ANY-maze Help > The ANY-maze reference > The Protocol page > The elements of a protocol > Inputs and outputs > Syringe pumps > An introduction to syringe pumps

An introduction to syringe pumps

Introduction

Many syringe pumps include the ability to be controlled by a computer - just connect the pump to the computer, usually with a USB cable, and the computer can send commands to the pump to tell it to start, stop, change direction, etc.

ANY-maze is able to take advantage of this facility in a range of pumps from various manufacturers - you just need to connect the pump to your ANY-maze computer, tell it what size syringe you'll be using, and the system can then control the pump during your tests. This means, for example, that the pump can be set to start and stop, or that the rate of infusion can be changed, all based on what's actually happening in the test.

Setting up a syringe pump

The first step in setting up a syringe pump for use in ANY-maze is to physically connect it; this is described in detail here.

As with all inputs and outputs supported by ANY-maze, you must then add to the protocol the I/O device the syringe pump is part of, before you add the pump itself. In fact, this will usually just be the pump, unless the pump is part of a pump chain (where multiple pumps are connected one to another), where only the first pump in the chain needs to be set up as an I/O device.

Using a syringe pump

When you add a syringe pump to your protocol you will be able to specify the pump's flow rate, an optional target volume, and whether or not the pump should be on at the start of the test. Having the pump start when the test starts can be useful, but the real power of syringe pumps comes from the fact that you can control them during a test using procedures. For example, you might create a procedure to detect when the animal moves into a certain zone, and when it does this switch the pump on so as to infuse a small volume. In fact, procedures can do more than just switch the pump on and off; they can also change the infusion rate and alter the target volume to be infused. So, for example, you could have different zones and infuse a different volume depending on which one the animal enters.

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