Multichannel Systems MC-Rack User Manual

MC_Rack 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.

© 2013 Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH. All rights reserved.

Printed: 09. 09. 2013

Multi Channel Systems

MCS GmbH

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72770 Reutlingen

Germany

Fon [phone] - 0

Fax [phone]

[e-mail]

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 1

About this Manual 1
Terms of Use 2
Limitation of Liability 2
Important Safety Advice 2

First Use of MC_Rack 3

Welcome to MC_Rack 3
Installing MC_Rack 4

Step by Step Tutorial 7

Using the Step by Step Tutorial 7
Monitoring and Recording Activity 8

Starting MC_Rack 8
Defining the Data Source 9
Advanced Configuration 24
Adding a Data Source 32
Channel Tool 35
Monitoring Activity Continuously 36
Recording Data 42
Starting Data Acquisition and Recording 44

Monitoring and Recording Triggered Activity 45

Triggering MC_Rack on the Stimulus 45
Monitoring Triggered Activity 47
Recording Triggered Data 48

MEA2100-System 51

MEA2100-System 51

Wireless-System 64

Wireless System 64

MC_Rack Features 67

About MC_Rack Features 67
Data Acquisition Settings 67

Data Source Setup 67
Defining Hardware Settings 83
Channel Tool 86
Grouping Multitrode Channels 87
Simulation Mode 87

Data Streams and Channels 90

Data Stream Types 90
Channel Selection 91
Continuous and Triggered Data 92
Averaged Data 94
Digital Data and Binary Code 96

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Recorder 97

Replayer 101

Displaying Data 104

Data Display (for Monitoring Raw Data) 111

Digital Display (for Monitoring TTL Inputs) 114

Trigger Detector 115

Automatic Feedback 122

Real-time Feedback 123

Filtering Data 134

Spike Sorter 142

Analyzing Data 152

Recording Data 97
Generating Data Files 99

Loading a Data File 101
File Specifications 102
Replaying Data 102

Display Types 104
Setting up a Display Layout 104
Display Settings 106
Peak Detection 107
Customizing a Display 109
Displaying a Background Picture 109
ASCII Export of Waveforms 110

Plot Types 111
Trace Plot 111
Overlay Plot 111
Raster Plot 112

Displaying Digital Data 114
Numeric Display 114

Using the Manual Trigger 115
Triggering MC_Rack 117
Triggering on TTL Pulses 117
Triggering on Biological Signals 119
Triggering on Extracted Parameters 120
Time Based Trigger 120

Digital Output 122

Real-time Feedback 123

Filtering Data 134
Filter Characteristics 137
Filtering and Sampling Rate 138
Downsampling 140

Spike Detection Methods 142
Detecting Spikes by a Threshold 143
Detecting Spikes by Waveform 143
Spike Cutouts 144
Spike Sorting 145
Burst Analysis 147

Analyzing Data 152
Time-Interval Based Analyzer 153
Event-Based Spike Analyzer 158

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Table of Contents

Parameter + Spike Analyzer Display 158

Plot Types 158
Trace Plot 158
False Color Maps 159
False Color vs. Time (Plot) 159
False Color Plot 159
Number Plot 160
Parameter/Digital Display Tools + Settings 161
ASCII Export of Extracted Parameters 164
Image Capture 164

Averager 165

Averaging Data Sweeps 165

Sound Output 166

Sound Output with MC_Card 166
Audio Out with USB-ME Data Acquisition 167

Data Export 169

About Data Export 169
Graphs for Presentations 171

Low Resolution Pics (Screen Shots) 171
Working with Graphics Programs 171

Extracting Spikes 172

Spike Sorting 172
General Spike Analysis 173

Analyzing Cardiac Signals 173

Wave Propagation 173
Waveform Shape and QT Interval 174

Extracting Parameters 174

Exporting Parameter Streams to Excel 174

MC_DataTool 174

About MC_DataTool 174

Troubleshooting 175

Technical Support 175
Error Messages 176

Computer Performance 176
Replayer 177
Recorder 178
Running more than one instance of MC_Rack in parallel178

Hardware Errors 178
Data is not Written to Hard Disk 179
Channels Not Visible or Available 179

Appendix 184

Glossary 183

Index 187

v

1 Introduction

1.1 About this Manual

This manual comprises all important information about MC_Rack. It is assumed that you have
already a basic understanding of technical and software terms, but no special skills are required
to read this manual.

