Knowledge Base

8 - Control hardware devices

8 Control hardware devices

devices supported in ethovision xt

Noldus Pellet dispenser. Noldus Pellet receptacle. Noldus Lickometer. Top Unit of PhenoTyper. DanioVision Observation Chamber. PhenoWheel. Activity wheel counter and brake. Noldus Backlight unit with white light. Beam controller for the Mouse Feeding Monitor. Third-party and custom hardware devices. This includes any device that can be controlled with 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 (see page 151). Med Associates devices (see page 108). TTL Port tester.

Additional manuals

For PhenoTyper and Noldus devices, see the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - Reference Manual and PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - Service Manual. For the Ugo Basile Fear Conditioning System, the optogenetics setup and the Inscopix Calcium imaging systems, see the EthoVision XT 17 - 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 (see page 14). 8 - Control hardware devices You must have one Noldus USB-IO box or Noldus Mini USB-IO box, connected between your PC and the devices. See The USB-IO box and the Mini USB-IO box on page 120. All hardware devices must be connected through a Ethernet straight-through cable with RJ45 connectors. In EthoVision XT, you must define the devices you want to use in the Experiment Settings (see page 109). Next, assign devices to arenas (page 113), and finally program Trial Control with hardware-based actions and conditions (see page 117).

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 a ID number or code. Each physical device must be associated with a specific arena in your hardware configuration (see Figure 27). 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. examples Pellet dispenser, Wheel, Yellow light. Figure 26 The Noldus USB-IO Box. 8 - Control hardware devices

work with multiple devices

EthoVision XT supports the use of one or two USB-IO boxes and one Mini USB-IO box. important We recommend to test a specific combination of devices before carrying out the actual trials. Whether a combination of devices works also depends on the timing of the commands. Controlling 12 pellet dispensers may, for example, work if the pellets are dropped at different times. Dropping 12 pellets at exactly the same moment will, however, not work. When working with two or more USB-IO boxes, see use multiple usb-io boxes on page 131.

Tested configurations

The following configurations were tested separately: Four PhenoTyper Top Units + 1 Top Unit Interface. Sixteen PhenoTyper Top Units + four Top Unit Interfaces. One USB-IO box with four Pellet dispensers. One USB-IO box with four PhenoWheels. One USB-IO box with four Lickometers. One USB-IO box with four IR Beam Controllers (for the Mouse Feeding Monitor). Two USB-IO boxes, each connected to six Pellet dispensers (TTL devices) and six Lickometers (SDI devices). DanioVision: White Light and Tapping Device (events occurring every 5 minutes). All tests lasted 30 minutes. Typical protocols included switching lights and buzzers on/off and dropping a food pellet when the subject entered a zone or every minute. When testing two USB-IO boxes simultaneously, triggering events for Lickometer and PhenoWheel occurred every two minutes or every three minutes. All tests were conducted using a PC Dell Precision 3650 with Windows 10 or 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. Furthermore, an arena may contain more than one physical devices 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, for instance Pellet dispenser Left and Pellet dispenser Right (Figure 27). See assign devices to arenas on page 113. 8 - Control hardware devices

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/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/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/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, Running wheel and the PhenoTyper's Top Unit Interface (see below). 4. Repeat step 3 to connect other devices. 5. To test the device, follow the next sections Setting the port connections (see below) and Assigning devices to arenas (see page 113).

Figure 27 An example of mapping

hardware devices in multiple arenas. 8 - Control hardware devices

Connect Phenotyper

To control one or more PhenoTypers, you must have the Top Unit Interface box, which functions as an interface between the USB-IO box and the Top Units (see the figure below). Connect each of the Top Units to one of the four RJ-45 sockets in the Top Unit interface. To connect a Top Unit to the Top Unit Interface, you must have an adapter between the Top Unit's TTL-in 9-pin Sub-D socket and the Top Unit connector cable. Connect the Top Unit interface to the SDI Control 13 port in the USB-IO box. You can control up to four Top Units from one SDI port using the Top Unit Interface. By using multiple Top Unit Interfaces, you can connect groups of four PhenoTypers to the USB-IO box. For more information, see the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - 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 (see page 151). Figure 28 Connecting the PhenoTypers' Top Unit. 8 - Control hardware devices For Med Associates devices, see the following figure: For Med Associates devices and other systems with 28V inputs, you need the TTL to 28V interface. See the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - Service Manual. You need this converter when you want to send signals to the Med Associated 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, see page 129. Contact Noldus if you need special adapters or custom solutions.

