Skip to content

TTL Barcoder

PyPI Ruff

Generate and decode binary barcodes over TTL signals to synchronize multiple data acquisition systems. Barcodes encode a timestamp or random value as a sequence of timed HIGH/LOW pulses, transmittable over any digital output.

Key features

  • Timestamp barcodes: encode Unix time at second, millisecond, or microsecond precision
  • Random barcodes: 16–64 bit random values from a seeded numpy RNG
  • Hardware-agnostic core: timing sequences are plain Python lists — no hardware dependency
  • Bpod integration: inject barcode states directly into a pybpodapi StateMachine
  • Raspberry Pi GPIO: send sequences over any GPIO pin via pigpio
  • Decoder: recover barcode value from edge timestamps with configurable tolerance
  • Validated configuration: Pydantic v2 BarcodeConfig with presets for common setups

Quick start

from ttl_barcoder.core import BarcodeTTL, BarcodeConfig, TTLType

# Timestamp barcode (default) — encodes current time at ms precision
barcoder = BarcodeTTL()
barcoder.prepare()                            # generates value + timing sequence
sequence = barcoder.get_sequence()            # [(level: bool, duration_ms: float), ...]

# Random barcode
config = BarcodeConfig(ttl_type=TTLType.random, barcode_bits=32)
barcoder = BarcodeTTL(config)
barcoder.prepare()
sequence = barcoder.get_sequence()

→ Getting Started for installation and a step-by-step walkthrough.

→ Configuration for BarcodeConfig options and presets.

→ Hardware for Bpod and Raspberry Pi GPIO integration.