Start practicing with the Tutorial. We offer you the opportunity of Learning by Doing, which
means that you start directly with practicing without much reading beforehand. We suggest that
you start MC_Rack and then follow the Guided Tour step by step, either using the integrated Help
or the printed manual. Just decide what you like to do, read all necessary information in short and
put this information directly into practice.

If you need further information or like to review specific topics as an already experienced user,
please confer to the "MC_Rack Features" part, where you can find more precise information
about all topics.

The printed manual and Help are basically the same, so it is up to you which one you will use.
The Help offers you the advantage of scrolling through the text in a non-linear fashion, picking up
all information you need, especially if you use the Index, and the Search function. If you are
going to read larger text passages, however, you may prefer the printed manual.

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 found
in the Help.

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1.2 Terms of Use

You are free to use MC_Rack for its intended purpose. You agree that you will not decompile,
reverse engineer, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the software.

1.3 Limitation of Liability

Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH makes no guarantee as to the accuracy of any and all tests
and data generated by the use the MC_Rack software. It is up to the user to use good laboratory
practice to establish the validity of his findings.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Multi Channel Systems
MCS GmbH or its suppliers be liable for any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages
whatsoever (including, without limitation, injuries, damages for data loss, loss of business profits,
business interruption, loss of business information, or any other pecuniary loss) arising out of the
use of or inability to use MC_Rack or the provision of or failure to provide Support Services, even
if Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

1.4 Important Safety Advice

Warning: Make sure to read the following advices prior to install or to use MC_Rack. If you do
not fulfill all requirements stated below, this may lead to malfunctions or breakage of connected
hardware, or even fatal injuries. Obey always 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. Make always sure to validate
your findings. Prepare backup copies on a regular basis to avoid data loss.

 The operator is obliged to ensure that MC_Rack is only be used for its intended purpose and that

it is only used by qualified personnel.

 MC_Rack is not intended for medical uses and must not be used on humans, especially not for

uses that could impair health.

2

2 First Use of MC_Rack

2.1 Welcome to MC_Rack

Please read the following paragraphs to understand the general idea behind the MC_Rack
program before going on with the tutorial or application examples.

MC_Rack is a data acquisition and analysis software. Combined with the hardware, for example
MC_Card, (USB-) ME-Systems or (USB-) MEA-Systems, it forms a complete data acquisition system
for measuring extracellular activities of excitable cells, in vitro and in vivo. It has been developed
especially for use with the (USB-) ME- and the (USB-) MEA-System, but is also ideally suited to
work with other experimental setups.

Together with the data acquisition device, MC_Rack fully replaces a complete hardware set for
data acquisition. For example, you do not need an oscilloscope, a filter, or a spike detector device
anymore, because all this functions are integral part of the software. You set up a virtual
instrument rack, which is comfortable, easy to use, and saves space on your workbench.

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 256 channels with up to 50 kHz sampling rate easy. A status bar
informs you on the actual performance of your computer when you record or replay data.

Please note that the high flexibility of MC_Rack makes a complex configuration of the software
necessary. As a fresh user of MC_Rack, this may present some difficulties to you. But the
straightforward user interface will soon make you feel comfortable with the general concept
and learn to appreciate the advantages of the system. This documentation tries to help you on
your way.

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 data acquisition or from the Replayer (recorded data)
into the virtual instrument highest in the hierarchy. 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.

In MC_Rack, the rack you use to record and analyze data online and offline, and the data files are
as a matter of principle 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.

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The MC_Rack help is divided into the following main sections:

 Step by Step Tutorial: The tutorial introduces basic MC_Rack features for directly setting up

a basic experiment.

