MEA Signal Generator Manual - ALA Scientific Instruments
Contents
1. multichannel systems MEA Signal Generator Manual Information in this document is subject to change without notice No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted without the express written permission of Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this document the publisher and the author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions or for damages resulting from the use of information contained in this document or from the use of programs and source code that may accompany it In no event shall the publisher and the author be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage caused or alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly by this document 2004 2010 Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH All rights reserved Printed 19 11 2009 Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH AspenhaustraBe 21 72770 Reutlingen Germany Fon 49 71 21 90 925 0 Fax 49 71 21 90 92 5 11 info multichannelsystems com www multichannelsystems com Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation Products that are referred to in this document may be either trademarks and or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be noted as such The publisher and the author make no claim to these trademark Table of Contents Introduction About this Manual Important Information and Instructions Guarantee and Liability Operator s Ob2. Local retailer Please see the list of official MCS distributors on the MCS web site User forum The Multi Channel Systems User Forum provides the opportunity for you to exchange your experience or thoughts with other users worldwide Mailing list If you have subscribed to the mailing list you will be automatically informed about new software releases upcoming events and other news on the product line You can subscribe to the list on the contact form of the MCS web site www multichannelsystems com Scope of Delivery MEA Signal Generator Grounding Cable CB GND EL EEE sic Lithium Battery CR 1620 durability maximal 2 years 14
3. Similar to a production line in a plant this instrument picks up only those channels from the data streams that you have assigned to it It processes this data and produces an output stream that is lead to the virtual instrument s next in the hierarchy and so on When you build a rack make yourself clear which data streams flow to which instrument and what output you should expect If you change the selection of channels for a virtual instrument you may have to adjust the selection for instruments that depend on its output as well If you have not specified an input for a tool an error message will inform you Getting Started Here you will find a short description of basic tasks and tools that are needed Go through this chapter before you start building a rack 6 2 1 6 2 2 6 2 3 MEA Signal Generator Starting MC_Rack Double click the MC_Rack icon or select MC_Rack from the Start menu Racki Rack Ga i Recorder Rack Channels Recorder window multichannel gt Skatus created Lag The program starts One dialog box opens automatically This is your rack You will now configure your rack and implement the features you need to accomplish the task Your rack is almost empty it holds only a Recorder In the Recorder dialog box you define the path and the file in which the acquired data is going to be saved Creating a Data File 1 Click the Recorder tab 2 Browse your folders and select a
4. 2 MEA Signal Generator Checking the Electrode Pins of the Amplifier Noise in single Electrodes Starting MEA SG with 12 5 Hz sinus waves you may see the following display AVIA VAATA AVA ANA A VAVAVAVAVAVANAVA MAMAS BN AN NY AV VAVAVAVACAVACA VA a AAAA VA Ca Channel 66 67 68 show an significant higher level of noise channel 78 is completely in saturation That means there is a problem with the contact pad of MEA SG and or the electrode pins of the amplifier To test this turn MEA SG by 90 degrees If the same electrodes in the MEA layout are affected the contact of the amplifiers electrode pins are bad may be the gold contacts of MEA SG too In most cases this is a problem of contamination To repair clean the gold contacts of MEA SG and electrode pins of the amplifier with a soft tissue or a cotton swab and 100 pure alcohol The channels should now display flawless signals see data display below If contamination was not the cause it may be that the electrode pins are defective Ground the channels if you do not need them or change electrode pins in amplifier Please read MEA User Manual for detailed instructions X Avis 1000 ms ol 0 0 1000 0 IV Peak Detection Reverse Displa p H Yas 500 av sono J 500 F Showlmage MYM YM YY KAAVI RAN ANTIN RIAA DAYMA YMA AZ ET LLAU MC_Rack data display with flawless signals 13 8 1 8 2 Appendix Contact Information
5. ations The operator is obliged to allow only persons to work on the device who are familiar with the safety at work and accident prevention regulations and have been instructed how to use the device are professionally qualified or have specialist knowledge and training and have received instruction in the use of the device have read and understood the chapter on safety and the warning instructions in this manual and confirmed this with their signature It must be monitored at regular intervals that the operating personnel are working safely Personnel still undergoing training may only work on the device under the supervision of an experienced person Important Information and Instructions Important Safety Advice Warning Make sure to read the following advice prior to installation or use of the device and the software If you do not fulfill all requirements stated below this may lead to malfunctions or breakage of connected hardware or even fatal injuries Warning Always obey the rules of local regulations and laws Only qualified personnel should be allowed to perform laboratory work Work according to good laboratory practice to obtain best results and to minimize risks The product has been built to the state of the art and in accordance with recognized safety engineering rules The device may only be used for its intended purpose be used when in a perfect condition Improper use could lead to serious even fatal injur