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. 8 - Control hardware devices
4. Select whether you use the Noldus USB-IO Box, the Noldus Mini USB-IO Box or a DanioVision Observation Chamber, and click OK. tip To find out what type of USB-IO box you have, check the label at the bottom side of the IO-box: PTIO-002x (for the USB-IO Box) or PTIO-003x (for the Mini USB-IO box).
5. The Device Configuration window appears, listing the available ports of the interface device USB-IO box (left-most column): TTL Port 1, 2,... for the TTL ports of the USB-IO box, and SDI Port 1, 2,... for the SDI ports. Each row can be assigned to one physical device (see page 105 for the meaning of physical device).
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. 8 - Control hardware devices Locate a TTL Port and click under Device type to view the list of the devices. Select the device that applies. Locate an SDI Port and click under Device type to view the list of the 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. For details, see Set the port connections for Phenotyper on page 112.
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 step 5-7 for other devices, until they are all assigned to a port of the IO-box.
10. Repeat the steps from 6 for the next USB-IO box.
11. When ready, click OK. You return to the Experiment Settings screen. Proceed with assigning devices to the arenas (see page 113).

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. 8 - Control hardware devices The Device ID is by default the name of the Device type + a progressive number 1, 2,... We advise you to enter a name that you can recognize easily in your setup. For the difference between TTL and SDI ports, see page 107. Under Device type, select TTL Port Tester if you want to test the functionality of a TTL port. See page 144. Under Device type, select USB-IO monitor if you want to test the connection in the USB- IO box. See page 132. When you select a device type in step 5 (page 110), that device type is added to the file Hardware Setup.xml, which is stored in one of the folders located in the experiment folder ...\Configuration Files\Add-ins\Hardware. Which file is used depends on whether you use the USB-IO box, the Mini USB-IO box or another system, for example, the Ugo Basile FC Controller, which does not require the USB-IO box / Mini USB-IO box. {A8DA8F3E-7EA3-4629-8327-9D21C90FB3ED} for the USB-IO box. {0308106B-1EBE-4620-B00D-396ABEBBC219} for the Mini USB-IO box. {3AA139A2-4737-4D6D-BF7B-0153CFD4D302} for the Ugo Basile FC Controller.

Use multiple USB-IO boxes

You can connect multiple Noldus USB-IO Boxes to one EthoVision XT computer, to control

more devices. For more information, see use multiple usb-io boxes on page 131:

Set the port connections for Phenotyper

1. Locate the SDI Port 13. Under Device type select Top Unit Interface. This expands the SDI Port to four extra rows:
2. For each of the four rows, under Device type, select Top Unit (Standard) for standard PhenoTypers or Top Unit (NeuroBsik) for PhenoTypers of the Neuro-Bsik type. Choose Top Unit Tester (PTTB-002x) only when you want to use the Top Unit Tester instead of the actual PhenoTyper Top Unit, for testing purposes. 8 - Control hardware devices
3. Under Device ID for the rows appended, enter the name of the physical Top Units.
4. When ready, click OK. Next, assign the Top Units to the arenas (see the next section). To set the port connections for other groups of PhenoTypers, you must adjust the jumpers for the ports you are going to use. See the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - Service Manual.

