Universal open-source VFD diagnostics, monitoring and configuration TUI for Linux.
VFD Lantern is a terminal application for communicating with variable-frequency drives over Modbus RTU and RS-485. It is written in Rust and designed around external device profiles, so support for additional VFD manufacturers and models does not require hard-coding their register maps into the user interface.
Project status: early development / pre-alpha.
- live monitoring and multi-channel terminal charts;
- device-independent aliases mapped through JSON or TOML profiles;
- parameter browsing, validation and editing;
- configuration backup, diff and controlled restore;
- fault-code decoding and freeze-frame diagnostics;
- serial-port discovery, bus statistics and automatic reconnection;
- CSV data logging.
The initial development and reference environment is Debian 13 (Trixie). The architecture is intended to remain portable across modern Linux distributions.
VFD Lantern communicates with industrial motor drives. Incorrect parameters or control commands may cause unexpected machine movement, equipment damage or personal injury. The project will default to read-only and explicitly guarded write operations wherever practical. Users remain responsible for machine isolation, commissioning procedures and compliance with the drive manufacturer's documentation.
VFD Lantern is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by any VFD manufacturer. Product and company names may be used only to identify compatible devices.
Licensed under the MIT License.