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Spikeling Documentation

Welcome to the Spikeling documentation. Spikeling is an open hardware + software platform for hands-on neuroscience teaching and outreach, built to make spiking neuron dynamics interactive, measurable, and reproducible.

This site covers:

  • Getting started (hardware setup, GUI install, firmware flashing)
  • Using Spikeling for patch-clamp-style experiments and teaching labs
  • Fluorescence imaging simulation driven by the membrane potential (Vm)
  • Recording/export (CSV) and starter data analysis workflows
  • Hardware / Firmware / GUI reference and developer extension points

Start here

What Spikeling is

Spikeling is designed to let students and instructors run electrophysiology-inspired experiments without a full patch-clamp rig. A compact hardware device streams signals to a desktop GUI for real-time visualization and interaction. Users can apply stimuli, observe membrane potential dynamics and spiking behavior, and record sessions for later analysis.

Spikeling also includes:

  • A software emulator for demonstrations, remote teaching, and development without hardware.
  • A fluorescence imaging simulation that transforms Vm into a simulated calcium trace and fluorescence readout, bridging electrophysiology and imaging concepts.

Three-step quickstart

  1. Connect: power the device and connect over USB/serial
    → Quickstart: Hardware setup

  2. Run: launch the GUI and run a simple stimulus while watching Vm
    → Quickstart: First experiment

  3. Record: export a short session to CSV and plot it in Python
    → User guide: Recording and export and → Data analysis: Python quickstart

What you will learn here

By following this documentation, you will be able to:

  • Set up hardware, install the GUI, and flash firmware reliably
  • Run standard protocols (steps, pulse trains, noise) and interpret Vm/spiking responses
  • Record and export data, then perform basic analysis (plots, spike features, F–I curves)
  • Use emulator mode for rapid iteration or teaching without devices
  • Understand how the fluorescence simulation relates to the underlying Vm dynamics
  • Extend Spikeling by adding stimuli, models, or multi-unit/network experiments (advanced)

Who this documentation is for

  • Students: step-by-step guides and experiments with expected outcomes
  • Instructors / TAs: classroom setup, lab handouts, and troubleshooting at scale
  • Developers / contributors: reference material for hardware, firmware, GUI, and extension points

Support and community

See also