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All about devices in NEST

Devices are network nodes which provide input to the network or record its output. They encapsulate the stimulation and measurement process. If you want to extract certain information from a simulation, you need a device which is able to deliver this information. Likewise, if you want to send specific input to the network, you need a device which delivers this input.

Devices have a built-in timer which controls the period they are active. Outside this interval, a device will remain silent. The timer can be configured using the command SetStatus.

By definition, a device is active in the interval \((t_1,t_2)) if we can observe events \(E) with time stamps \(t_E) which obey \(t_1 <= t_E < t_2) for all \(E) . In other words, the interval during which the device is active corresponds to the range of time-stamps of the device’s events.

Note that it is not possible to generate/observe an event with time stamp 0.

A range of devices is available for the stimulation of neurons.

All devices which are used to observe the state of other network nodes are called recording devices. Examples are multimeter and spike_recorder.

Recording devices have properties which control the amount, the format, and the destination of their output.

• Record from simulations
  • Recorders for every-day situations
  • Where does data end up?
• Stimulate the network
  • Device properties
• Model Directory: device
  • MUSIC
  • Detector
  • Generator
  • Precise
  • Rate
  • Recorder
  • Spike