Knowledge Base

Control Hardware Devices

Requirements for PhenoTyper Control

To control one or more PhenoTypers, you must have:

• For PhenoTyper 1: the USB-IO box and the Top Unit Interface box, which functions as an interface between the USB-IO box and each Top Unit.
• For PhenoTyper 2: The USB-IO box.

For more information, see the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 18 - Reference Manual.

Connect Third-Party Devices

For third-party devices you may need additional cables and adapters between the Noldus USB-IO box / Mini USB-IO box and those devices.

For example:

• For the Inscopix camera system, you need the Optical Isolated Interface PTISO-00x0.
• For Med Associates devices and other systems with 28V inputs, you need the TTL to 28V interface. See the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 18 - Service Manual. You need this converter when you want to send signals to the Med Associates device (for example, a pellet dispenser). For input devices, for example a lever switch, contact Noldus.
• To connect a custom device like a LED lamp or a simple switch, contact Noldus if you need special adapters or custom solutions.
• To connect a device through a Serial interface/COM port you can use USB connections. Make sure that at least one COM port is available.

To identify the correct COM port number, open the Windows Device Manager. Briefly disconnect the USB cable and check in the Device Manager under Ports (COM & LPT) which item has disappeared. That is the COM port number you need to use in the next step.

Set the Port Connections

Prerequisites

• Connect all devices to the EthoVision PC, via the USB-IO box or Mini USB-IO box.
• When working with two or more USB-IO boxes, make sure that all IO-boxes are connected to the PC.

To Set the Port Connections

1. Start EthoVision XT, and open your experiment or create a new one.
2. Choose Setup > Experiment Settings.
3. Under Trial Control Hardware, select Use of Trial Control Hardware, and click the Settings button.

4. Select the interface you use:

   • Noldus USB-IO Box
   • Noldus Mini USB-IO Box
   • One of the DanioVision DVOC versions

   Tip: To find out what type of USB-IO box you have, check the label on the bottom side of the box: PTIO-002x (for the USB-IO box) or PTIO-003x (for the Mini USB-IO box).

   Other options (not the focus of this section):

   • For the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System, select the Ugo Basile F.C. Controller. For more information, see the chapter The Fear Conditioning Test in the EthoVision XT 18 - Application Manual.
   • For custom devices controlled through serial ports, select COM Ports. This option is only available if you install the appropriate software.
5. The Device Configuration window appears, listing the available ports of the interface device: TTL Port 1, ... and SDI Port 1, ... (the latter only for the USB-IO box and the Mini USB-IO box). You can assign one physical device to each row.
6. If you have connected multiple USB-IO boxes, select one from the list at the top.

7. In the Ports column, locate the first available port of the correct type:

   • Locate a TTL Port and click under Device type to view the list of devices. Select the device that applies.
   • Locate an SDI Port and click under Device type to view the list of devices. Select the device that applies. Use SDI ports to connect the Lickometers and the PhenoTyper's Top Unit Interface. If you select the latter, four additional rows appear below the option. Select the PhenoTypers' Top Units.
8. From the Device type list, select the type of device that is (or will be) connected to that port.
9. In the Device ID field, enter the name of the physical device that should be connected to that port.
10. Repeat steps 5–7 for other devices, until they are all assigned to a port of the IO-box.
11. Repeat the steps for the next USB-IO box.
12. When ready, click OK. You return to the Experiment Settings screen. Proceed with assigning devices to the arenas.

Notes

• The number next to IO-box is the identification number of the IO-box set by the manufacturer. You cannot change this number.
• You must set the port connections only the first time you connect them.
• The port connection settings are at experiment level, and are applied to all your Trial Control Settings. Once you acquire at least one trial, the settings become locked and you can no longer change them. If you need to add devices, create a new experiment or remove the acquired trials.
• If you plan to create several experiments with the same set of devices, you can use an experiment as a template experiment with the hardware settings selected but containing no trials. To create a new experiment from a template experiment: from the File menu, select New template experiment and then Use a custom template. Next, open the experiment you want to use as a template and use the new experiment to acquire data.
• The Device ID is by default the name of the Device type plus a progressive number (1, 2, ...). It is advised to enter a name that you can recognize easily in your setup.
• Under Device type, select TTL Port Tester if you want to test the functionality of a TTL port.
• Under Device type, select USB-IO monitor if you want to test the connection in the USB-IO box.

• When you select a device type, that device type is added to the file Hardware Setup.xml, which is stored in the experiment folder under ...\Configuration Files\Add-ins\Hardware. The file used depends on the interface:

  • {A8DA8F3E-7EA3-4629-8327-9D21C90FB3ED} — USB-IO box
  • {0308106B-1EBE-4620-B00D-396ABEBBC219} — Mini USB-IO box
  • {3AA139A2-4737-4D6D-BF7B-0153CFD4D302} — Ugo Basile FC Controller

Use Multiple USB-IO Boxes

You can connect multiple Noldus USB-IO Boxes to one EthoVision XT computer to control multiple devices simultaneously.

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