Holcombe:Optacon: Difference between revisions
Line 47: | Line 47: | ||
*In the input window for the pins | *In the input window for the pins | ||
**ANIMATE – can visualize how the pins are moving | |||
**Switch off animate when running experiment | |||
*** Can cause lag if it is switched on | |||
**LOOP – will repeat whole sequence including blocks, stimuli – toggle on/off | |||
Revision as of 23:03, 12 July 2012
Recent members• Alex Holcombe
|
Projects• Testing Booth Calendar |
|
Technical• Skills Checklist |
Other• Plots,Graphs
|
USING THE OPTACON
Instructions for using the Optacon setup (draft)
Overview of set-up
- Tower+Monitor uses “Optacon Stimulator” software to provide input to Optacon Interface (the rectangular box with the TRS connectors/jacks).
- The Optacon Interface uses input from Opticon Stimulator to drive the optacon
- Powerlab box reads from Optacon Interface
- Response buttons are connected to the Powerlab box
- Laptop with Labchart collects the output from Powerlab box (button presses and signal from pins)
Switching on the system
- Turn on the computers
- Turn on Powerlab box (switch at back next to grey cord)
- Turn on Optacon Interface (switch on top of box where it says Power)
- Optacon should be the last thing you switch on
Switching off the system
- Optacon should be the first thing you switch off
- Then switch off the Optacon Interface + Powerlab box
- Then switch off computers
Input to Optacon interface
- The tower+monitor provides input to the optacon interface
- Open Optacon Stimulator
- Create New or Open
- Uses .txt files – can make these in excel etc.
- Array (frames) is the input
- Dwell time – how long it stays on that frame
- Pins have fixed vibration rate
- Single protraction/retraction is 4.35ms for ~230Hz vibration
- Dwell time specifies how long the pins vibrate in the arrangement of that frame
- Note: Should take into account 4.35ms “frame duration”
- e.g. if you put 5ms, It will do 2 protractions/frames, actually taking 8.7ms
- Note: Should take into account 4.35ms “frame duration”
- OR Click on cells to manually change them
- In array/frames for input: specify number of Blocks and Stimuli
- Blocks are like the Folder
- Stimuli are within blocks
- Can repeat blocks or stimuli independently
- In the input window for the pins
- ANIMATE – can visualize how the pins are moving
- Switch off animate when running experiment
- Can cause lag if it is switched on
- LOOP – will repeat whole sequence including blocks, stimuli – toggle on/off
- First 5 seconds of task should be empty –
- Might be vibrations due to noise etc, so have first 5 seconds empty to ensure experiment starts off clean
- Powerlab box
- Can choose which pins the Powerlab box records from
"Data Collection"
- Laptop has Labchart on it
- Uses this for data collection
Starting Labchart:
- Labchart shortcut is on the desktop
- When labchart loads it will seach for optacon interface
**If optacon interface is powered off you can still load labchart ***e.g. if you want to look at data **If you want to use it with the optacon interface make sure interface is on first
- To use settings that have been made for use with optacon:
- Open a template (e.g ‘example’)
- Then: File – new – will ask if want to use settings based on other worksheet – click ‘yes’
- Open a template (e.g ‘example’)
Testing if everything is connected properly
- Make a file that shows the button presses and the pins you are interested in recording from
- Run and check if button presses and pin recordings correspond to the correct channel
- e.g. Pin input test – test everything is plugged in properly
Recording:
- Press START button in the bottom right hand corner to start recording
- Top 3 channels shows input – i.e. response from pressing buttons
- Bottom 3 channels records from pins
- Can toggle MONITOR to the left of start button – it will monitor responses/input but doesn’t record
- Make sure it is off when you want to collect data
- Monitor Off / Recording– Not showing red X
- Monitor On / Not Recording – Showing red X
- Make sure it is off when you want to collect data
- Can also set up new channels to calculate things from the other channels
Saving:
- Save raw data as an .adicht file before doing anything
- Can select data points – ‘save as’ data file
For stats:
- File – export – labchart txt file
- Samples at 10k a second – can downsample it for smaller file size - this may reduce precision of optacon pins because they are very fast (so find a suitable sampling rate for your purposes)
Notes for running participants
- Instruct participants that they do not need to press hard on buttons
- Feels like it isn’t registering but it is
- Use scales to measure pressure on fingers
- Keep this constant over conditions and participants
- If pressure is too high – will dampen the vibrations – should be gently touching
Misc notes:
- Pull out blue cord at back of optacon to use the visual input part of the optacon
- Switch at back – INVERT – black on white or white on black
- Make sure optacon is not resting on the array – can damage the pins
- ALWAYS BE CAREFUL – it is a fragile piece of equipment we can’t easily replace
--Elizabeth Nguyen 01:47, 13 July 2012 (EDT)