 MEA (In Vitro) Application Examples (please see separate document): Main MC_Rack features

are explained in detail on the basis of typical applications and demo data files. We
recommend to study especially the applications that you are interested in before starting an
experiment, so that you learn about the possibilities and how to configure MC_Rack for different
applications. This section is more detailed than the tutorial. Also, it is easier to understand the
software features when playing around with demo data.

 MC_Rack Features: All MC_Rack features are explained in detail. This section is especially useful

if you want to learn more about a specific software feature.

 Data Export: Summarizes the export options of MC_Rack and MC_DataTool and provides

recommendations for third party programs for offline data analysis.

 Troubleshooting: Lists typical minor problems that might occur during operation and gives hints

how to solve them.

2.2 Installing MC_Rack

The data acquisition computer with the data acquisition device, for example MC_Card or USB­MEA256, comes preinstalled and preconfigured by MCS for a flawless operation. You should
contact your local retailer for assistance if you want to install additional hard- or software, or
if you want to replace the computer, as incompatibilities of hardware components or software
settings with MC_Rack may occur.

Caution: You have acquired a high performance data acquisition and analysis computer. Do not
modify the system, do not install new hard- or software, or another operating system without
asking MCS or your local retailer for advice. Especially do not install virus scanners or firewalls
because these programs are known to interfere with the data transfer to the hard disk. MCS
cannot guarantee that a modified system is fully operational. Even data loss may occur.

System requirements

Software:

One of the following Microsoft Windows ® operating systems is required: Windows 7, Vista,
or XP (English and German versions supported) with the NT file system (NTFS). Other language
versions may lead to software errors.

Hardware:

The data acquisition board MC_Card. (Not required for offline analysis or demo mode). If no
MC_Card is present, MC_Rack opens in a simulation mode. A computer with low performance
may lead to performance limits more often; therefore, MCS recommends an up-to-date computer.
Please note that there are sometimes hardware incompatibilities of the MC_Card and computer
components; or that an inappropriate computer power supply may lead to artifact signals.
Please contact your local retailer for more information on recommended computer hardware.

The USB-ME-Systems or the USB-MEA-Systems. (Not required for offline analysis or demo
mode). The USB based data acquisition systems do not need the MC_Card. These systems are
equipped with an internal data acquisition. The analog input signals from up to 256 channels
are acquired and digitized by the systems and the digital electrode signals are transmitted to
the connected computer via universal serial bus (High Speed USB 2.0).

Important: You need to have installed the latest driver to operate the data acquisition device,
which is automatically installed with MC_Rack. The installation may be invalid if the data
acquisition device does not respond. Please contact Multi Channel Systems or your local retailer
in this case.

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First Use of MC_Rack

Recommended operating system settings

The following automatic services of the Windows operating system interfere with the data
storage on the hard disk and can lead to severe performance limits in MC_Rack. These routines
were designed for use on office computers, but are not very useful for a data acquisition
computer.

 Turn off Windows System Restore.

 Turn off automatic Windows Update.

 Windows Indexing Service deselected for all local disks.

 Optimize hard disk when idle (automatic disk fragmentation) turn off.

 It is also not recommended to run any applications in the background when using MC_Rack.

Remove all applications from the Autostart folder.

 Be careful when using a Virus Scanner. These programs are known to disturb MC_Rack,

and even data loss may occur.

 When using an USB-ME-System or an USB-MEA-System it is recommended to connect

a high performance computer with a separate hard discs for program files and data storage.
The provided possibility to use up to 256 channels with a sample rate of up to 40 kHz needs high
memory capacity. Please remove data and defragment the hard disc regularly to ensure optimal
performance.

Warning: The operating system settings of the data acquisition computer were preconfigured
by MCS and should not be changed by the user. Changing these settings can lead to program
instabilities and data loss.

Switching on the connected computer

(Applicable only if you use a data acquisition computer from Multi Channel Systems.)

