Serial Studio — Open-Source Telemetry Dashboard for Hardware Projects

Introduction

Serial Studio is a desktop application that visualizes data from serial ports, network sockets, MQTT brokers, and Bluetooth devices. It uses JSON-based project files to define dashboards, removing the need to write custom plotting code for hardware prototyping.

What Serial Studio Does

• Connects to devices via Serial, TCP, UDP, MQTT, and Bluetooth LE
• Renders real-time line charts, bar graphs, gauges, and compass widgets
• Displays GPS data on interactive maps
• Logs raw and parsed data to CSV for post-processing
• Uses JSON project files to define frame parsing and widget layout

Architecture Overview

Serial Studio reads incoming data frames, parses them using a configurable separator or JSON schema, and routes each field to the corresponding dashboard widget. The UI is built with Qt and renders charts using a hardware-accelerated pipeline for smooth updates at high data rates.

Self-Hosting & Configuration

• Download pre-built binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux from GitHub
• Define your data format in a JSON project file specifying groups and datasets
• Set baud rate, data bits, parity, and stop bits for serial connections
• Configure MQTT broker address and topic for wireless telemetry
• Export dashboards as templates for team reuse

Key Features

• Multi-protocol support: Serial, TCP, UDP, MQTT, Bluetooth
• No-code dashboard configuration via JSON project files
• 3D orientation widget for IMU and accelerometer data
• CSV logging with timestamps for offline analysis
• Cross-platform with native look on Windows, macOS, and Linux

Comparison with Similar Tools

• PuTTY/screen — text-only terminal; Serial Studio adds real-time charts and widgets
• Grafana — time-series dashboards for servers; Serial Studio specializes in hardware device data
• MATLAB Serial Toolbox — powerful but expensive; Serial Studio is free and open source
• CoolTerm — simpler serial monitor; Serial Studio offers richer visualization

FAQ

Q: What data format does Serial Studio expect? A: It supports CSV-like frames with configurable separators, as well as structured JSON frames.

Q: Can I use it with Arduino? A: Yes. Send comma-separated values over Serial.print() and define the matching project file.

Q: Does it support high-speed data? A: It handles baud rates up to 3 Mbps and can render thousands of data points per second.

Q: Is there a command-line mode? A: Serial Studio is a GUI application; for headless logging, combine it with tools like socat or a custom script.

Sources

• https://github.com/Serial-Studio/Serial-Studio
• https://serial-studio.github.io/