Beambreaks
Info: Modified from I.Cerda Thesis:
To chronically track food and water consumption and preference, nose-pokes must be detected at the four water or food dispensing ports located inside the mouse cage. To that end, our system employs four Beambreak Assemblies, one at each dispensing port, comprised of an optical switch photointerruptor relying on infrared light (Mouser Electronics), a male 3-pin connector that interfaces with the female connectors of the Motor Shield Assembly, and a 220 Ω current-limiter resistor to protect the infrared LED. When the mouse introduces its nose in one of the ports fitted with the photointerruptor, the assembly generates a digital output signal that is picked up by the Motor Shield Assembly and it triggers the corresponding dispensing action as outlined in the Arduino-Motor Shield Construct section.
Food Beambreaks (aka FlatBoy):
Assembly Instructions:
- Get 3x Female, 3-pin connectors.
- Remove the WHITE wire from one of the 3-pin connectors (you can just pull it out).
- To this first 3-pin connector that is missing a WHITE wire, solder a 220 Ohm resistor to the GREEN wire.
- Solder the other end of the 220 Ohm resistor to the GREEN wire of a second 3-pin connector.
- Solder the WHITE wire of a third 3-pin connector such that it BYPASSES the resistor and connects to the GREEN wire of the second 3-pin connector.
- Solder the WHITE wire of the second 3-pin connector to the GREEN wire of the third 3-pin connector.
- Solder the RED wires of the first, second, and third 3-pin connectors together.
COMPONENTS:
- Optical Switch, Part #852-GP1A57HRJ00F : A black optical switch photointerruptor that's used for detecting mouse nosepokes at the ports.
- Photo Interrupter Breakout Board, Part #474-BOB-09322 : Used to attach the Optical Switch to a 220 Ohm resistor and finally to a Male 3-Pin Connector. USED FOR WATER BEAMRBEAKS ONLY.
- 220 Ohm resistor