1. Power up the connected computer and wait until it is ready. The Login dialog box appears.

2. Enter "mcs" both as the user name and as the user password. You do not have to enter an

administrator password. (You may change the passwords later, of course.) The Windows desktop
is displayed.

Installing the software

Please check the system requirements before you install the software. MCS cannot guarantee that
the software works properly if these requirements are not fulfilled.

Important: Please make sure that you have full control over your computer as an administrator.
Otherwise, it is possible that the installed software does not work properly.

1. Double-click Setup.exe on the installation volume. The installation assistant will show up

and guide you through the installation procedure.

2. Follow the instructions of the installation assistant. The hardware driver and MC_Rack are
installed (or updated) automatically.

5

3 Step by Step Tutorial

3.1 Using the Step by Step Tutorial

In the following tutorial, you will set up virtual racks for different applications from scratch.
The goal is that you learn about MC_Rack features by doing. The racks are quite simple to give
you an idea of the software's philosophy and how things work. All racks described in the tutorial
are also available on the installation volume. So, if you prefer to start with a preconfigured rack,
you can load the rack of interest first, and then go through this tutorial to see how to adapt the
rack's settings and parameters to your needs, but we recommend that you take a bit time to build
it yourself to learn the principle of operation.

Both racks discussed in the Step by Step Tutorial are basic racks for monitoring and recording
data. The only difference is, that Monitoring and Recording Activity Continuously describes how
to monitor and record activity continuously (generally used for spontaneous activity). Monitoring
and Recording Triggered Activity describes how to monitor and record activity triggered by an
event, that is, for evoked responses, for example, in an LTP experiment. All important information
is repeated in each section, so you may freely choose the rack that is suitable for your application
without missing information.

The difference to the MEA application examples (see separate document) is that the racks that
we set up in this tutorial can be used directly in a real experiment. Without demo data, they may
appear somehow a bit abstract. If you are new to the extracellular recording technique and want
to get an impression how MC_Rack works and how signals can look like, you may prefer to have a
look at the MEA application examples and demo racks first. Also, in the MEA application examples
section, more advanced MC_Rack features are explained in detail and very near to the application.

You will find a list and a short description of all sample racks in the MC_Rack Sample Racks topic.

The MEA Signal Generator

The MEA Signal Generator MEA–SG is a convenient tool for MEA-Systems first time users.
The device has the same dimensions and connector layout as a 60-channel MEA chip and is
compatible with all MEA1060 amplifier types and with the MEA2100-60 / MEA2100-2x60-Systems.
The MEA–SG can produce sine waves, or replay a variety of biological signals. These signals are
fed into the MEA amplifier as analog signals. With this artificial data, you are able to test the
functionality of the hardware and software system, without the need for a biological sample.
Please use the 256MEA-SG for the USB-MEA256-System and the 120MEA-SG for MEA2100-120­Systems..

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3.2 Monitoring and Recording Activity

3.2.1 Starting MC_Rack

 Double-click the MC_Rack icon or select MC_Rack from the Start menu.

The program starts. One window opens automatically. This is your virtual rack configuration,
which is blank after program start. Therefore, most commands and buttons are unavailable.
You can choose from various software features, so-called virtual instruments, and assemble the
virtual rack according to your specific application. You will learn in this tutorial how to set up
racks for some typical applications.

MC_Rack main window (empty)

The virtual rack

The title bar shows the file name of the virtual rack (the default name before saving the rack
under a custom name is Rack1). The white pane on the left of the virtual rack window holds the
virtual rack tree view pane, where all virtual instruments that are part of this rack are
represented by icons and (customizable) individual instrument names.

After program start, the virtual rack is almost empty, it holds only a single virtual instrument the
Recorder, represented by a small cassette player icon. The context-sensitive grey pane on the
right shows the virtual instrument settings (organized in tab pages) of the virtual instrument
that is selected (highlighted in blue) in the virtual rack tree view pane on the left. If you have
added more instruments to the rack, you were able to click through the instruments in the tree
view pane, and click the tabbed pages to review or change any settings.

