Elements eONE User Manual

eONE

Miniaturized One-Channel Amplifier

USER’S GUIDE

October 2015

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enabling technologies for Life Science

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Periodically check the following link for the most updated manual version: http://elements-ic.com/downloads/

Revision History

Version Preliminary

Initial Manual Created

23th January 2014

Version 1.0

Manual Released

30th July 2014

Version 1.1

Corrections made to figure 4

10th August 2014

Version 1.2

Changed manual format
Added Package section
Corrections made to figure 5
Added new software features and voltage protocols tab
descriptions
Added import into Origin® and Clampfit® instructions
Added troubleshooting guide

29th September 2014

Version 1.3

Edited/Corrected pages headings and Summary

10th October 2014

Version 1.4

Added the note in section 2.4.6 and suggestion in the
troubleshooting guide
Corrections made to figure 4

04th December 2014

Version 1.5

Updated key features
Updated figure 2 – figure 4 – figure 5
Added the note in section 3.1.10
Updated section 3.1.5

19th February 2015

Version 1.6

Updated figures for EDR 2.X
Added warning message for offset compensation
Updated section 3.1.7 with the new C and R auto estima­tions
Updated section 3.1.8 for the new display window
Added keyboard shortcuts list
Updated eONEread.m to elementsRead.m Matlab func­tion

5th October 2015

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Summary

SECTION 1 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 1

1 Preliminary Information ............................................................................................................................................................................. 1

1.1 General notes .................................................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.2 Trademarks ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 2

1.3 Instructions on disposal ..................................................................................................................................................................... 2

1.4 Description of safety symbols............................................................................................................................................................. 3

1.5 Qualified Personnel ........................................................................................................................................................................... 4

1.6 Basic knowledge required .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

1.7 Proper use of the product .................................................................................................................................................................. 4

1.8 Purpose of the user’s guide ................................................................................................................................................................ 4

1.9 Scope of the operating instructions .................................................................................................................................................... 5

1.10 The manual is a part of the system ..................................................................................................................................................... 5

1.11 Figures ............................................................................................................................................................................................... 5

1.12 Safety instructions ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6

1.12.1 Installation according to the instructions .................................................................................................................................. 6

1.13 Notes about usage ............................................................................................................................................................................. 6

SECTION 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7

2 General description and connections .......................................................................................................................................................... 7

2.1 Product description ............................................................................................................................................................................ 8

2.2 Key features....................................................................................................................................................................................... 8

2.3 Package ............................................................................................................................................................................................. 9

2.4 Hardware setup ............................................................................................................................................................................... 10

2.4.1 Front Connections ....................................................................................................................................................................... 10

2.4.2 Rear Connections ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11

2.4.3 Select the location ....................................................................................................................................................................... 12

2.4.4 Checking the package contents .................................................................................................................................................... 12

2.4.5 Checking the operating conditions ............................................................................................................................................... 12

2.4.6 Tipical Experimental Setup .......................................................................................................................................................... 13

SECTION 3 ......................................................................................................................................................................................................... 15

3 Software installation and description ....................................................................................................................................................... 15

3.1 Software guide ................................................................................................................................................................................ 16

3.1.1 Requirements ............................................................................................................................................................................. 16

3.1.2 Installation .................................................................................................................................................................................. 16

3.1.3 Software Operating Procedure .................................................................................................................................................... 19

3.1.4 Graphical User Interface .............................................................................................................................................................. 20

3.1.5 eONE Controls ............................................................................................................................................................................. 21

3.1.6 Digital Offset Compensation ........................................................................................................................................................ 26

3.1.7 Statistic Data ............................................................................................................................................................................... 27

3.1.8 Trace Visualization ...................................................................................................................................................................... 28

3.1.9 Keiboard shortcuts ...................................................................................................................................................................... 29

3.1.10 Save & Read Data ................................................................................................................................................................... 29

Troubleshooting guide ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 35

Technical support & repairs ............................................................................................................................................................................... 36

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SECTION 1

1 Preliminary Information

 General notes.
 Trademarks.
 Instructions on disposal.
 Description of safety symbols.
 Qualified Personnel.
 Basic knowledge required.
 Proper use of the product.
 Purpose of the user’s guide.
 Scope of the operating instructions.
 The manual is a part of the system.
 Figures.
 Safety instructions.
 Notes about usage.

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SECTION 1 – Preliminary Information

IT

EN

FR

1.1 General notes

a) The information in this manual is subject to change and is in no way

binding upon ELEMENTS s.r.l.

b) ELEMENTS s.r.l. is not responsible for technical errors or other omissions

in the manual, and shall not accept any responsibility deriving from its
use.

1.2 Trademarks

a) All brands and product names mentioned in this manual are trademarks

of their respective owners.

1.3 Instructions on disposal

 Il simbolo sul prodotto o sulla confezione indica che il prodotto non

deve essere considerato come un normale rifiuto domestico, ma deve
essere portato nel punto di raccolta appropriato per il riciclaggio di ap­parecchiature elettriche ed elettroniche. Provvedendo a smaltire questo
prodotto in modo appropriato, si contribuisce a evitare potenziali conse-

guenze negative per l’ambiente e la salute, che potrebbero derivare da

uno smaltimento inadeguato del prodotto. Per informazioni più detta-

gliate sul riciclaggio di questo prodotto, contattare l’ufficio comunale, il

servizio locale di smaltimento rifiuti o il fornitore da cui è stato acquista­to il prodotto.

