The Propeller Experiment Controller

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This page provides resources related to the Propeller Experiment Controller. I offer free, open-source software that enables any Parallax Propeller microcontroller to excel in the role of an experiment controller.

The purpose of the Propeller Experiment Controller is to make any form of computer-controlled automation and data recording easy and affordable. The software is free, and the Propeller microcontroller costs less than $100. The Propeller Experiment Controller was designed to primarily to conduct automated research experiments on learning and behavior in humans and animals. However, it is also useful in a wider variety of situations, including automated training devices, automated enrichment devices and classroom demonstrations. 

For more information, click on the links above, or refer to the publications below.

Publications describing implementation of the Propeller Experiment Controller:

Varnon, C. A., & Abramson, C. I. (2018). The propeller experiment controller: Automation for the comparative analysis of behavior in research and teaching. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 39 (1-2), 1-148.

Varnon, C.A., & Abramson, C.I. (2013). The propeller experiment controller: Low-cost automation for classroom experiments in learning and behavior. Innovative Teaching, 2, 1-18. doi:10.2466/07.08.IT.2.2

Publications using the Propeller Experiment Controller:

Varnon, C. A., Dinges, C. W., Vest, A. J., & Abramson, C. I. (2020). Conspecific and interspecific stimuli reduce initial performance in an aversive learning task in honey bees (Apis mellifera). PLoS ONE, 15(2), e0228161. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0228161

Bergren, S., Latino, C. D, Varnon, C. A., & Abramson, C. I. (2019). A portable system for detecting infrasound using the propeller microcontroller. International Journal of Comparative Psychology, 32, 1–13. https://escholarship.org/uc/item/49j4h509

Dinges, C. W., Varnon, C. A., Cota, L. D., Slykerman, S. C., & Abramson, C. I. (2017). Studies of learned helplessness in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Learning and Cognition, 43(2), 147-158. doi: 10.1037/xan0000133.

Craig, D. P. A., Varnon, C. A., Pollock, K. L. , & Abramson, C. I. (2015). An assessment of horse (Equus ferus caballus) responding on fixed interval schedules of reinforcement: An individual analysis. Behavioral Processes, 120, 1-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2015.08.006.