6. ch is beneficial for upcoming biological experiments Demonstration The MEA SG is a great tool for demonstrating how the MEA System works In contrast to biological experiments you can be sure that the Signal Generator will produce what you want to show there is no risk of failure which is always a problem with living objects 6 1 6 2 MEA Signal Generator Training MC_Rack With MEA SG it is easy to train users on the software which is specially made for MEA Systems MC_Rack MEA_ Select if you have an amplifier with blanking circuit and MC_DataTool Together with MC_Card and MC_Rack you have a complete set for data acquisition and MEA SG generates the data for training instead of an animal experiment This possibility increases the flexibility of the unpracticed user Please read the MC_Rack User Manual for detailed information The reasonable Step by Step Tutorial gives you an impression how MC_Rack is generally working and you can deal with prepared racks If you do not wish to read the complex MC_Rack User Manual MEA SG gives you the chance of Learning by Doing Because of your mechanical animal you can learn the MC_Rack features until you feel comfortable Do not only follow the specified way in Step by Step Tutorial try to think about some features which are important for your own experimental intentions and you will realize your ideas Summarized information about MC Rack In MC_Rack the rack you use to rec
7. d 30 Contact 100 Pad 50 2958800800009566 Gold Contact Pads For information If you ground one of the electrode pins with a small amplitude all electrodes with small amplitudes will be set to zero If you ground one of the electrode pins with 100 amplitude its heights will be cut in half In MC_Rack data display channel 66 get saturated Check whether this channels is grounded If not may be the electrode pin or the contact pad of your amplifier is defective Please see chapter Troubleshooting 5 1 5 2 MEA Signal Generator Application MEA SG is suitable for all purposes concerning MEA System that is why it lends itself to help new users It is possible to learn about the amplifier and the specific software MC_Rack and MC_DataTool just as well as other software programs Furthermore you are able to control the operating mode of the amplifier and you have a tool for troubleshooting Training MEA SG is optimized for training users because you are able to use MC_Rack and to work with the complete MEA System MEA SG is also a good basis for demonstration To learn about MC_Rack please read the detailed MC_Rack User Manual You can try out different features of the software and their influences on the signal You can change signal types to make you familiar with specification and parameter value of the offered sinus waves and spikes It is the best practice in software employment you gain experience and avoid mistakes whi
8. found in the Help Check also the MCS Web site www multichannelsystems com for downloading up to date manuals and Help files 2 1 2 2 Important Information and Instructions Guarantee and Liability The General conditions of sale and delivery of Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH always apply The operator will receive these no later than on conclusion of the contract Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any and all tests and data generated by the use of the device or the software It is up to the user to use good laboratory practice to establish the validity of his her findings Guarantee and liability claims in the event of injury or material damage are excluded when they are the result of one of the following Improper use of the device Improper installation commissioning operation or maintenance of the device Operating the device when the safety and protective devices are defective and or inoperable Non observance of the instructions in the manual with regard to transport storage installation commissioning operation or maintenance of the device Unauthorized structural alterations to the device Unauthorized modifications to the system settings Inadequate monitoring of device components subject to wear Improperly executed and unauthorized repairs Unauthorized opening of the device or its components Catastrophic events due to the effect of foreign bodies or acts of God Operator s Oblig
9. g Save 11 7 1 MEA Signal Generator Troubleshooting MEA Amplifier It is possible to control some functions of the MEA amplifier with MEA SG Please read also chapter Troubleshooting in MEA Manual Most of the problems with MEA System are rare and most are minor problems which can be easily avoided and solved If a problem persists please contact your retailer With MEA SG you are able to check the electrode pins of your amplifier and the general behavior due to grounding and shielding the system Grounding and Shielding Noise level After mounting the MEA SG connecting it to ground but before switching it on you first see the noise level 50 Hz hum The level should be comparable on each channel not too big and without additional interference If the overall noise is too strong shielding and grounding of the set up is not sufficient Check the grounding cable and improve the shielding The easiest way is to cover the USB MEA amplifier with aluminium foil and connect the foil to any metal part of the amplifier Another possibility is shielding with a Faraday cage ll Display 1 a Iof x 9 000 ser Seah wie 1000 ms oo 1000 0 lv Peak Detection Reverse Display 10th sweep YAxis 500 Al s 5000 4 5000 MT Show Image j 500 500 500 500 BOO BO 0 Kj a S o Ff 7 I on pag un 1 g san he em Tho T pan 2 T F bard bard jJ Zu 1 J J J oo 12 7