 The symbol on the product or in its packaging indicates that this

product may not be treated as household waste. Instead it shall be
handed over the applicable collection point for the recycling of electrical
and electronic equipment. By ensuring this product is disposed of cor­rectly, you will help prevent potential negative consequences for the en­vironment and human health, which could otherwise be caused by inap­propriate waste handling of this product. For more detailed information
about recycling of this product, please contact your local city office, your
household waste disposal service or the supplier where you purchased
the product.

 Le symbole sur le produit ou son emballage indique que ce produit

ne peut être traitè comme décher ménager. It doit être remis au point
de collecte dèdié à cet effect (collect et recyclage du matèriel èlectrique
et èlectronique). En procèdant à la mise à la casse règlementaire de
l’appareil, nous prèservons l’environnement et notre sécurité, s’assurant
ainsi que les dèchets seront traitès dans des conditions appropriées.
Pour obtenir plus de dètails sur le recyclage de ce produit, veuillez
prendre contact avec les services de votre commune ou le distributeur
où vous avez effectué l’achat.

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DE

ES

PT

Table 1

Safety symbols

 Das Symbol auf dem Produkt oder seiner Verpackung weist darauf

hin, dass dieses Produkt nicht als normaler Haushaltsabfall zu behandeln
ist, sondern an einem Sammelpunkt für das Recycling von elektrischen
und elektronischen Geräten abgegeben werden muss. Durch ihren Bei­trag zum korrekten Entsorgen dieses Produkts schützen Sie die Umwelt
und die Gesundheit Ihrer Mitmenschen. Umwelt und Gesundheit
werden durch falsches Entsorgen gefährdet. Weitere Informationen über
das Recycling dieses Produkts erhalten Sie von Ihrem Rathaus, Ihrer Mül­labfuhr oder den Distributoren, in dem Sie das Produkt gekauft haben.

 El simbolo en el producto o en su embalaje indica que este produc-

to no se puede tratar como desperdicios normales del hogar. Este pro­ducto se debe entregar al punto de recolección de equipos eléctricos y
electrónicos para reciclaje. Al asegurarse de que este producto se dese­che correctamente, usted ayudará a evitar posibles consequencias nega­tivas para el ambiente y la salud pública, lo qual podria ocurrir si este
producto no se manípula de forma adecuada. Para obtener informació­nes mas detalladas sobre el reciclaje de este producto, póngase en con­tacto con la adMinistraciòn de su ciudad, con su servicio de desechos del
hogar o con el surtidor donde comprò el producto.

 O simbolo no produto ou na embalagem indica que este producto

não pode ser tratado como lixo doméstico. Em vez disso, deve ser entre­gueado ao centro de recolha selectiva para a reciclagem de equipamen­to electrico e electronico. Ao garantir uma eliminação adequada deste
produto, ira ajudar a evitar eventuais consequencjas negativas para o
meio ambiente e para a saude publica, que, de outra forma, poderiam
ser provocadas por un tratamento incorrecto do produto. Para obtener
informações mais detalhadas sobre a reciclagem deste produto, contac­te os serviços municipalizados locais, o centro de recolha selectiva da
sua area de residência ou no distribuidor onde adquirir ou produto.

1.4 Description of safety symbols

Danger

This symbol indicates a danger to life or health of personnel.

Warning

This symbol indicates a danger to the hardware and / or the en­vironment.

Note

This symbol indicates an additional information meant to provide
a better understanding.

ESD

This symbol indicates to pay attention and observe precautions
for handling electrostatic sensitive devices

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1.5 Qualified Personnel

a) eONE may be operated only by personnel qualified for the specific task

in accordance with the relevant documentation for the specific task, in
particular its warning notices and safety instructions.

b) Qualified personnel are those who, based on their training and experi-

ence, are able to identify risks and avoid potential hazards when working
with these systems.

1.6 Basic knowledge required

a) To understand operating instructions a general knowledge of infor-

mation technology is needed.

b) Knowledge of personal computers and the Microsoft o.s. is required to

understand this user’s guide.

1.7 Proper use of the product

a) ELEMENTS s.r.l. products may only be used for the applications described

in the catalogue and in the technical documentation.

b) If products and components from other manufacturers are used, these

must be approved by ELEMENTS S.R.L..

c) Proper transport, assembly, installation, storage, commissioning, opera-

tion and maintenance are required to ensure that the product operates
safely.

d) The indicated environmental conditions must be observed.
e) The information in this user’s manual must be observed.

1.8 Purpose of the user’s guide

a) This user’s manual contains information based on the requirements de-

fined by DIN EN 62079 for mechanical engineering documentation.

b) These operating instructions are intended for:

1. Users.

2. Commissioning engineers.

3. Maintenance personnel.
c) Pay attention at the information in the chapter "Safety instructions".
d) More information such as operating instructions, examples and refer-

ence information, are available in the online help of Premium HMI soft­ware and Ubiquity software.

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1.9 Scope of the operating instructions

a) The operating instructions apply to the eONE family.

1.10 The manual is a part of the system

b) This user’s guide belongs to eONE and is also required for commission-

ing.

c) Keep all supplied documentation for the entire service life of eONE.

