Knowledge Base

Devices Supported in EthoVision XT

• Noldus Pellet Dispenser
• Noldus Pellet Receptacle
• Noldus Lickometer
• Top Unit of PhenoTyper 1 and PhenoTyper 2
• Noldus DanioVision Observation Chamber
• Noldus PhenoWheel
• Med Associates Activity Wheel Counter and Activity Wheel Brake
• Noldus Backlight Unit with White Light
• Beam Controller for the Noldus Mouse Feeding Monitor
• Third-party and custom hardware devices. This includes any device that can be controlled with a signal of TTL type. For example:
  • The Illuminated Shelter
  • The Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System
  • The Prizmatix Optogenetics Setup
  • The Inscopix nVista Calcium Imaging System
  • Med Associates devices
• Third-party and custom hardware devices controlled through a COM port, for example an Arduino board. Support for this type of device is limited.
• TTL Port Tester

Additional Manuals

• For PhenoTyper and Noldus devices, see the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 18 - Reference Manual and PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 18 - Service Manual.
• For the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System, the optogenetics setup, and the Inscopix Calcium Imaging Systems, see the EthoVision XT 18 - Application Manual.
• For the DanioVision Observation Chamber, see the DanioVision DVOC-0041 - Reference Manual.

Basic Requirements

• You must have EthoVision XT with the Trial and Hardware Control Module.
• You must have the Noldus USB-IO box or the Noldus Mini USB-IO box connected between your PC and the devices.
• All hardware devices must be connected through an Ethernet straight-through cable with RJ45 connectors.
• In EthoVision XT, you must define the devices you want to use in the Experiment Settings. Next, assign devices to arenas, and finally program Trial Control with hardware-based actions and conditions.

Time Accuracy

The accuracy of sending or receiving signals from the USB-IO box is 40–120 ms, depending on factors such as the camera frame rate and the Windows priority scheduling.

Terminology

• Physical Device: A single device identified by an ID number or code. Each physical device must be associated with a specific arena in your hardware configuration. For example, PD03 for a Pellet Dispenser.
• Device Name: A generic name that indicates the same type of physical device used in one or more arenas. The device name is valid for all arenas defined in your Arena Settings, even if a particular arena has no physical device associated with it. It is recommended to use generic names such as Pellet Dispenser, Running Wheel, or Yellow Light.

Work with Multiple Devices

EthoVision XT supports the use of one or two USB-IO boxes and one Mini USB-IO box.

Important: It is recommended to test a specific combination of devices before carrying out actual trials. Whether a combination of devices works also depends on the timing of the commands. For example, controlling 12 pellet dispensers may work if the pellets are dropped at different times, but dropping 12 pellets at exactly the same moment will not work.

When working with two or more USB-IO boxes, see the Use Multiple USB-IO Boxes section.

Tested Configurations

The following configurations were tested separately:

• Four PhenoTyper 1 Top Units + 1 Top Unit Interface (SDI device)
• Sixteen PhenoTyper 1 Top Units + four Top Unit Interfaces
• One USB-IO box with four Pellet Dispensers (TTL device)
• One USB-IO box with four TTL Port Testers (TTL device)
• One USB-IO box with four PhenoWheels (SDI device)
• One USB-IO box with four Lickometers (SDI device)
• One USB-IO box with four IR Beam Controllers for the Mouse Feeding Monitor (TTL device)
• Two USB-IO boxes, each connected to eight TTL Port Testers (TTL devices)
• DanioVision: White Light and Tapping Device (events occurring every 5 minutes)

All tests lasted 30 minutes. Typical protocols included switching of lights and buzzers on/off and dropping a food pellet when the subject entered a zone, or at regular intervals. When testing two USB-IO boxes simultaneously, trials lasted one hour. All tests were carried out with a Dell Precision 3680 desktop computer with Windows 11.

Devices in Multiple Arenas

If you work with multiple arenas, those arenas are expected to have the same type of devices. Trial Control is applied to each arena independently. For example, if you define an action Drop a Pellet to be triggered when a condition is met, that action is executed on the pellet dispenser associated with the arena in which the condition is met.

An arena may contain more than one physical device of the same type. In this case, you must define unique device names in the Arena-Hardware Mapping window that can be associated with the physical devices. For example, if each cage has two pellet dispensers, you must define two device names, such as Pellet Dispenser Left and Pellet Dispenser Right.

Connect the Hardware Devices

Before defining a hardware configuration, close EthoVision XT.

1. Connect the power cord to the 24V In socket on the USB-IO box or Mini USB-IO box rear panel. Connect the other end of the power cord to the mains socket.
2. Connect the USB socket on the rear panel of the USB-IO box or Mini USB-IO box to the EthoVision computer using a USB cable with one connector of type A (computer) and one connector of type B (USB-IO box).
3. Connect the hardware device to the first available port of the USB-IO box or Mini USB-IO box using the RJ45 cable. Depending on the device you want to connect, choose the port located on:
   • TTL Control (front panel of the USB-IO box): For devices controlled with TTL logic (One/Zero signal type), for example the Pellet Dispenser, the TTL Port Tester, or any custom hardware devices working with TTL logic.
   • SDI Control (rear panel of the USB-IO box): Special Device Interface, for devices controlled with a serial data stream, for example the Lickometer, PhenoWheel, and the PhenoTyper Top Unit Interface.
4. Repeat the previous step to connect other devices.
5. To test the device, follow the steps in Setting the Port Connections and Assigning Devices to Arenas.

Source: EthoVision XT 18 - THC - Trial and Hardware Control, Noldus Information Technology