Getting Started¶

Installation¶

pip install pypulsepal

For YAML config file support:

pip install "pypulsepal[yaml]"

From source (development):

git clone https://github.com/larsrollik/pypulsepal.git
cd pypulsepal
pip install -e ".[yaml]"

Connecting to the device¶

Pass the serial port of the PulsePal device. On Linux this is typically /dev/ttyACM0; on Windows COM3 or similar.

from pypulsepal import PulsePal

pp = PulsePal(serial_port="/dev/ttyACM0")

On connection, PulsePal performs a handshake, reads the firmware version to determine the hardware model (1 or 2), and sets the LCD display to "PyPulsePal".

Basic pulse train¶

Channels are 0-indexed in the Python API (channels 0–3, triggers 0–1).

import time
from pypulsepal import PulsePal

pp = PulsePal(serial_port="/dev/ttyACM0")

# Configure channel 0
pp.channel_configs[0].phase1Voltage = 5.0       # volts
pp.channel_configs[0].phase1Duration = 0.002    # seconds
pp.channel_configs[0].interPulseInterval = 0.1  # seconds
pp.channel_configs[0].pulseTrainDuration = 1.0  # seconds

# Upload all parameters to device
pp.sync_all_params()

# Software-trigger channel 0
pp.trigger_selected_channels(channel_1=True)
time.sleep(1)

pp.stop_all_outputs()
pp.save_settings()  # persists params to device RAM

Context manager¶

The context manager calls save_settings() and closes the serial port automatically on exit.

import time
from pypulsepal import PulsePal

with PulsePal(serial_port="/dev/ttyACM0") as pp:
    pp.channel_configs[0].phase1Voltage = 3.0
    pp.sync_all_params()
    pp.trigger_all_channels()
    time.sleep(2)