1.11 Figures

a) This manual contains illustrations of the described devices.
b) Some details of the illustrations may differ from the device provided.

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SECTION 1 – Preliminary Information

Warning

ESD

1.12 Safety instructions

1.12.1 Installation according to the instructions

 Commissioning the eONE device is prohibited until it has been absolutely

ensured that the system in which the eONE device is to be installed
complies with all the applicable EU and international regulation.

1.13 Notes about usage

 eONE is approved for indoor use only.
 eONE may be damaged if operated outdoors.
 eONE may be Static Sensitive. Observe precautions for handling electro-

static sensitive devices.

 eONE may be affected by humidity. If used in a high humidity environ-

ment, it can take longer time to stabilize to standard performances once
connected.

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SECTION 2

2 General description and connections

 Product description.
 Key features.
 Package.
 Hardware Setup.

 Front Connectors.
 Rear Connectors.

 Preparation for installation.

 Select the location.
 Checking the package contents.
 Checking the operation conditions.

 Typical Experimental Setup.

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Figure 1

eONE detail

2.1 Product description

eONE (Miniaturized One-Channel Amplifier) is a new current measurement sys­tem entirely contained in a USB stick, thanks to a custom-made microchip for
low-noise current signal acquisitions.

2.2 Key features

• Two input current ranges: ±200 pA and ±20 nA;

• Eight selectable sampling rates: 1.25 kHz, 5 kHz, 10 kHz, 20 kHz, 40 kHz,

50 kHz, 100 kHz and 200 kHz;

• Very low noise: ≈100 fA rms at 1 kHz, ≈380 fA rms at 10 kHz & ≈3,2 pA

rms at 100 kHz (open input);

• Software controlled voltage stimulus with 1mV resolution;

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Table 2

Package

2.3 Package

eONE package consists of:

eONE

Software interface
SMB plug adaptor

USB cable
Ground cable

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Figure 2

Front connectors

2.4 Hardware setup

2.4.1 Front Connections

eONE is designed to be as simple as possible to connect to your different set­ups.
In order to obtain the best performance, the main things to be careful on are
parasitic capacitances on the input and correct shielding of the overall hard­ware setup to avoid the 50/60Hz line interferences.
The following paragraphs describe all the connections and how to connect them
in the right way.

Input

Reference

On the front of eONE there is the connection for your Device Under Test (DUT).
This connector is a coaxial SMB male gold plated connector where the center
contact is the current measurement input and the outer contact is the refer­ence voltage.

2 1 1

2

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Figure 3

Rear Connections

2.4.2 Rear Connections

USB LED Ground

On the rear of eONE there are two connectors:

- mini-B female USB connector to connect to the PC through the in-

cluded USB cable;

- 2mm gold plated ground female connector to connect the eONE

ground to the Faraday cage;

3 2 1 3 2

1

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Note:

please refer to paragraph 2.3 “Package”.

2.4.3 Select the location

The mounting location should comply with the following characteristics:

a) Avoid direct sunlight exposure.
b) Make sure that eONE is properly (ergonomically) accessible to the op-

erator.

c) Choose a suitable mounting height.

2.4.4 Checking the package contents

 Check the package content for visible signs of transport damage and

for completeness.

 In the case of damaged parts, contact your ELEMENTS S.R.L. repre-

sentative. Do not install parts damaged during shipment.

2.4.5 Checking the operating conditions

 Read carefully the standards, approvals, EMC parameters and technical

specifications for operation of the device.

 Follow the instructions for local use of the device: Notes about usage.

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Figure 4

Typical Experimental Setup

Warning:

Avoid short circuits between the SMB plug

adaptor and the Faraday cage

Note:

Avoid the use of coaxial cables to connect

the DUT to the front connector

Figure 5

Real Setup Example

2.4.6 Tipical Experimental Setup

This picture shows how to correctly connect eONE in a typical electrophysiology
setup:

To obtain the best noise performances a particular care must be given to the
shielding with a metallic cage (Faraday cage) all around the experimental setup.

In particular, it is important to connect the Faraday cage to the ground con­nector placed on the rear of eONE.

In order to minimize the noise it is also important to minimize parasitic capaci­tances between the input and the shielding by keeping the wires as short as
possible and the farthest as possible from the Faraday cage, including your De­vice Under Test (DUT).

With certain PC, there can be some issues with USB power supply that can in­troduce noise and peaks on the acquired signal. In these cases we recommend
to use a powered USB 2.0 hub.

This is an example of a real setup for ion-channel studies on bilayer lipid mem­branes:

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SECTION 3

3 Software installation and description

 Software guide.

 Requirements.
 Installation.
 Software Operation Guide.
 Graphical User Interface.
 eONE Controls.
 Digital Offset Compensation.
 Statistic Data.
 Trace Visualization.
 Save Data.

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Warning

IMPORTANT: The software must be in-

stalled BEFORE connecting the eONE device

to the PC

Figure 6

Elements Data Reader Install Program

3.1 Software guide

Elements Data Reader (EDR) is the control software for eONE devices.
It enables the total control of eONE devices features (such as set the data acquisi­tion properties and the control voltage) and enables the real time data visualiza­tion and data saving.
Data acquired by means of this custom software are handily readable by Matlab®
and can be saved to be compatible with standard commercial software such as
pClamp® from Molecular Devices® or Origin® from OriginLab®.

