Mouse Lickometer
This lickometer was designed to measure drinking behavior while also allowing for controlled access. Utilizing an IR slot beam break sensor to detect when the mouse’s tongue is extended, and a small servo to operate a door that allows or restricts access. This lickometer is designed to allow for up to eight channels at a time to be connected and controlled synchronously. In order to carry power and data between the motherboard and the lickometers, off the shelf USB type C cables were used, as they are readily available cables with known high durability. The entire system is run off of an Arduino Nano which is powered by a buck converter.
Aside from the eight channels for the lickometers there are an additional two TTL Breakouts for connecting to devices like the Neurophotometrics FP3002 system.
This allows for centralized and synchronized scheduling of all events. All of the scheduling and timing is done via a Python program on the computer that records the signals the Arduino is receiving and interpreting from each of the lickometers. These signals are timestamped and written to a CSV.
This Python script also handles the schedule for when to open and close the servo controlled doors. By managing all timekeeping on the computer this ensures that everything is based on the same clock, and since it is a network attached real time clock there is no time drift.
