StimJim - code and instructions

[William Anderson]

Hi Open-Ephys forum,

I am the designer/programmer of the WinLTP data acquisition program (written in C++Builder).  I am very interested in writing a program separate from WinLTP to output triggered biphasic current pulses from the StimJim, plus have that program auto-incrment the pulse amplitudes.  I think the StimJim is capable of this and at less than a fifth of the cost of other systems, I definately want to investigate it.  Essentially I want to run the StimJim as a smart stimulus isolator.

In agreement with the Open-Ephys philosophy, this StimJim program I would write would be free, Open Source and importantly to me, an installable, compiled Windows .exe program that will not require the user to install the Teensy/Arduino or the Python development systems to get it to run.

I just received my StimJim from LabMaker, but I have to confess I am at a loss of how to get it to run or develop any new programs for it. I was hoping there might be addional instructions included with the StimJim on how to run it but there wasn't.
 

My questions are:
 
1) Are tbere any Windows (or Mac, or Linux) executable .exe programs that can be run to control the StimJim output?  And is that source code available?

2) Are there any unstructions on how to compile the Teensy/Arduino .ino file into a binary object file and then download the object code into the Teeny/Arduino board?

3) And after the Python development system is installed, are there any instructions on loading and running the Python code in Bitbucket?


Basically I think the developers of StimJim have done an incrediable job at developing the hardware including finding a manufacturer, LabMaker, that sells it at a very low price, so that researchers can actually run it without building it.

However, if you are not familiar with Arudino and Python, the information and instructions on how to get it to run, or develop new programs, I find are not sufficient.

Sincerely,
Bill Anderson

[Jon Newman]

Hi Bill,

I'm replying inline below

On Mon, Jul 12, 2021 at 11:26 AM William Anderson <sup...@winltp.com> wrote:

Hi Open-Ephys forum,

I am the designer/programmer of the WinLTP data acquisition program (written in C++Builder).  I am very interested in writing a program separate from WinLTP to output triggered biphasic current pulses from the StimJim, plus have that program auto-incrment the pulse amplitudes.  I think the StimJim is capable of this and at less than a fifth of the cost of other systems, I definately want to investigate it.  Essentially I want to run the StimJim as a smart stimulus isolator.

Sounds good.  

In agreement with the Open-Ephys philosophy, this StimJim program I would write would be free, Open Source and importantly to me, an installable, compiled Windows .exe program that will not require the user to install the Teensy/Arduino or the Python development systems to get it to run.

Great!

 

I just received my StimJim from LabMaker, but I have to confess I am at a loss of how to get it to run or develop any new programs for it. I was hoping there might be addional instructions included with the StimJim on how to run it but there wasn't.

This is a function of labmaker's business model. They scrape open source designs and sell them _without any support or real knowledge of the designs_. This the major thing that separates Open Ephys and the Open Ephys Production Site from lab maker, along with greatly improved QC and manufacturing standards. Open Ephys and OEPs have nothing to do with labmaker.

 

My questions are:
 
1) Are tbere any Windows (or Mac, or Linux) executable .exe programs that can be run to control the StimJim output?  And is that source code available?

Yes, any serial terminal will work. e.g. Putty on windows.

2) Are there any unstructions on how to compile the Teensy/Arduino .ino file into a binary object file and then download the object code into the Teeny/Arduino board?

This might be the wrong way to go. You dont need teensy or arduino, you just need to use any serial library or program to send commands. e.g. if you are using C++ then, for instance: https://github.com/wjwwood/serial

 

3) And after the Python development system is installed, are there any instructions on loading and running the Python code in Bitbucket?

Bitbucket is a repository hosting service so I dont exactly know what you mean by running Python on it.

 

Basically I think the developers of StimJim have done an incrediable job at developing the hardware including finding a manufacturer, LabMaker, that sells it at a very low price, so that researchers can actually run it without building it.

However, if you are not familiar with Arudino and Python, the information and instructions on how to get it to run, or develop new programs, I find are not sufficient.

Feel free to submit improvements in documentation to the repository:

https://bitbucket.org/natecermak/stimjim/src/master/ 

Sincerely,
Bill Anderson

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Jonathan Newman

Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT

http://www.mit.edu/~jpnewman/