ephys-link 0.9.6

A Python WebSocket server that allows any WebSocket compliant application to communicate with manipulators used in electrophysiology experiments.

Electrophysiology Manipulator Link

The Electrophysiology Manipulator Link (or Ephys Link for short) is a Python WebSocket server that allows any WebSocket-compliant application (such as Pinpoint) to communicate with manipulators used in electrophysiology experiments.

Currently, Ephys Link only supports Sensapex uMp-4 Micromanipulators and New Scale 3-axis manipulators. However, this platform is designed to be extensible to other manipulators and more may be added in the future.

For more information regarding the server's implementation and how the code is organized, see the package's development documentation.

For detailed descriptions of the server's API, see the API reference.

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Python 3.8+ and pip.
2. An x86 Windows PC is required to run the server.
3. For Sensapex devices, the controller unit must be connected via an ethernet cable and powered. A USB-to-ethernet adapter is acceptable. For New Scale manipulators, the controller unit must be connected via USB and be powered by a 6V power supply.
4. To use the emergency stop feature, ensure an Arduino with the StopSignal sketch is connected to the computer. Follow the instructions on that repo for how to set up the Arduino.

NOTE: Ephys Link is an HTTP server without cross-origin support. The server is currently designed to interface with local/desktop instances of Pinpoint. It will not work with the web browser versions of Pinpoint at this time.

Install

Using a Python virtual environment is encouraged.

Create a virtual environment by running python -m venv ephys_link

Activate the environment by running .\ephys_link\scripts\activate

A virtual environment helps to isolate installed packages from other packages on your computer and ensures a clean installation of Ephys Link

Run the following command to install the server:

pip install ephys-link

Usage and more

Complete documentation including API usage and development installation can be found on the Virtual Brain Lab Documentation page for this server.

Citing

If this project is used as part of a research project you should cite the Pinpoint repository. Please email Dan ([e-mail]) if you have questions.

Please reach out to Kenneth ([e-mail]) for questions about the Electrophysiology Manipulator Link server. Bugs may be reported through the issues tab.