🟢 Option A: The Easy Way (Using the Linux Bundle)

If you are new to Linux, we highly recommend this method. The «bundle» is an automatic installer that does the hard work for you.

Step 1: Download the Linux bundle file.

Step 2: Open your Terminal.

Step 3: Navigate to the folder where you downloaded the file (usually the Downloads folder) by typing:

cd Downloads

Step 4: Give the file execution permissions and run the installer. (Replace the filename with the exact one you downloaded):

chmod +x AlibavaGUI-0.5.2-4.bin
sudo ./AlibavaGUI-0.5.2-4.bin

🛠️ Option B: The Advanced Way (Building from Source)

Only use this method if you need to compile the software manually. You will need to use the Terminal for all these steps.

Step 1: Install the necessary «ingredients»
Before building the software, your system needs some basic tools. Copy and paste the command that matches your Linux version:

If you use Ubuntu or Debian:

sudo apt-get install intltool libglade2-dev python-dev

If you use Fedora, RedHat, or Scientific Linux:

sudo yum install intltool libglade2-devel python-devel

Step 2: Unzip the downloaded file
Make sure you are in the folder where the file is located, then run this command (replace ‘x.x.x-x’ with your actual version numbers):

tar zxf alibava-x.x.x-x.tar.gz

Step 3: Prepare the installation
Enter the new folder that was just created and configure the files:

cd alibava-x.x.x-x
./configure

Step 4: Compile and Install
Finally, build the software and install it into your system:

make
sudo make install

🔌 Crucial Final Step: USB Permissions (Required for all users)

To allow the software to actually «talk» to your USB port, you must give your user profile the correct permissions. If you skip this, the device won’t connect.

Run this final command (Replace ‘your_username’ with the actual name you use to log into your computer):

sudo /usr/sbin/usermod -aG alibava your_username

Troubleshooting: If the software still doesn’t connect to the USB, run the same command above but change the word ‘alibava’ to ‘dialout’.

1. Install the Software

Installing the software on Mac is straightforward:

1. Download the .dmg file from the versions menu above.
2. Double-click the downloaded file to mount it.
3. Drag and drop the application icon into your Applications folder.

⚠️ Important: Install the FTDI driver
Just like in Windows, your Mac needs the FTDI driver to recognize the hardware. You can download the VCP driver for Mac OS X from the official provider:

Download FTDI Drivers

2. Technical Latency Adjustments

You may experience that the data acquisition is too slow compared to Linux. This can be solved by changing the latency of the FTDI driver. Note: We highly recommend making a backup copy of the file before changing it.

Step 1: Open the configuration file
Locate and open this specific file on your Mac:

/System/Library/Extensions/FTDIUSBSerialDriver.kext/Contents/Info.plist

Step 2: Find the FT232RL chip entry
Look for the block of code that starts exactly like this:

<key>FT232RL...</key>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.FTDI.driver.FTDIUSBSerialDriver</string>
<key>IOClass</key>
...

Step 3: Add the latency setting
You need to add a «ConfigData» key setting the latencyTimer to 1 ms right after the CFBundleIdentifier string. The modified block should look like this:

<key>FT232RL...</key>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.FTDI.driver.FTDIUSBSerialDriver</string>
<key>ConfigData</key>
<dict>
<key>latencyTimer</key>
<integer>1</integer>
</dict>
<key>IOClass</key>
...

Troubleshooting: If you still have problems, set the latency to 1 ms for all the devices with the same VendorId and ProductId.