assign devices to arenas

For experiments with one arena only, hardware devices are automatically assigned to the arena. You can skip this paragraph and continue with the next step: testing the hardware devices (see page 115) or programming trial control with devices (see page 117). For multi- arena experiments follow the procedure below. Assuming that you have defined your arenas in the Arena Settings (see EthoVision XT Help), do the following: 1. In the Experiment Explorer, click the Arena Settings in which the arenas you want to use are defined. 2. In the Arena Settings window, click the Arena - Hardware mapping button. The Arena - Hardware mapping window appears. 3. Click Add device. A new row is appended to the table. 4. From the Device type list, select the type of device you want to assign. Select Custom hardware if the device type you are using is not listed. 5. Under Device name, a default name is displayed. This is the suggested Device name for the devices that you specify in that row; for more information on the meaning of Device names, see page 105. We advise you to enter a new name that can be easily recognized, especially if you have more devices of the same type in each arena. 8 - Control hardware devices example Each arena is provided with two pellet dispensers of the same type. Enter Pellet Dispenser Left under Device name. In the next step (6), select the pellet dispensers to be placed on the left side of each arena. Next, click Add device again and enter Pellet Dispenser Right under Device name, then select the pellet dispensers to be placed on the right side of each arena. 6. Under the Arena name, select the physical device that you want to assign to that arena. Assign the other devices to the remaining arenas. 7. Repeat steps 3 to 6 to add a new set of devices. 8. When finished, click OK. Figure 29 The Arena - Hardware mapping window. 8 - Control hardware devices

Notes

To remove a set of devices, select the corresponding row in the table and click the Remove device button. If your setup includes two or more devices of the same type in one arena, make sure that you select the physical devices that belong to the Device name specified under Device name. See page 105 for the meaning of Device name. If you cannot select any physical device under the arena names, check that the Device type selected for that row is specified in the Port Device Mapping (see page 109). The Arena - Hardware Mapping settings are valid for all Arena Settings in your experiment. They are added automatically to every new Arena Settings.

Assign arenas to the PhenoTypers

1. Click Add device in the Arena - Hardware Mapping window.
2. Under Device type, select Top Unit.
3. Under Device name, enter a generic name (for example, Top Unit).
4. Under Arena n, beginning with 1, select the Device ID of the Top Unit associated with that arena.
5. Repeat step 4 to assign the Top Units to the remaining arenas.

test the hardware devices

1. Make sure that the hardware devices are connected to the EthoVision computer via the USB-IO box or the Mini USB-IO box (see page 107).
2. In the Experiment Explorer, click any Arena Settings.
3. In the Arena Settings window, click the Arena - Hardware mapping button. The Arena - Hardware mapping window appears.
4. Under the Arena name, select the physical device you want to test, and click Test. A new window appears.
5. Depending on the hardware device: For any device that can receive a signal from and send it back to the computer - Examples are the Pellet dispenser, Activity wheel break, or Backlight unit white light. Select the appropriate action, click Test and check that the action has been taken. You 8 - Control hardware devices can also view the result in the Test window, that is, for example the Number of drops has increased by 1. For any device that can only send a signal to the computer, not receive any. Examples are the Lickometer, PhenoWheel, or the Activity wheel counter. Trigger the device manually and check the result in the Test window. For the Top Unit. From the Command list, select the action you want to test, click Test and check the result in the PhenoTyper.

For the Custom Hardware Device (for example, the Illuminated shelter). From the

Command list, select the action you require, click Test and check that the device has been activated correctly. For the TTL Port Tester. Use this device to check the two-way communication for a specific port. Press a button on the device and check the result in the Test window.

From the Command list, select a command and click Test. Check the result on the

tester box. 6. When ready, click OK.

Notes

Data from the Lickometer and the PhenoWheel are read out in regular time intervals. For the Lickometers currently sold by Noldus IT, the time interval is two seconds, and for the current PhenoWheel it is 60 seconds. For all devices: The fact that a signal is given correctly in the Test window but you do not see the response from the device could mean that the device is not functioning (for example, a lamp is broken). For the Pellet dispenser: If the Test window shows in error state = true, the pellet dispenser is not connected to the IO-box, or the food pellets are no longer available. For the Lickometer: Number of licks and Duration of licks is the cumulative number and duration of licks since the Test button has been clicked, respectively. The device is read out at regular time intervals. At the end of the interval the number and duration of licks is displayed very briefly. important If you realize that the values of Number and Duration of licks given by EthoVision XT are much higher than expected, close EthoVision XT, disconnect and re- connect the IO-box to the computer and then restart EthoVision XT. For the Top Unit, TTL Port Tester and Custom Hardware Device. You can also view the result of the action to be tested in the Test window. Locate the Signal you want to test 8 - Control hardware devices and verify that Value changes from false to true or vice versa. For the TTL Port Tester, you can also press a button and check the counts of presses for that button.

program trial control with hardware devices

In the Trial Control Settings, you can define:

A condition based on a hardware device. For example, As soon as the cumulative

duration of licks equals 1 minute, stop recording. See page 79. An action on a hardware device. For example, have the Pellet dispenser drop a pellet, or switch on the PhenoTyper's white light.