3.1.1 Requirements

The minimum system requirements are:

 Dual core processor 1GHz or better
 1GB of RAM
 A free USB 2.0 port
 Windows XP / Vista / Seven / 8

3.1.2 Installation

To start the installation procedure:

 double click on the installation executable EDR_setup_X.XX.exe and fol-

low the instructions.

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Figure 7

FTDIChip CDM Drivers

Figure 8

Fevice Driver Installation Wizard

 During the installation process you will be asked to install the FTDI driver

needed to communicate through USB to the eONE devices.

 Click on Extract to prepare the installation of these drivers.

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Figure 9

Elements Data Reader Install Program

Note:

If the blue LED in the rear of eONE doesn't
light up or if you receive an installation er-

ror, unplug eONE from the USB and plug in

again.

 Then, start the FTDI installation by clicking on Next button and wait until

installation finishes.

 Now the Elements Data Reader software is correctly installed and ready

to start.

 After the software installation has ended, connect the eONE device to a

free USB port.

 The first time you connect the eONE to your PC, you must wait for the

new USB device complete recognition.

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Figure 10

Elements Data Reader Main Menu Window

3.1.3 Software Operating Procedure

 When started, the Elements Data Reader (EDR) software appears as in

the following picture:

 The first operation is to load a configuration file to initialize the software

for the eONE devices.

 The configuration file is loaded by clicking on the “Open Config” button.
 The configuration file is eONE-B-Vxx.ccf or eONE-VP-Vxx.ccf or eONE-

HS-Vxx.ccf (depending on the eONE version) and can be found in the
EDR installation folder (usually C:\Program Files (x86)\EDR 2).

 This file contains all the necessary setups to communicate with the eONE

hardware.

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Figure 11

Elements Data Reader Complete GUI

Note:

Multiple instances of the software can run
on the same PC enabling to control several
eONE devices connected to the same PC. If

more than one eONE device are connected,
you must first choose the correct device Se-

rial Number to be controlled.

3.1.4 Graphical User Interface

After loading the config file, the GUI appears as follows:

In the main menu you can find some estimated statistic values on the input signal
(see the “Statistic Data” section for details) and, on the right there are the con­trols to associate an oscilloscope-like trace (beam) with a specific input signal in
the Display window (in the case of eONE devices, there is only one input channel
available). See the “Trace Visualization” section for details.
On the right of the main menu there is also an estimation of the input bitrate.

In the bottom you can find, in addition to the “Open Config” button already de­scribed in the previous section, the following buttons:

 Connect – Starts the communication with the eONE hardware.
 Controls – Opens the Controls window which presents the eONE device

specific commands (see the “eONE Controls” section for details).

 Display – Opens the Displays window in which data are visualized in real-

time.

 Recording – Saves data in the format and path selectable in the

“FilePreferences” menu.

In the bottom-right corner there is a drop-down list of the serial numbers of all
the recognized eONE devices connected to the PC.

To start acquiring data, click on the “Connect” button. Once connected, the
“Warning: voltage offset not compensated” message in the main menu starts
blinking to remember users to compensate the offset (see the “Digital Offset
Compensation” section for details)

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Figure 12

eONE Controls - HS version

Note:

The sampling rate is limited up to 20 kHz in

the Base and VP version.

Note:

Users can achieve a large variety of effec-

tive signal bandwidth using different com-

binations of the SR and Final Bandwidth

controls. For example, selecting a sampling

rate of 20 kHz and a Final Bandwidth of

SR/20 (or a 10 kHz and a Final Bandwidth

of SR/10), a 1 kHz bandwidth can be ob-

tained.

3.1.5 eONE Controls

The eONE Controls window contains controls in a modular fashion with some fea­tures enabled or disabled depending on the eONE version. Below is described the
HS version control tab which include all the possible features.

The Controls tab contains the following controls:

 Range
 Sampling Rate (SR)
 Final Bandwidth
 Digital Compensation
 eONE reset

The Range buttons enable the users to choose between two ranges:

 from -200 pA to +200 pA

or

 from -20 nA to + 20 nA

The Sampling Rate (SR) buttons enable the users to choose between the differ­ent sampling rate values up to 200 kHz (for the HS version), respectively:

 1.25 kHz
 5 kHz
 10 kHz
 20 kHz
 40 kHz
 50 kHz
 100 kHz
 200 kHz

The Final Bandwidth buttons enable the users to select the final signal bandwidth
between four different digital filters settings:

 Sampling Rate/2, the Nyquist frequency
 Sampling Rate/8
 Sampling Rate/10
 SamplingRate/20

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Note:

To quickly apply your custom and standard-

ly used protocol save it as .psf file, load it

and click the “Apply” button.

Figure 13

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Rectangular Voltage Pulses protocol

Note:

In order to be sure of the correctness of the

applied holding potential, a digital offset

compensation procedure must be followed.

In the next section the digital compensation

function is described.

Note:

Users can activate the trigger for beam 1

(as explained in section 3.1.8) in order to

trigger signal using the voltage pulses.

Note:

The software also performs a rules check

for the correctness of the set parameters.