10. ies to the user or third parties and damage to the device itself or other material damage Warning The device and the software are not intended for medical uses and must not be used on humans Malfunctions which could impair safety should be rectified immediately High Voltage Electrical cords must be properly laid and installed The length and quality of the cords must be in accordance with local provisions Only qualified technicians may work on the electrical system It is essential that the accident prevention regulations and those of the employers liability associations are observed Each time before starting up make sure that the power supply agrees with the specifications of the product Check the power cord for damage each time the site is changed Damaged power cords should be replaced immediately and may never be reused Check the leads for damage Damaged leads should be replaced immediately and may never be reused Do not try to insert anything sharp or metallic into the vents or the case Liquids may cause short circuits or other damage Always keep the device and the power cords dry Do not handle it with wet hands Requirements for the installation Make sure that the device is not exposed to direct sunlight Do not place anything on top of the device and do not place it on top of another heat producing device so that the air can circulate freely 3 MEA Signal Generator 3 1 Welcome to the MEA Signal Genera
11. ligations Important Safety Advice MEA Signal Generator Welcome to the MEA Signal Generator Setting Up and Connecting the MEA Signal Generator Handling the MEA SG Application Training Demonstration Training MC_Rack Summarized information about MC_Rack Getting Started Starting MC_Rack Creating a Data File Replaying Data File Information Saving a Rack Troubleshooting MEA Amplifier Grounding and Shielding Checking the Electrode Pins of the Amplifier Appendix Contact Information Scope of Delivery U NNN gt Aa 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 13 14 14 1 1 Introduction About this Manual This short manual is an addendum to the elaborate MEA Manual It is strongly recommended to read the MEA User Manual first if you utilize the MEA Signal Generator for introducing yourself to MEA System Being already familiar with MEA System the MEA SG will be easy to mount and to handle It is assumed that you already have a basic understanding of technical and software terms No special skills are required to read this manual If you are using the device for the first time please read the important safety advice before installing the hardware and software where you will find important information about the installation and first steps The device and the software are part of an ongoing developmental process Please understand that the provided documentation is not always up to date The latest information can be
12. ord and analyze data online and offline the data files are independent from each other You can save and reuse a rack for several experiments and generate separate data files You can then load the generated data file with another rack for further offline analysis later The main power of MC_Rack is its great flexibility You can combine various virtual instruments according to your experimental setup You can decide about the fate of each single data stream separately It is up to you which data streams are displayed on the screen which are saved which are analyzed and so on This concept saves disk space and computer performance and makes handling of up to 128 channels with up to 50 kHz sampling rate easy A status bar informs you of the actual performance of your computer when you record or replay data Please note that the high flexibility of MC_Rack can make a complex configuration of the software necessary please do not be concerned by this It is easy when you know how It is very important to note that all virtual instruments in your rack work independently from each other As a consequence they have to be configured separately For example you have to select the input streams for each instrument separately Generally you will arrange the virtual instruments in your rack in a hierarchical order The selected data streams flow from your MC_Card or from the Replayer recorded data into the virtual instrument highest in the hierarchy
13. ou load a file and you can then start and stop replaying the data streams by mouse click 10 6 2 4 6 2 5 MEA Signal Generator You can select an instrument in your rack to open the corresponding property sheet A selected instrument is highlighted in blue 1 On the toolbar click to add a Replayer to your rack The Replayer property sheet is opened Rack1 Rack Es Recorder loj Rack Replayer Replay File File Info Buffer Into Bo i Bae ra s multichannel it Im l systems ayer Status created Lag 2 Click the Replay File tab Here you load the file you like to review or to analyze offline 3 Click Browse and browse your folders choose the desired file and click Open Later on you can choose recently used files from the Recent Files drop down list Load a file by clicking Open File Information Click File Info You see the date and time when the file has been recorded and all important information about the conditions which was used Click Buffer Info On the left pane you see the single data stream or several streams which were recorded the number of channels the sampling frequency the gain factor and the data format Saving a Rack Save the rack if you would like to keep it for future use 1 On the File menu click Save As 2 The Save As dialog box opens 3 Browse your folders and select a path 4 Enter a file name and confirm by clickin