At this point, only the Recorder settings are available. The first Rack tabbed page is always the
same for all virtual instruments here, you can start and stop MC_Rack (that is, the data
acquisition or the Replayer), and activate the recording (that is, writing data to hard disk).

The Lag status bar gives you information on the computer performance; the lower the Lag, the
better the performance. When the Lag exceeds the maximum, MC_Rack will be stopped
automatically, and you will be informed about a performance limit of the computer by an error
message. The complexity limit of the virtual rack depends directly on the computer performance.
To avoid data loss during over night recordings, for example, test the rack configuration
thoroughly under realistic conditions (that is, the signal rate should be as expected in the real
experiment) before starting the experiment. If you have trouble with the computer performance,
please see the chapter Error Messages in the Troubleshooting section for more information on
how to optimize the rack configuration.

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Step by Step Tutorial

In the Recorder settings, you select the data streams and channels that you want to save to the
hard disk. You define the path and the file in which the acquired data will be saved, and you
define other parameters like the recording mode (continuous or triggered), and the maximum
file size.

The Recorder shows you the currently available disk space on the target hard disk. Please check
the disk space and estimate how long you still can write data to the hard disk always before
starting an experiment. Otherwise, data loss will occur when the disk is full. For example, if you
record 60 electrode channels at a sampling frequency of 25 kHz, the data rate is 3 MB/s, that is

10.8 GB/h.

MC_Rack toolbar. For a more detailed information on the toolbar buttons, please see "Toolbar"
under General User Interface.

The MC_Rack toolbar shows all main functions available in MC_Rack. You can click on a virtual
instrument button to insert a virtual instrument into your rack configuration. Please note that
virtual instruments that need an input data stream that is generated by another virtual
instrument (for example, the Spike Analyzer, which needs a Spike data stream generated by
the Spike Sorter) can only be placed in series with the required virtual instrument and are
otherwise not available (indicated by a gray button color). In an empty rack, only the data source,
that is, the data acquisition or the replayer, are available to start with. After the data source
was inserted into the rack, other virtual instruments will be available.

3.2.2 Defining the Data Source

MC_Rack is the universal data analysis program for all ME- and MEA-Systems with PCI card as
well as with USB based data acquisition. To ensure correct display of the data of your system,
it is therefore necessary to configure the data source accordingly. This has to be done only once
for a given rack. See the MEA-System manual or the ME-System manual for the MC_Rack features
that are supported by your system.

On the Edit menu, click Data Source Setup to configure the software according to your data
acquisition and amplifier hardware. Data Source Setup is only available as long as no data
source is included in a new rack file. Configure the channel layout first and then set up the
rack for your experiment. The data source setup and channel layout information is saved
together with the rack.

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MC_Rack Manual

MEA60-System

Select 2 dimensional (MEA) if you are performing extracellular recordings from microelectrode
arrays (MEA) with a MEA60-System with 60 electrode channels. The number and layout of
channels is pre-configured and cannot be altered. You have three additional analog channels
(A1, A2, A3), and an additional 16-bit digital channel available. The standard BNC connectors for
the digital channel on the data acquisition computer support only three digital input bits (0, 1, 2).
A digital IN / OUT extension is available that supports all 16 digital in- and output bits.

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Step by Step Tutorial

MEA120-System

Select 2 dimensional ( MEA) if you are performing extracellular recordings from microelectrode
arrays (MEA) with a MEA120-System with 120 electrode channels. The number and layout of
channels is pre-configured and cannot be altered. The MC_Card supports seven additional analog
channels, but the BNC connectors on the data acquisition computer support only 3 additional
analog channels (A1, A2, A3). You have an additional 16-bit digital channel available. The
standard BNC connectors for the digital channel on the data acquisition computer support only
three digital input bits (0, 1, 2). A digital IN/OUT extension is available that supports all 16 digital
in-and output bits.

