Experimental Setup Guidelines for Artificial Visual Synapse Characterisation -- SOLIS Deliverable D1.1

This document provides practical guidelines for establishing an experimental platform to characterise artificial visual and electrical synapses. Written for thin film photovoltaic researchers, it covers two hardware configurations (dual-channel sourcemeter and cost-effective waveform generator + DMM setup), optical calibration protocols, synchronisation strategies, and standardised measurement procedures for synaptic plasticity functions including Long-Term Potentiation, Long-Term Depression, Paired-Pulse Facilitation, Spike-Rate-Dependent Plasticity, Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity, and potentiation-depression cycling. The guide includes Python code examples, circuit topologies, timing diagrams, material-specific considerations for common thin film PV absorbers (CdTe, CIGS/kesterite, Sb2S3/Sb2Se3, perovskite), and quick reference tables. A budget-conscious setup starting from approximately 1,200 EUR is described to make synapse characterisation accessible to groups with limited funding. This deliverable is part of the SOLIS project (HORIZON-MSCA-SE-2023, Grant Agreement 101183049), a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Staff Exchange initiative focused on solar cell-inspired inorganic semiconductor synaptic systems for low-energy edge computing and visual learning.