform, so it is kept with the code it builds rather than duplicated here. The software documentation carries the current list for host tools and firmware on Linux, macOS and Windows, including CMake, Qt, protobuf and the ARM toolchain.