The Digital compensation check box enables or disables the offset compensation
function (see the “Digital Offset Compensation” section for details).

The Reset check box keep the eONE device in reset mode. This function can be
useful to reset the digital offset compensation value to the initial value.

The Voltage Protocols tab (only enabled in the eONE VP and eONE HS versions)
contains a complete set of seven standard voltage stimulus protocols. For each
automatic voltage protocol the different parameters represented in figure can be
set.
The tab also contains the following buttons:

 The Apply button: starts the application of the selected stimulus proto-

col using the pre-set parameters.

 The Clear button: cancels all the parameters and set them to the default

values.

 The Save button: enables to save all the parameters related to standard-

ly used protocols in a proprietary .psf file.

 The Load button: enables to load the protocols (and the parameters re-

lated to that) saved in the selectable .psf files

Below the different voltage protocols and their parameters are briefly described:

 Rectangular voltage pulses protocol:

It is the most common protocol to perform an analysis of channel’s voltage

sensitivity.

Here are listed all the setting parameters enabled for this protocol. The described
parameters have similar meaning in all the other protocols:

o Vhold is the constant holding potential applied at the eONE in-

put pin in the range from -384 mV to +384 mV with 1mV steps;

o Vfp is the first pulse amplitude. It can be set in the range from

-315 mV to +315 mV with 5mV steps;

o Vstep is the voltage step between two consecutive pulses. It

can be positive or negative to obtain increasing or decreasing
consecutive pulses;

o Tpu is the single pulse duration. It can be set in the range from

1 ms to 9000 ms;

o Tpe is the time period between two consecutive pulses. It can

be set in the range 10 ms to 90000 ms;

o N is the total number of pulses; each one differs from the pre-

vious one by Vstep mV;

o Ne is the total number of identical sweeps. It can be from 1 to

127 and by setting Ne to 0 the endless repetition of the selected
protocol can be obtained.

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Figure 14

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Constant Voltage protocol

Figure 15

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Triangular wave protocol

Figure 16

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Seal test protocol

Figure 17

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Conductance test protocol

 Constant voltage protocol:
The constant voltage is considered as a protocol with only the Vhold parame­ter.

 Triangular wave protocol:
It can be used to control the bilayer formation and it is used for the Capaci­tance estimation feature (see details section 3.1.7).

 Seal test protocol:
It is commonly used for setting up the sealing of the pipette to the cell in
patch clamp studies. Usually the Ne parameter is set to 0 to repeatedly apply
the stimulus to the cell.

 Conductance test protocol:
It can be used to semi-automatically perform a channel’s conductance char­acterization.

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Figure 18

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Recovery from inactivation protocol

Figure 19

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Variable duration pulses protocol

Note:

To obtain the most achievable linear ramp,

users have to set Vstep and Tpu parame-

ters to 1 mV.

Figure 20

eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols

Voltage Ramp protocol

 Recovery from inactivation protocol:
It consist of a series of identical rectangular voltage pulses Tpu ms long with
an amplitude of Vfp mV. The time interval between two consecutive pulses
(interpulse interval) changes of the value of the Tstep parameter. It can be
positive or negative to obtain increasing or decreasing interpulse intervals.

 Variable duration pulses protocol:
It consist of a series of rectangular voltage pulses (Vfp mV of fixed amplitude)
of a duration that changes of the value of the Tstep parameter.

 Voltage Ramp protocol:
It is the most common protocol to generate the I-V curve for the current­voltage characterization.
The setting parameters are similar to the previously described rectangular
voltage pulses protocol, with the difference that, instead of the number of
pulses, users can select the final voltage Vmax in the range between -315 mV
and +315 mV, with 5mV steps.

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Figure 21

eONE Controls - Base version

Finally, below are listed the controls that are present only in the eONE Base ver­sion, which has some limitations compared to the VP and HS versions:

 Triangular Wave check box
 Vhold tab

The Triangular Wave control is used to force a 50 Hz triangular wave control volt­age of peak to peak amplitude of 200 mVpp. This voltage signal is commonly used
to control lipid bilayer formation and to estimate the input capacitances, as de­scribed in the “Statistic Data” section.

The Vhold box in the Vhold tab enables the user to select value of the constant
holding potential applied at the eONE input pin in the following range:

 from -384 mV to +384 mV with 1mV steps

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SECTION 3 – Software installation and description

Note:

To successfully compensate the offset, a

conductive path between the two elec-

trodes must be present.

Figure 22

Digital Offset Compensation

3.1.6 Digital Offset Compensation

To compensate the voltage offset due to internal opamp offsets or unwanted
electrode potentials, eONE has an internal calibration procedure that can be acti­vated with the Digital Compensation check box.

The compensation circuit, when activated, sets the Vc to 0 V and adds to it a vari­able voltage in the range from -128 mV to +128 mV until the current is 0 A (1 mV
step resolution).

In order to successfully compensate the offset, a conductive path must be pre­sent on the input.

Do NOT compensate the voltage offset with open input.

The compensation need only few seconds. To return to normal operation, UN­CHECK the Digital Compensation check box.

The compensation value remains stored internally and added to the Vc.

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eONE - User’s guide

Figure 23

Statistic Data

Note:

For capacitance values higher than about

17pF select the 20nA range in order to

avoid amplifier saturation.

