PulseBlaster Control

This repository contains Python control code for PulseBlaster pulse generation hardware.

This code creates an object PBInd that relies on the SpinCore spinapi.py wrapper to program individual pulseblaster pins independently.

Features

• Independent Pin Control: Program PulseBlaster pins individually rather than setting all at once.
• NEW - Flexible Timing:
  • Supports pulse increments as small as 10 ns (previously limited to 50 ns increments).
  • Ensures minimum pulse width of 50 ns to meet hardware constraints.
• NEW - Built-in Validation:
  • Ensures pulse sequences are programmable by verifying that changes across all channels meet the minimum required pulse duration.
  • Triggers exceptions detailing conflicting channels and the times of conflicts.
• NEW - Strict Error Handling:
  • Instead of automatic rounding, an exception is raised if an invalid pulse duration or start time is provided.
• Dropped Support for Offsets:
  • Functions handling channel offsetting have been removed.

Installation

Prerequisites

Spin Core Driver: http://www.spincore.com/support/spinapi/

Python Install

> pip install pulseblaster

Usage

Examples

pb_infinite_on_example.py pb_infinite_square_wave_example.py pb_clock_and_short_square_wave_example.py

PBInd - Additional Important Info

Timing Considerations

PulseBlaster hardware issues channel values in one large instruction with a minimum duration of 50 ns.
Each change in channel value triggers a new instruction, meaning:

• When using increments that are not multiples of 50 ns, changes across multiple channels must be carefully managed to ensure the following:
  • Channel values must remain constant for at least 50 ns after any change.
  • Multiple channels can change simultaneously, but individual changes cannot overlap at intervals shorter than 50 ns.

Configuring PulseBlaster Specifications

Ensure the following parameters are correctly set to match your PulseBlaster model:

• Resolution (resolution): Defines the pulse increment granularity (default: 10 ns for most models).
• Minimum Pulse (minimum_pulse): Defines the shortest valid pulse/instruction duration (default: 50 ns).

Updating Legacy Code

• self.program(loops) no longer supports the offset argument—remove any references to it.
• Pulse durations and start times must be multiples of the specified resolution and ≥ minimum_pulse (or 0).
• If using increments that are not multiples of 50 ns, ensure channel changes do not overlap at intervals shorter than the minimum pulse width (unless occurring simultaneously).
  • If they do, an exception will be triggered, as such sequences cannot be programmed on the PulseBlaster.