To define an action on a hardware device

1. In the Components pane, under Actions, double-click the button next to the name of the device type you want to control, or click the button next to it. The Hardware Action window appears.
2. Under Name, enter an Action name. Under Comment (at the bottom) enter a description (optional).
3. Under Action to perform, select the Device name you want to use. The names listed there are defined in the in the Arena-Hardware mapping window.
4. From the Action to perform list, select the action that the device must take.
5. Click the Test button to check the hardware action. Click the Reset button to reset all hardware.
6. Click OK. Insert the Action box in the appropriate position in the rule. For information on how to do this, see the EthoVision XT Help.

What you need to control hardware devices

The Noldus USB-IO box, the Mini USB-IO box, or the DanioVision Observation Chamber. These devices work as physical interfaces between EthoVision XT and the devices. The hardware interface software Noldus HardwareInterface USB-IO box version 5, which is automatically installed when you install EthoVision XT. 8 - Control hardware devices tip To check what is installed on your EthoVision XT computer, see the Windows Control Panel > Programs and Features/Add or remove programs.

Notes

For general information on programming trial control, see page 23. The items listed under Actions are the Device names selected in the Arena-Hardware mapping window (page 113). If the device name is not listed under Actions, check that the port connections are set correctly (page 109) and that the devices are mapped in the arenas (see page 113). If you have a setup with multiple arenas, it is assumed that each arena has a physical device under that Device name. An action is taken in each arena separately, when the accompanying condition is met in that arena. Actions like Light on and Sound on result in the light/sound device being activated for an indefinite time. Remember to add an extra action that switches that light/sound off. The two actions should be separated by a time, for example Light on --> Time 1 s --> Light off. If you define a sequence of multiple actions on the same device, these are probably evaluated at the same sample time. This happens because the computer is fast enough to analyze multiple Trial Control boxes in one sample. To make sure that actions are taken in sequence, add a Time condition between actions so that the program waits for a short time (for example, 0.1 s) before taking the next action. You can also activate a hardware device like a Pellet dispenser manually. In the Manual Scoring Settings, define a fictitious behavior, for example, Pellet, and select the type Point event. In the Trial Control Settings, create a subrule that contains the following conditions and actions: [Rule Begin] > [Condition: Frequency (Pellet)>=1] > [Action: Drop pellet] > [Rule End]. During acquisition, every time you score Pellet, the drop pellet command is executed. For details, see Controlling the Pellet dispenser manually in the PhenoTyper - EthoVision XT 17 - Service Manual. If the hardware action follows a condition based on In zone, or Zone transition, the action may be carried out repeatedly if the animal walks along the border of a zone. For example, if the detected body flickers on the border of two zones, and you want to drop a pellet every time the zone border is crossed, many pellets will be dropped. If this is the case, open the Detection settings and click Advanced, then under Smoothing set Track noise reduction to On. This smooths the track during acquisition, which means that the track is altered. This cannot be reversed afterwards. For NeuroBsik Top Units: To produce ultrasound of specific frequency and intensity: Define two actions that, when combined, specify the frequency you require. 4 kHz. Fsel-1 off, Fsel-2 off. 8 kHz. Fsel-1 off, Fsel-2 on. 8 - Control hardware devices 16 kHz. Fsel-1 on, Fsel-2 off. 32 kHz. Fsel-1 on, Fsel-2 on. Next, define two actions that, when combined, specify the volume you require. 25 dBm. Vol-1 off, Vol-2 off. 50 dBm. Vol-1 off, Vol-2 on. 75 dBm. Vol-1 on, Vol-2 off. 100 dBm. Vol-1 on, Vol-2 on. Combine the four actions with an operator of type All, and then add a Time condition (see the previous note) followed by a Sound on action.

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Source: EthoVision XT 17 - Trial and Hardware Control Reference Manual