3.1.7 Statistic Data

The Graphical User Interface of the EDR software includes some statistical data
analysis done in real-time during the current acquisitions.
These estimated statistic data are:

 Mean value
 Standard Deviation (STD)
 Equivalent input capacitance
 Equivalent input resistance
 Saturation

The mean and Std values are calculated in real-time. The input acquired data are
split in temporal windows whose length is dependent on the estimated input da­ta bitrate and memorized in a buffer. Then, the mean and std values are calculat­ed on these buffers.

When the user changes the bandwidth, there can be necessary to wait some time
to have valid estimated statistic data.
The following instructions have to be followed to obtain capacitance and re­sistance estimations.

Capacitance estimation:

 Enable the Triangular Wave using the check box (eONE Base version) or

apply the Protocol 1 (eONE VP or HS version);

 Set the best range between 200 pA and 20 nA;
 Check that the acquired current is a square waveform;
 Click on the “C estimation” button.

Resistance estimation:

 Be sure the “Triangular Wave” check box is NOT checked;
 Set a Vc value between 10 mV and 355 mV;
 Check that the acquired current is constant, greater than 0 A and not

saturating the amplifier;

 Click on the “R estimation” button.

Values of estimated R and/or C can also be continuously visualized by checking
the “auto” checkbox.
If the proper checkbox is checked while data recording, the estimated R and/or C
values are saved every second in the header file (.edh, which is a text file).

The “Saturation” indicator means the input current exceeded the maximum or
minimum current value for the selected Range.

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SECTION 3 – Software installation and description

Figure 24

Data Display

3.1.8 Trace Visualization

Click on the “Display” button to activate/deactivate the visualization window that
displays the acquired input current and the control voltage in a oscilloscope like
approach.

In the display window there are the buttons necessary to control the visualiza­tion.
In particular, from left to right, these are the button functions:

Increases/decreases verti-

cal zoom

NB: click and drag in
the window to zoom

only the interested

part of the display

Increases/decreases hori-

zontal zoom

Resets zooms to the de-

fault values and set verti-

cal 0 point in the middle of

the window

Pauses the data display

NB: only the visualiza-

tion is freezed, the
devices continues to
acquire and possibly

record data

Changes the vertical offset

(shift)

Search for input current

signal and set it in the
middle of the window

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eONE - User’s guide

Note:

Be careful to have enough disk space to

save data and avoid to save data directly

into network drive or Cloud storage service.

Consider that, at the maximum sampling

rate of 200KHz, to save data using .abf

format requires about 50MB for every mi-

nute of recording; using .DAT format about

100MB/min and using .CSV format about

150MB/min.

Activates the trigger func-

tion using the selected

value as threshold

NB: it is possible to
select the positive or
negative edge of the

Vc or of the input cur-

rent signals

Displays the two data sig-

nal (input current and Vc)

in the main window

Sets data traces to black

and white

Changes from white to

black the windows back-

ground

3.1.9 Keiboard shortcuts

The EDR software has keyboard shortcuts to easily control the amplifier while ex­periments are running. Here is the list of the shortcuts:

"+"/"-" Increase/Decrease display current scale
Ctrl + Page Up/Down Increase/Decrease display current offset
Shift + "+"/"-" Increase/Decrease display voltage scale
Shift + Page Up/Down Increase/Decrease display voltage offset
Ctrl + R Reset scales
Ctrl + Arrow Up/Down Increase/Decrease Vhold by 10 mV
Ctrl + Arrow Left/Right Increase/Decrease input current range
Ctrl + 0 Start voltage protocol 0
… ...
Ctrl + 9 Start voltage protocol 9
Ctrl + G Start/Stop recording
Alt + S Save voltage protocol
Alt + L Load voltage protocol

3.1.10 Save & Read Data

The EDR software can save data in three file formats:

 Proprietary .DAT files - It’s a binary format with data represented in sin-

gle precision values.

 Comma separated values .csv files - It’s a simple text format with data

represented as text. For instance .csv files can be imported by Origin®
software from OriginLab®.

 Axon™ binary format v2 .abf files – It’s the Axon™ file format used by

commercial pClamp® software from Molecular Devices®; data are saved
in “gap-free” acquisition mode.

To save data, click on the “ Recording” button. Data will be saved with the file­name and path selected in “FilePreferences” menu.
Default path is “C:\Users\Documents”. Default filename is “Data_X”, where X is
an incremental number, automatically assigned in order to have subsequent file­names.

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SECTION 3 – Software installation and description

Note:

Acquisition Range, Sampling Rate and

Bandwidth cannot be changed while saving

data.

Note:

Be careful to disable sleep or hibernation

state in the power plan settings of your

computer when performing long-time

experiments.

When saving begins, a timer in the GUI starts and indicates the total saving time.

To stop saving, click on the “ Stop recoding” button.
The EDR software creates a new folder in the location chosen by the user with
the same name of the saving files. In this new folder the EDR software creates
some files:

 An header .txt file containing some eONE setup information (Range,

Bandwidth, etc.).

 The saved data files. To limit the maximum file dimensions, the EDR

software splits the files every X minutes of acquisition selectable in the
“FilePreferences” menu. Default value is 5 minutes of acquisition.

