Skip to main content
Pre-release

This release is a pre-release and may not be stable for production use.

REACHER — Operant Experiment Control Server

Hardware control, session coordination, and live data capture for Arduino-driven rodent operant behavior experiments.

Version Language License Changelog Phoxel Workbench

Written by: Joshua Boquiren


Overview

REACHER runs rodent operant conditioning experiments end to end — it drives the Arduino-based behavioral chamber, records every event as it happens, and exports the session ready for analysis. Paradigms ship as firmware for fixed ratio, progressive ratio, variable interval, omission, and Pavlovian conditioning, each exposing the hardware a self-administration rig actually uses: levers, cue lights and speakers, syringe pumps, lick circuits, and optogenetic laser control. Reinforcement ratios, timing parameters, session limits, and per-board pin assignments are set from the interface, so a rig is reconfigured between subjects without editing or recompiling firmware.

Every lever press, infusion, lick, and cue is timestamped against the trial clock and streamed live to the browser while the session runs, alongside microscope frame timestamps for aligning behavior with calcium imaging. A single host coordinates several chambers at once — each with its own serial port, paradigm, and output file — and hosts on the same network can be paired so one browser drives an entire rig room. Firmware for any paradigm is flashed onto a board directly from the interface, with no separate Arduino toolchain on the experimenter's machine.


Getting Started

pip install reacher2p                               # from PyPI
pip install reacher2p-3.4.0a8-py3-none-any.whl        # from a release wheel

Host setup — installation, pairing, and systemd services — is documented in docs/setup-guide.md; see CONTRIBUTING.md and RELEASING.md for development and release process.


Architecture & Dependencies

Component Language Framework / Libraries
REST & WebSocket API Python 3.10+ FastAPI, Uvicorn, websockets
Serial kernel Python 3.10+ pyserial
Session manager Python 3.10+ Python standard library (threading, asyncio)
Discovery & pairing Python 3.10+ zeroconf, httpx
Terminal monitor Python 3.10+ Rich, httpx
Firmware uploader Python 3.10+ avrdude
Arduino firmware C++ (Arduino) REACHERDevices, arduino-cli (AVR core)

License

This project is released into the public domain under the Unlicense. See LICENSE for details.

Contact

Joshua Boquiren — thejoshbq@proton.me

GitHub: Otis-Lab-MUSC/reacher

Release files for reacher2p 3.4.0a8

For a detailed explanation of source distributions (sdists) and built distributions (wheels), please see the package formats documentation.

Source distribution (sdist)

Source distribution for reacher2p 3.4.0a8
File Size Uploaded
reacher2p-3.4.0a8.tar.gz 678.1 kB Details

Built distribution (wheel)

Table of built distributions (wheels) for reacher2p 3.4.0a8
File Interpreter ABI Platform
reacher2p-3.4.0a8-py3-none-any.whl Python 3 none any Details

Total release size: 1.3 MB

Release files / reacher2p-3.4.0a8.tar.gz

Download URL reacher2p-3.4.0a8.tar.gz
Size 678.1 kB
Tags Source
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
8a51cce1ee573236b5026eed4c51a5a1f8bba861fc0cbd3f66887916bbce5f67
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
b9faa35ce5a738c150ce4661c3a78100637e4e2aa06542ffee1618c098e2105f
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Sep 1, 2026.

Transparency log

Release files / reacher2p-3.4.0a8-py3-none-any.whl

Download URL reacher2p-3.4.0a8-py3-none-any.whl
Size 645.3 kB
Tags Python 3
SHA-256 checksum
How to use checksums
06b54eaa163580e83ac27ec1463afe0a5c3c2d1a8ea8889fa6a7de11b9a61790
BLAKE2b-256 checksum
How to use checksums
77a4cfddba93e84bf86567729592b984f1e0bc7776f057214d3385e0c582d542
Upload date
Uploaded using Trusted Publishing?
What is trusted publishing?
Yes
Uploaded via twine/7.0.0 CPython/3.13.14

Provenance

Provenance describes where a file came from. On PyPI, provenance is shared via attestations, which provide a verifiable record of the build or publishing details. View details, limitations and caveats.

PyPI Publish Attestation

PyPI verified that this artifact, at this checksum, originated from the publisher listed below.

Signed by GitHub Actions, verified by PyPI on Sep 1, 2026.

Transparency log
Anthropic, PBC Visionary sponsor Bloomberg Visionary sponsor Hudson River Trading Visionary sponsor Meta Visionary sponsor NVIDIA Visionary sponsor Microsoft Sustainability sponsor Depot Continuous Integration AWS Cloud computing and Security Sponsor Datadog Monitoring Fastly CDN Google Download Analytics Sentry Error logging StatusPage Status page