Arduino Trigger Box for TMS

An open source hardware solution for delivering precise TMS triggers.

Silicon Spike: An Arduino Trigger Box for TMS

🔗 GitHub Repository: Ippolz/SiliconSpike
📄 Published Paper: pdf

Description

Silicon Spike is an open-source Arduino-based trigger box developed at the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience of Cesena (University of Bologna). It offers a cost-effective and customizable way to control Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Biopac systems with high precision.

The system was designed by Giuseppe Ippolito and Thomas Quettier with the goal of empowering neuroscience labs with affordable hardware that integrates seamlessly into experimental pipelines.

Features

• ⚙️ TMS & Biopac Integration
  Compatible with commercial TMS devices and physiological recording systems.

• 🔁 Custom Triggering Sequences
  Easily adaptable via Arduino code for specific experimental needs.

• 💻 Open Source
  Full access to firmware and hardware documentation.

• 📖 Clear Setup Instructions
  Step-by-step guide available in the repository README.

How to Cite

If you use Silicon Spike in your research, please cite our paper:

Ippolito, G., Quettier, T., Borgomaneri, S., & Romei, V. (2025).
Silicon Spike: An Arduino-based low-cost and open-access triggerbox to precisely control TMS devices.
Behavior Research Methods, 57(5), 145.
https://doi.org/10.3758/s13428-025-02653-y

License

This project is licensed under the [MIT License].
See the LICENSE.md file for full details.

Contact

For questions or collaboration:

• Thomas Quettier — thomas.quettier2@unibo.it
• Giuseppe Ippolito — giuseppe.ippolito8@unibo.it

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