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ME-Systems

Select 1 dimensional if you are using a ME-System (generally used for in vivo or special in vitro
applications). ME-Systems are available with different channel numbers. Define the number
of channels provided by the data acquisition (MC_Card or USB-ME), and specify how many
electrodes (data amplified by the main amplifiers, for example, a MPA and a following filter
amplifier) and how many analog inputs (for example, from a temperature controller or
a microphone) are present. For the electrode channels, the original signal is calculated
automatically according to the gain settings in MC_Rack. Signals on the analog channels
are recorded "as is", with no respect to the gain.

Deselect the option Digital Input Channel, if you do not want to use the digital input channel.
One of the digital input bits can be used for triggering the recording on a TTL output of the
stimulator, for example. A typical configuration of a ME64-System would be 63 electrodes and
a digital channel. Please note that the use of the digital input channel is available on the cost
of an analog channel, that is, if you have an ME16-System and want to use the digital channel,
for example for synchronizing stimulation and recording, you could only use a maximum of 15
electrode channels. Make sure that you select the digital channel if you want to trigger the data
analysis and/or the recording.

Hint: Deselect the option Digital Input Channel, if you do not need a digital channel. Otherwise
the number of electrode recording channels is reduced by 1!

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Step by Step Tutorial

Data Source Configuration

Click "Configuration".

Configuration is an option that can also be used with MC_Card data acquisition (64 or 128
channels), but is recommended for the USB based data acquisition systems USB-ME64 / USB­ME/128 / USB-ME256 or MEA2100-System. When selecting the configuration option, it is first
necessary to adjust the number of channels available. After that you can select the amplifier(s)
and MEA(s) in use from a drop down menu. To configure the MEA layout, please use the right
drop down menu "MEA". To configure the amplifier, please use the left drop down menu "Amp"
(MEA1060 without blanking circuit, gain factor 1200, and MEA1060BC with blanking circuit, gain
factor 1100 for MEA-Systems, and FA64I/S, FA32I/S for ME-Systems, MEA2100-H60 or MEA2100­H120 for MEA2100-System).

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In MEA120-System it is possible to configure both amplifiers independent of each other.
Additionally it is possible to configure the MEA layouts of MEA A and MEA B individually.

Note: Setting up the configuration of the data source is important for having the correct layouts
for MEA A and MEA B during the complete experiment.

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Step by Step Tutorial

USB-ME16-FAI-System

The USB-ME16-FAI System does not require a MC_Card, but uses an internal data acquisition.
Data can be transferred via USB 2.0 port to any data acquisition computer. Please see USB-ME16­FAI Manual for detailed information. Select USB-MEA from the left Data Source drop down list.
The USB-MEA device will be specified on the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-ME16 (S/N:

00001). The number in brackets is the serial number of the device. The data source layout is 1
dimensional, with 16 electrode channels, and an additional digital channel.

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MC_Rack Manual

USB-ME32-FAI-System

The USB-ME32-FAI System does not require a MC_Card, but uses an internal data acquisition. Data
can be transferred via USB 2.0 port to any computer. Please see USB-ME32-FAI Manual for detailed
information. Select USB-MEA from the left Data Source drop down list. The USB-MEA device will
be specified on the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-ME32 (S/N: 00001). The number in
brackets is the serial number of the device. The data source layout is 1 dimensional, with
32 electrode channels, and an additional digital channel.

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Step by Step Tutorial

USB-ME64 / USB-ME128 / USB-ME256 Data Acquisition

The USB-ME64 / 128 / 256 data acquisition systems are in principle the same devices, except
for the total number of channels.

USB-ME256 Data Acquisition

The USB-ME256 is an external data acquisition device that uses USB 2.0 connection to transfer
digitized data to any connected computer. Please see USB-ME256-System manual for detailed
information. Select USB-MEA from the left Data Source drop down list. The USB MEA device
will be specified on the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-ME256 (S/N: 0004). The number
in brackets is the serial number of the device. Adjust the number of channels available.

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MC_Rack Manual

Click Configuration in Source Layout. Choose 256 as total number of channels from the drop down
list under No. of Channels.