The proprietary .dat files can be handily read by Matlab® with the included func­tion in the elementsRead.m file located in the installation directory (usually
C:\\Program Files (x86)\Elements Data Reader) and in the folder where data are
saved.
Data samples are stored in 32 bit single precision format, little endian.

The elementsRead Matlab® function returns in three vectors the data, the Vc and
the acquisition time.

To load saved data, just type [ data, vc, time ]=elementsRead; in the Matlab®
command windows.
The data are in pA units if the selected range was 200 pA and in nA units if it was
20 nA.

Here is the elementsRead.m Matlab® function:

function [ data, vc, time ] = elementsRead( )

% elementsRead
% Function to read data saved in binary format from the EDR software
%
% returns:
% data - An array of data, one channel in every column;
% vc - A vector reprensenting the command voltage Vc;
% time - The time vector;
%

% select data file

[filename, pathname] = uigetfile('*000.dat');

% check for valid data file name

if length(filename) < 9

display('Error: invalid file name');
return

end
if ~strcmp(filename(end-7:end), '_000.dat')

display('Error: invalid file name');
return

end

% read number of files and their names

basefilename = filename(1:end-8);
files = dir(strcat(pathname, basefilename, '*.dat'));
N = length(files);

range = 0; % default 200 pA
OSR = 0; % invalid OSR value
sampl = 1250000; % default 1.25MHz sampling before decimation
PF = 0.5; % Post Filter cut off frequency. Default = no filter

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eONE - User’s guide

% check if the header file is present

headerFile = dir(strcat(pathname, basefilename, '*.txt'));

if isempty(headerFile)

headerFile = dir(strcat(pathname, basefilename, '*.edh'));

end
if length(headerFile) == 1

fid = fopen(fullfile(pathname, headerFile.name)); % open header file for read
% look for range and bandwidth data
while 1
line = fgetl(fid);
if ~ischar(line)
break % empty header line, exit while cycle
end
% look for Channels line
if strfind(line, 'Channels:') >= 0
[unused, remainder] = strtok(line);
secondToken = strtok(remainder);
Nch = str2double(secondToken);
display(['Number of channels: ', num2str(Nch)]);
end
% look for range line
if strfind(line, 'Range:') >= 0
[unused, remainder] = strtok(line);
secondToken = strtok(remainder);
switch str2double(secondToken)
case 200
range = 0; display('200 pA range');
case 20
range = 1;
display('20 nA range');
otherwise
display('Warning: cannot read range from header file, using default (200 pA)');
end
end
% look for bandwidth line
if strfind(line, 'Bandwidth:') >= 0
[unused, remainder] = strtok(line);
secondToken = strtok(remainder);
switch str2double(strtok(secondToken))
case 40
OSR = 32;
case 20
OSR = 32;
case 10
OSR = 64;
case 5
OSR = 128;
case 1.25
OSR = 512;
case 625
OSR = 1024;
end
end
% look for Post-filter line
if strfind(line, 'Final Bandwidth:') >= 0
[unused, firstToken] = strtok(line);
[unused, secondToken] = strtok(firstToken);
switch strtok(secondToken)
case 'SR/2 (no filter)'
PF = 0.5;
case 'SR/8'
PF = 0.125;
case 'SR/10'
PF = 0.1;
case 'SR/20'
PF = 0.05;
end
end

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SECTION 3 – Software installation and description

if strfind(line, 'Sampling frequency (SR):') >= 0

[unused, firstToken] = strtok(line);
[unused, secondToken] = strtok(firstToken);
[unused, thirdToken] = strtok(secondToken);
switch str2double(strtok(thirdToken))
case 200
OSR = 50;
sampl = 10000000; % HS -> 10 MHz sampling
case 100
OSR = 100;
sampl = 10000000; % HS -> 10 MHz sampling
case 50
OSR = 200;
sampl = 10000000; % HS -> 10 MHz sampling
case 40
OSR = 32;
case 20
OSR = 64;
case 10
OSR = 128;
case 5
OSR = 256;
case 1.25
OSR = 1024;
end
end
end
if OSR == 0
OSR = 64;
display('Warning: cannot read sampling rate from header file, using default (20 kHz)');
end
fclose(fid); % close file

else

% select number of channels
display('Enter number of channels:');
sel = input('N: ');
Nch = str2double(sel);

% select sampling frequency
display('Select bandwidth:');
display('1) 625 Hz');
display('2) 1.25 kHz');
display('3) 5 kHz');
display('4) 10 kHz');
display('5) 20 kHz');
sel = input('select 1,2,3,4,5: ');
switch sel
case 1
OSR = 1024;
case 2
OSR = 512;
case 3
OSR = 128;
case 4
OSR = 64;
case 5
OSR = 32;
otherwise
display('Error: invalid selection');
return
end

% select range
display('Select range:');
display('1) 200 pA');
display('2) 20 nA');
sel = input('select 1,2: ');

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eONE - User’s guide

switch sel

case 1
range = 0;
case 2
range = 1;
otherwise
display('Error: invalid selection');
return
end

end

% read files

B = [];

for i = 1:N

fid = fopen(fullfile(pathname, files(i).name)); % open file for read
A = single(fread(fid, 'single')); % Array of single precision values
fclose(fid); % close file
B = [B;A];

end

% reshape data in an array with Nch+1 columns (Nch channels + vc)