14. path 3 Type a file name into the text box 4 Confirm by clicking Save The file extension for the data files is mcd The generated files can have a maximum size of 2047 MB This is a limit of Microsoft Windows When this size has been reached a new file is generated automatically The file name is extended by four digits counting up for example LTP Parameters0001 mcd LTP Parameters0002 mcd and so on This allows you to create very large data files You can also choose that the recording is stopped automatically when a file has reached the maximum size option Auto Stop As has been said before the fate of each single channel is independent from other channels You can pick specific channels you wish to save from all generated data streams For example you can decide to save only one channel of raw data but the peak to peak amplitude results of all or of a specific selection of channels Replaying Data In MC_Rack you can then load the generated data file with another rack later for further offline analysis The general design of a rack is basically the same for online or for offline analysis The only difference is that you use the Replayer instead of the MC_Card to generate data streams which can be processed by other virtual instruments in the rack First you define the input data Because you are going to perform an offline analysis with previously saved data you need the Replayer The Replayer works like a tape deck y
15. select the desired waveform of that category For example Set the DIP switch to switch 1 ON and switch 2 OFF and activate the MEA SG by pressing the button The generator now produces EPSPs Press the button again and the generator switches to pop spikes to spikes and back to EPSP and so on To save battery power the MEA SG will run a desired signal for the duration of one hour and then switch off automatically The MEA SG operates in a similar way to the standard MEA probe but without a biological object It is possible to simulate 12 different types of signals Furthermore MCS offers the possibility to program individual signals on special request Please contact Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH if this is required MEA Signal Generator Table DIP switch position and corresponding signals press Signal Source Signal Type Button n times OFF OFF 1 Artificial Sine Wave 0 005 Hz 256MEA Note sine waves lt 1Hz might not be SG ON visible because of the hardware filter bandwidth HE BE BE ea ME BE BE EN BE BE EEE ee OFF 1 Hippocampal Slice 256MEA EPSP SG ON Hippocampal Slice Population Spike Hippocampal Neurons Spikes Heart ECG Atrium Heart ECG Ventricle Cardiomyocytes Ventricle FP 1 Retina 256MEA ERG with Spike SG ON Please adjust the scaling of the x and y axis according to the expected signals LEAN IE To change battery please lift the clamp with a screwdriver and take out the bat
16. tery The new battery must be fixed with positive pole facing up Ul 4 1 MEA Signal Generator Setting Up and Connecting the MEA Signal Generator The MEA SG is handled in the same manner as a MEA probe for experiments For detailed information please read MEA User Manual Mounting instructions Open the lid of the MEA amplifier Place the MEA SG inside The orientation of the chip is not important Replace the lid and close it carefully Ground the MEA SG with a CB GND cable Handling the MEA SG After starting MC_Rack and adding a data display you see your selected signal in this case 12 5 Hz sinus waves Ml Display 1 Ioj x 9 000 sec dah wis 1000 ms oo ee 1000 0 Peak Detection Reverse Display 10th sweep Yaris 250 un 500 _ 500 I Show Imane SZ zo I i a Ee ee ce EN Sea Sn Se 500 Pope pe pe 2 2 22S MC_Rack data display MEA Signal Generator Short circuit Please consider the different levels of amplitudes in electrode displays in direct vicinity side by side regarding to the gold contacts of MEA SG but not to the electrode displays The amplitude alternates in a range of 100 and 50 If there is a shot circuit between neighbor pads of gold contact all electrodes will show the same averaged amplitude You can see the changing amplitudes in MC_Rack data display best in data row four and five 0000000000000000 100 50 100 50 100 50 100 _ 50 Amplitude 100 Gol
17. tor _ Control Button Se O pu _ Grounding Plug sl LED an ee DIP Switch Battery Gold Contact Pads The MEA Signal Generator is a convenient tool for MEA System Users As a variable substitute for expensive biology you can use the MEA SG as you would set up a research experiment That means you can test your own products and data acquisition settings without using valuable biological samples It has the advantage that you do not need living material you reduce the number of animal experiments and save laboratory equipment The MEA SG produces sinus waves or real signals in digitized form These signals are detected as analog signals with the MEA System Because of this data source you are able to use and to test the complete MEA System The base of a MEA SG is made of black board FR4 It shows the MEA standard design with the square recording area build from 60 gold contact pads Instead of electrode arrangements in the middle there is a battery for power supply a blue double DIP switch a plug socket for grounding cable a control button and a LED To activate the MEA SG press the control button to stop it manually press the button for longer than two seconds A flashing LED indicates activity The position of the DIP switch selects different categories of signals see table below Important To change DIP switch position please switch off the device By pushing the control button it is possible to
Download Pdf Manuals
Related Search