In USB-ME256-System it is possible to configure four MEA1060 / MEA1060BC amplifiers
independent of each other. Click the Amplifier drop down menus on the left side. Additionally
it is possible to configure the MEA layouts for up to four MEAs A and B, C and D independent
of each other. Click the MEA drop down menus on the right side.

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Step by Step Tutorial

On the Edit menu, click Advanced Configuration to configure the software according to the
USB-ME256 hardware. Please see Advanced Configuration for detailed information. The dialog
Advanced Configuration is for optionally defining as many instances of MC_Rack software
as necessary. That means, you are able to work with several MC_Rack versions in parallel, for
example, when using the USB-ME256 with up to four MEA1060 amplifiers. With setting "Max.
Number of MC_Rack Instances = 4" in Advanced Configuration you can control each of the four
amplifiers independent from the others with its own MC_Rack software.

Note: Setting up the configuration of the data source is important for having the correct layouts
for MEA A, B, C and D during the complete experiment.

USB-ME128 Data Acquisition

The USB-ME128 device is in principle the same device as the USB-ME256, except for the total
number of channels, that is 128.

The USB-ME128 is an external data acquisition device that uses USB 2.0 connection to transfer
digitized data to any connected computer. Please see USB-ME128 Manual for detailed
information. Select USB MEA from the Data Source drop down list. The USB MEA device will
be specified on the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-ME128 (S/N: 0002), for example.
The number in brackets is the serial number of the device.

In USB-ME128-System it is possible to configure two MEA1060 / MEA1060BC amplifiers
independent of each other. Additionally it is possible to configure the MEA layouts for MEA A
and MEA B independent of each other.

On the Edit menu, click Advanced Configuration to configure the software according to the
USB-ME128 hardware. The dialog Advanced Configuration is for optionally defining as many
instances of MC_Rack software as necessary. That means, you are able to work with several
MC_Rack versions in parallel, for example, when using the USB-ME128 with two MEA1060
amplifiers. With setting "Max. Number of MC_Rack Instances = 2" in Advanced Configuration
you can control each of the two amplifiers independent from the other with its own MC_Rack
software.

Note: Setting up the configuration of the data source is important for having the correct layouts
for MEA A and B during the complete experiment.

USB-ME64 Data Acquisition

The USB-ME64 device is in principle the same device as the USB-ME256, except for the total
number of channels, that is 64.

The USB-ME64 is an external data acquisition device that uses USB 2.0 connection to transfer
digitized data to any connected computer. Please see USB-ME64 Manual for detailed information.
Select USB MEA from the Data Source drop down list. The USB MEA device will be specified on
the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-ME64 (S/N: 0002), for example. The number in
brackets is the serial number of the device.

In USB-ME64-System it is possible to configure the MEA1060 / MEA1060BC amplifier. Additionally
it is possible to configure the layout of MEA A.

Note: Setting up the configuration of the data source is important for having the correct layout
for MEA A during the complete experiment.

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MC_Rack Manual
USB-MEA256 Data Acquisition and Filter Amplification

The USB-MEA256 is an external data acquisition device with integrated filter amplifier that uses
USB 2.0 connection to transfer digitized data to any connected computer. Please see USB-MEA256
Manual for detailed information. Select USB-MEA from the left Data Source drop down list.
The USB-MEA device will be specified on the right Data Source drop down menu: USB-MEA256
(S/N: 00007). The number in brackets is the serial number of the device.

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Step by Step Tutorial

Wireless Recording System

The wireless in vivo recording system is the all-in one solution for amplifying, recording, and
analyzing in vivo data from eight channels that uses a wireless connection between headstage
and receiver and an USB 2.0 connection to transfer digitized data to any connected computer.
Please read the Wireless-System manual for detailed information. Select USB MEA from the left
Data Source drop down list. The wireless system device, W8 for example, will be specified on the
right Data Source drop down menu: MCS WPA8 (S/N: 00001). The number in brackets is the serial
number of the system. The data source layout is 1 dimensional, with 8 electrode channels and an
additional digital channel.