C = reshape(B(1:(Nch + 1)*fix(length(B)/(Nch + 1))), (Nch + 1), []);
D = C';

% display final bandwidth

display(sprintf('Sampling rate = %.0f Hz', sampl / OSR));
display(sprintf('Bandwidth = %.0f Hz', PF * sampl / OSR));

% return arrays

data = D(:, 1:Nch);
vc = D(:, Nch + 1);
Fs = sampl / OSR;
time = (0:(length(vc) - 1))' * (1 / Fs);

% plot data

subplot(2,1,1)
ColOrd = get(gca,'ColorOrder');
[m, n] = size(ColOrd);

for i = 1:Nch

ColRow = rem(i, m);
if ColRow == 0
ColRow = m;
end
Col = ColOrd(ColRow,:);
plot(time, data(:, i), 'Color', Col)
hold on

end

hold off
grid on
xlabel('Time [s]')

if range == 0

ylabel('I [pA]')

else

ylabel('I [nA]')

end

subplot(2,1,2)
plot(time, vc)
grid on
xlabel('Time [s]')
ylabel('Vc [mV]')

end

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SECTION 3 – Software installation and description

To import data into Origin®:

 Save data in .csv format selecting it in the “FilePreferences” menu of

EDR software;

 Open Origin® and click on “Import  Comma delimited (CSV)” and then

set “Comma” as delimiter in the “Import Option” menu;

 The first imported column is the current signal (in pA or nA) while the

second column is the control voltage (in mV)

To read data using Clampfit® software:

 Save data in .abf format selecting it in the “FilePreferences” menu of

EDR software;

 Open Clampfit® and click on “Open Data” (or Ctrl+O shortcut) and select

the saved Axon Binary File to read the two acquired data channels: cur­rent signal and control voltage;

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Troubleshooting guide

Troubleshooting guide

FAULT

POSSIBLE CAUSE

REMEDY

Open input current

offset of some pA

once connected

Device kept in high

humidity environment

Leave the device

connected for some

minutes before using

it

Amplifier continuous-

ly in saturation in

open input configura-

tion

Possible short circuit

or wrong connections

Check input- and

back-connections

(see section 2.4.6)

Amplifier continuous-

ly in saturation when

electrodes are im-

mersed in the solu-

tion

Electrode potential or

wrong connections

Compensate elec-

trode potential using

the built-in Digital

Compensation

(see section 3.1.6)

and check input- and

back-connections

(see section 2.4.6)

USB Device Not

Recognized

Erroneous device

detection

Unplug and plug the

device again, if the

problem persists try

to change USB cable

or PC’s USB port

EDR software

freezes

Erroneous USB

communication

Unplug and plug the

device again, if the

problem persists try

to close and restart

the software

RMS noise values

higher than expected

Wrong connections

or use of too long

connection wires or

coaxial cables

Check input- and

back-connections

(see section 2.4.6)

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Technical support & repairs

Technical support & repairs

ELEMENTS S.R.L. offers wide-ranging, complete after-sales technical support.
The staff who deal with this handle questions on the entire range of products
skillfully, quickly, and efficiently.
You can phone our staff in the service department, and they will give you com­plete, prompt advice on how to resolve your problems.

Elements s.r.l.
via Montalti, 42
47521 Cesena
ITALY
email: [e-mail]
web: www.elements-ic.com

Index of figures

Figure 1 eONE detail ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

Figure 2 Front connectors ................................................................................................................................................. 10

Figure 3 Rear Connections ................................................................................................................................................ 11

Figure 4 Typical Experimental Setup ................................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 5 Real Setup Example ............................................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 6 Elements Data Reader Install Program ............................................................................................................... 16

Figure 7 FTDIChip CDM Drivers ......................................................................................................................................... 17

Figure 8 Fevice Driver Installation Wizard ........................................................................................................................ 17

Figure 9 Elements Data Reader Install Program ............................................................................................................... 18

Figure 10 Elements Data Reader Main Menu Window ..................................................................................................... 19

Figure 11 Elements Data Reader Complete GUI ............................................................................................................... 20

Figure 12 eONE Controls - HS version ............................................................................................................................... 21

Figure 13 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Rectangular Voltage Pulses protocol ....................................................... 22

Figure 14 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Constant Voltage protocol ....................................................................... 23

Figure 15 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Triangular wave protocol ......................................................................... 23

Figure 16 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Seal test protocol ..................................................................................... 23

Figure 17 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Conductance test protocol ....................................................................... 23

Figure 18 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Recovery from inactivation protocol ........................................................ 24

Figure 19 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Variable duration pulses protocol ............................................................ 24

Figure 20 eONE Controls – Voltage Protocols Voltage Ramp protocol ............................................................................ 24

Figure 21 eONE Controls - Base version ............................................................................................................................ 25

Figure 22 Digital Offset Compensation ............................................................................................................................. 26

Figure 23 Statistic Data ..................................................................................................................................................... 27

Figure 24 Data Display ...................................................................................................................................................... 28

Index of tables

Table 1 Safety symbols ....................................................................................................................................................... 3

Table 2 Package .................................................................................................................................................................. 9

Elements s.r.l.

via Montalti, 42
47521 Cesena
ITALY
email: [e-mail]
web: www.elements-ic.com

elements

enabling technologies for Life Science