Getting Started

Bonsai.PulsePal is a Bonsai interface for the Pulse Pal open source pulse train generator. All device initialization, configuration, and triggering functionality is exposed via reactive operators.

To install Bonsai.PulsePal use the Bonsai package manager and search for the Bonsai - PulsePal package.

Initialize the Pulse Pal

The CreatePulsePal operator establishes the serial connection link with the device and should be the first node you add to your workflow. The PortName property must be set to the name of the serial port used by the operating system to communicate with the device (e.g. COM3).

The OutputChannels and TriggerChannels properties allow you to set the initial configuration for each output channel pulse train and the behavior of the hardware trigger channels. A more detailed discussion of channel configuration properties can be found in the Programming Pulse Trains and Triggering Playback guides.

Tip

If you want to use more than one Pulse Pal, you can add multiple CreatePulsePal sources and assign each device a unique name by setting the DeviceName property (which has a default value of PulsePal). In downstream operators, you can specify which PulsePal configuration to modify by changing their respective DeviceName properties.

Modify Pulse Pal configuration

In addition to the initial configuration that can be set when creating the Pulse Pal connection, the Bonsai.PulsePal package provides a set of operators that can be used to modify the configuration of the Pulse Pal while the workflow is running. These operators provide functionality which is identical to the properties in CreatePulsePal. Below we show an example using separate key presses to drive these operators, but they could be easily triggered by any other Bonsai event.

Warning

If the CreatePulsePal operator is set as an input to these operators, the DeviceName property is ignored.