Many students, researchers and hobbyists will be familiar with the Arduino open-source-electronics ecosystem, which provides an extraordinarily simple way to interface sensors (or other input devices) and actuators (output) with logic programs, e.g. C code, to create a wide variety of standalone control devices termed embedded systems. A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer can be regarded as one specific type of embedded system: the output is a magnetic field produced by a coil, the input is a magnetic field (detected and recorded by a digitizer), and a pulse programmer keeps timing and data in order.

The NMRduino is a magnetic resonance spectrometer based on (but we must stress, not endorsed or supported by) Arduino that we have developed over recent years to study hyperpolarized NMR systems, NMR relaxation, high-resolution spectroscopy, and coherent control at low magnetic fields, as well as teach basic principles of magnetic resonance to student beginners

Main features are:

• Compact, plug-and-play hardware. A credit-card-sized circuit board contains all electronic components and connects to any laptop, desktop or Raspberry Pi computer via USB. Includes pulse programmer and analog sampling up to 100 kHz.

• Transparent, intuitive control interface. User-specific pulse sequences (1 μs time resolution) can be written to control both DC and AC magnetic fields up to several hundred kHz. Open access to low-level programming interface for advanced users.

• Flexibility. Can be connected to conventional rf-inductive pickup coils, or alternative sensors such as atomic magnetometers.

To get running, you'll need a copy of NMRduino's firmware: Latest version here

plus the user interface. Select the version for your operating system: Raspberry Pi, Windows xx

NMRduino at Open Source Imaging, a directory of FOSS/OSHW magnetic resonance projects
NMRduino in the Journal of Magnetic Resonance. A FREE TO READ article written by the creators of NMRduino, published May 2024