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Connecting ANY-maze to other devices
What do you do if you need to count the number of licks at a water bottle, or determine how far an animal runs in an exercise wheel? Video tracking alone can't help. The answer is our range of ANY-maze interfaces, the new generation of the popular AMi device.
There are a total of eight ANY-maze interface devices which between them can detect and respond to inputs from, amongst other things, levers, running wheels, touch switches and nose-poke holes; and can control devices such as optogenetic lasers, shockers, pellet dispensers, cue lights and speakers.
All the ANY-maze interface devices are fully integrated into ANY-maze and connect to the PC via USB; in most cases you don't even need a power cord.
The ANY-maze Optogenetic interface
The ANY-maze Optogenetic interface is designed to independently control up to four optogenetic lasers during behavioural tests performed with ANY-maze. Using the interface, you can either pulse a laser with very high precision at a specific frequency and duty cycle for a set duration, or you can ‘play’ a series of arbitrary pulses. If your laser supports it, the interface can also dynamically adjust the laser’s intensity.
- Four entirely independent channels
- Connects directly to lasers with TTL or analogue (max 5V) inputs
- Can control the intensity of lasers that support this feature
- Output pulse frequency from 0.01Hz to 10KHz
- Output pulse duty cycle from 1% to 99% (100% when output is set to ‘continuous’)
- Can play ‘pulse files’ which define a series of up to 10,000 pulses of arbitrary duration (and intensity)
- Timing accurate to ±100 nanoseconds
The ANY-maze Digital interface
The ANY-maze Digital interface is designed to connect ANY-maze to a wide range of equipment typically found in behavioural labs, such as: levers, photobeams, running wheels, some shockers and pellet dispensers, cue lights, etc.
- Each of the twelve general purpose ports can be independently configured as a: Switch input, TTL input, TTL output, Photobeam input, Rotary encoder input or Photobeam array input.
- Switch inputs can be used to detect switch closures such a lever press, step down from a platform, etc.
- TTL outputs can directly drive LEDs, which make excellent cue lights – check out the cue lights we supply.
- TTL outputs can be used to control some pellet dispensers and shockers (those without TTL control can usually be controlled using the ANY-maze Relay interface).
- Photobeam inputs can be used to detect nose pokes, the animal leaving a start box, progress down a corridor, etc. – use your own photobeams, or check out the photobeams we supply.
- Rotary encoder inputs can be used to detect turns of a running wheel, or even turns of a tethered animal – use your own encoders or check out the encoder we supply.
- Photobeam arrays can be used to detect rears or nose pokes in a hole-board – check out the array we supply.
- Uses pluggable screw terminal blocks for easy connection.
The ANY-maze Touch switch interface
The ANY-maze Touch switch interface is designed to detect when an animal touches something conductive. For example, this might be the animal licking a bottle spout, the animal’s paw touching a metal plate on the wall of a cage, or the animal slipping from a grid and its paw touching a metal floor.
- Four independent channels
- Each channel has two connectors: a BNC connector and a pluggable screw terminal block for easy connection to bare wires
- Adjustable sensitivity
- Each channel is read at 180Hz
The ANY-maze Relay interface
The ANY-maze Relay interface has six output ports which can be used to turn things on and off under software control. For example, an output could switch on a shocker, turn on a light or activate a pellet dispenser.
- Six independent channels
- Uses solid state relays – no audible click when the relays switch on
- Uses pluggable screw terminal blocks for easy connection to bare wires
- Ports can provide power to connected devices – very useful when controlling pellet dispensers
- Maximum voltage 42V DC or AC(RMS)
- Maximum current 2A DC or AC(RMS)
- RC snubber built into the port allowing the relay to directly control inductive loads like motors
- Maximum switching frequency 200Hz
- Isolation 5300 Vrms
The ANY-maze Analogue interface
The ANY-maze Analogue interface is designed to connect ANY-maze to devices which output analogue signals, for example a respiratory gas analyser, a blood pressure monitor or an EEG. The interface can also output digital signals, which can, for example, represent the location of the animal in the apparatus.
- Four independent input channels
- Two independent output channels
- Single ended and differential inputs with six ranges from 3V to ±12V
- User selectable sampling rate from 1Hz to a maximum of 1KHz
- 12-bit analogue to digital convertor
- Power and data are galvanically isolated from the PC
- ANY-maze software can apply digital high-, low- or band-pass filters to the input signals
The ANY-maze Audio interface
The ANY-maze Audio interface has six outputs which can be connected to 4-ohm or 8-ohm speakers. Each output can independently play white noise, tones or a sound file under full software control.
- Six independent speaker outputs
- Outputs can play tones of any software selectable frequency from 65Hz to 16Khz. (At the extremes of the frequency range the actual sound generated will depend heavily on the speakers used)
- Outputs can play white noise
- Outputs can play any software selectable sound file
- Speaker volume is under software control and can be adjusted in 1% increments.
- Supports 4-ohm or 8-ohm speakers, including the ANY-maze speaker
- Output power is 3W per channel into 4-ohms and 1.7W per channel into 8-ohms
The ANY-maze Synchronisation interface
The ANY-maze Synchronisation interface is designed to help synchronise tests in ANY-maze with other equipment, such as electrophysiology or fiber photometry systems. It consists of 6 TTL ports which can be set to output TTL signals when a test starts, when a new frame is captured from the camera, and/or when ANY-maze stores the animal’s position in its results.
- 6 independent TTL channels
- Any channel can be used to output a signal when: A test starts, a frame is captured, a position is stored
- Channels not used for synchronisation can be programmed as inputs or outputs and used for general purpose I/O
ANY-maze Operant interface
The ANY-maze Operant interface is designed to directly connect to the popular range of Operant conditioning equipment available from Med Associates.
- Direct replacement for existing Med Associates connection panel
- 20 outputs and 10 inputs
- Each interface connects directly to the computer via USB
- No Med Associates interface cards are required
- Interfaces can be powered from their own power supply (supplied separately) or from an existing Med Associates power supply
- Three 28V power connectors
- For a full list of compatible Med Associates devices that can be connected to the inputs and outputs, see the ANY-maze Operant interface datasheet
The ANY-maze USB TTL cable
The ANY-maze USB TTL cable is a low cost device for interfacing any TTL compatible input or output with ANY-maze.
- 2 channels
- Channels can be independently configured as inputs or outputs
- Screw terminal block for easy connection to devices
- USB connection to the PC
The ANY-maze animal shocker
The ANY-maze animal shocker administers scrambled shock to 8 independent outputs. The intensity, onset and duration of the shocker are all under software control, so for example, the intensity of the shock could be altered depending on the situation in a test.
- 8 independent scrambled outputs
- 0.02mA – 5mA current, controllable in 0.02mA steps
- Constant current, feedback controlled
- Display of current levels being administered
- USB connection to the PC