Note: With all electrode channels, the maximum sampling rate for the 8-channel Wireless
Recording System W8-System is 20 kHz. It is possible to increase the maximum sampling rate
up to 40 kHz by deactivating at least four electrode channels. Please pay attention to the
sampling rate respectively, when using the W4-, W16- or W32-System.

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MC_Rack Manual

MEA2100-System

The MEA2100 recording system is an all-in one solution consisting of headstage and interface
board. The MEA2100-System with integrated amplification, data acquisition, online signal
processing, and integrated stimulus generator. You can connect one or two headstages to
the interface board. The MEA2100-System uses an USB 2.0 connector per headstage to transfer
digitized data to any computer. Please read the MEA2100-System manual for detailed
information. Please read also chapter "Data Source Setup" in "MEA2100-System".

Select USB MEA from the left Data Source drop down list. The MEA2100 device will be specified
on the right Data Source drop down menu: MEA2100 (S/N: 0000-A).The number in brackets is
the serial number of the system, the character A labels the connected headstage, A is the first
headstage, B is the second headstage. It is possible to run up to two instances of MC_Rack per
headstage. Please read chapter "Advanced Configuration". Specify the “Number of Channels”
first: 32 electrode channels, when connecting one headstage with 32 recording and 12 stimulation
electrodes (MEA2100-HS32), 64 when connecting one headstage with 60 channels (MEA2100­HS60) or 128 electrode channels when connecting two headstages with 60 channels (MEA2100­HS60) or one headstage with 120 channels (MEA2100-HS2x60 or MEA2100-HS120) to the interface
board. Choose “Configuration” in the data source layout. Enable the check box for the digital
input channels. Select the correct headstage in the “Amplifier” drop down menu and specify
the type of MEA.

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Step by Step Tutorial

In MEA2100-System it is possible to configure two headstages independent of each other.
MC_Rack identifies two connected headstages as completely different devices. They are defined
via the character A or B in the serial number in the right "Data Source" drop down menu.

It is also possible to run two MC_Rack instances per headstage, for example for recording
from the 2x60 channels of the MEA2100-HS2x60 headstage separately. Please read chapter
"Advanced Configuration". Click the Amplifier drop down menus on the left side to configure
the "Amplifier". Additionally it is possible to configure the MEA layouts for up to two MEAs A
and B independent of each other. Click the MEA drop down menus on the right side.

MEA2100-32-System

The MEA2100-32-System is a descendant of the MEA2100-System with the same functions except
of the real-time feedback. Please read the MEA2100 Manual for detailed information. Select USB
from the left Data Source drop down list. The MEA2100-32 device will be specified on the right
Data Source drop down menu: MEA2100-32 (S/N: 00018-A). The number in brackets is the serial
number of the device. The data source layout is Configuration, with 32 electrode channels. It does
not matter whether you select the digital input channel or not.

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MC_Rack Manual

3.2.3 Advanced Configuration

Important: This feature can only be used when working with the USB based data acquisition
systems USB-ME256 and USB-ME128. If you use a MC_Card or an USB-ME-16/32-FAI, please do
not change the default setting of "Max. Number of MC_Rack Instances = 1".

On the Edit menu, click Advanced Configuration to select the maximum number of instances of
MC_Rack that can run simultaneously. These instances operate independently from each other.

This feature is meant to be used with the new USB based data acquisition systems USB-ME256
and USB-ME128. When two or four amplifiers are connected to the data acquisition, it is possible
to operate each amplifier independently with one instance of MC_Rack. It is also possible to
operate 128 or 256 channels with one instance of MC_Rack, for example, when working with an
USB-MEA256 amplifier and a MEA with 256 electrodes. See Data Source Setup for details on the
configuration. Up to four instances of MC_Rack can be started in parallel.

If the option "Stop on Data Loss" is selected, the MC_Rack program stops recording
if it encounters problems during recording of a file. An error message will be displayed
in the status bar.

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