MEA S4/2 + MEA Switch USB
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.
© 2012 Multi Channel Systems MCS GmbH. All rights reserved.
Printed: 23. 05. 2012
Multi Channel Systems
MCS GmbH
Aspenhaustraße 21
72770 Reutlingen
Germany
Fon +49-71 21-90 92 5 - 0
Fax +49-71 21-90 92 5 -11
info@multichannelsystems.com
www.multichannelsystems.com
Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Products that are
referred to in this document may be either trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their
respective holders and should be noted as such. The publisher and the author make no claim
to these trademark.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction 1
1.1 About this Manual 1
1.2 Scope of Delivery 1
2 Important Information and Instructions 3
2.1 Operator's Obligations 3
2.2 Guarantee and Liability 3
2.3 Important Safety Advice 4
3 First Use of the MEA Switch 5
3.1 Welcome to the MEA S4/2 5
3.2 Installing the Software 6
3.3 Setting Up and Connecting the MEAS4/2 6
4 Operating the MEA Switch 9
4.1 Controlling the MEA S4/2 9
4.2 Toggling Channels 11
4.3 Printing the Channel Assignment 12
5 Troubleshooting 13
5.1 About Troubleshooting 13
5.2 No Connection 13
5.3 Problems with Single Channels 14
6 Appendix 15
6.1 Technical Specifications 15
6.2 Pin Layout 15
6.3 Contact Information 16
6.4 Ordering Information 16
7 Index 17
iii
1 Introduction
1.1 About this Manual
This manual comprises all important information about the first installation and the proper
usage of the MEAS4/2. It is assumed that you have a basic understanding of technical terms,
but no special skills are required to read this manual.
Make sure you read the "Important Information and Instructions" prior to install or to operate
the MEA S4/2.
1.2 Scope of Delivery
1 MEA S4/2 main device
1
USB 2.0 cable, type A - B
1
CD with MEA Switch USB program
1
Manual
1
2 Important Information and Instructions
2.1 Operator's Obligations
The operator is obliged to allow only persons to work on the device, who
are familiar with the safety at work and accident prevention regulations and have been
instructed how to use the device;
are professionally qualified or have specialist knowledge and training and have received
instruction in the use of the device;
have read and understood the chapter on safety and the warning instructions in this manual
and confirmed this with their signature.
It must be monitored at regular intervals that the operating personnel are working safely.
Personnel still undergoing training may only work on the device under the supervision of
an experienced person.
2.2 Guarantee and Liability
The General conditions of sale and delivery of Multi Channel System MCS GmbH always apply.
The operator will receive these no later than on conclusion of the contract.
Guarantee and liability claims in the event of injury or material damage are excluded
when they are the result of one of the following.
Improper use of the device.
Improper installation, commissioning, operation or maintenance of the device.
Operating the device when the safety and protective devices are defective and/or inoperable.
Non-observance of the instructions in the manual with regard to transport, storage, installation,
commissioning, operation or maintenance of the device.
Unauthorized structural alterations to the device.
Unauthorized modifications to the system settings.
Inadequate monitoring of device components subject to wear.
Improperly executed and unauthorized repairs.
Unauthorized opening of the device or its components.
Catastrophic events due to the effect of foreign bodies or Acts of God.
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MEA S4/2 Manual
2.3 Important Safety Advice
Warning: Make sure to read the following advice prior to installations of the device. If you do
not fulfill all requirements stated below, this may lead to malfunctions, breakage, 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.
The product has been built to the state of the art and in accordance with recognized safety
engineering rules. The device may only
be used for its intended purpose;
be used when in a perfect condition.
Improper use could lead to serious, even fatal injuries to the user or third parties and damage
to the device itself or other material damage.
Malfunctions which could impair safety should be rectified immediately.
This device is no medical instrument and must not be used on humans.
High Voltage
When connecting an external power supply, do not mismatch the polarity of the power supply.
A wrong connection may lead to fatal damage of the device.
Use the lowest possible input supply voltage. Do not exceed the maximum input supply voltage
of 12 V. The higher the input supply voltage, the more heat is produced by the device.
Electrical cords must be properly laid and installed. The length and quality of the cords must
be in accordance with local provisions.
Only qualified technicians may work on the electrical system. It is essential that the accident
prevention regulations and those of the employers' liability associations are observed.
Each time before starting up, make sure that the mains supply agrees with the specifications
of the product.
Check the power cord for damage, each time the site is changed. Damaged power cords should
be replaced immediately and may never be reused.
Check the leads for damage. Damaged leads should be replaced immediately and may never
be reused.
Do not try to insert anything sharp or metallic into the case.
Do not short-circuit the outputs of the device.
Liquids may cause short circuits or other damage, even could lead to fatal injuries. Keep the device
and the power cords always dry. Do not handle it with wet hands. Make sure the device and your
experiment are set up in a way that makes it impossible that any liquid spills onto the device or
flows into the device from the surface of the table.
Requirements for the installation and during operation
The device must be set up on a rigid, vibration-free base.
The device produces heat and can get hot during operation.
Do not touch the device during operation and do not store flammable materials nearby.
Do not place anything on top of device, and do not place it on top of another heat producing
device.
Do not open the case of the device.
4
3 First Use of the MEA Switch
3.1 Welcome to the MEA S4/2
The MEA S4/2 allows to acquire data from 240 single channels from four 60 channel amplifiers.
Selected channels are combined to a single “Electrode Raw Data” stream that is delivered to the
MC_Card or an USB based data acquisition system by a 68-pin MCS high grade cable. This is useful
if you do not need all 60 electrodes on a MEA, for example, because the cell culture or the slice
does not cover the whole MEA, but rather single electrodes.
The channel selection is mutually exclusive, that means, if you pick channel 21 on one MEA,
you cannot select channel 21 on the other pair. The MEA S4/2 is software-controlled by the
program MEA_Switch via USB port.
The MEA S4/2 does not replace a Signal Grounding unit. That means, the channels that are not
selected are only removed from the input data stream, but they are not grounded. If you have
bad electrodes that produce noise, the noise can still interfere with your input signals.
You need an external power supply for operating the MEA S4/2, for example, the PS40W.
The following pictures show the rear panel of a MEA S4/2, and a standard MEA S4/2 connected
to four MEA amplifiers.
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MEA S4/2 Manual
3.2 Installing the Software
System requirements
Software: One of the following Microsoft Windows ® operating systems is required:
Windows 7, XP or Vista with NTFS (English and German versions supported).
Other language versions may lead to software errors.
Hardware: Free USB port
Installing the software
Please check the system requirements before installing the software. Multi Channel Systems
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, 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.
3.3 Setting Up and Connecting the MEA S4/2
Warning: Do not mismatch the polarity of the external power supply. A wrong connection may
lead to fatal damage of the device. Use the lowest possible input supply voltage. Do not exceed
the maximum input supply voltage of 12 V. The higher the input supply voltage, the more heat
is produced by the device.
Important: If you use a complete MEA System, the MEA amplifier will usually be powered
by the isolated power supply (IPS10W) that is integrated into the data acquisition computer.
If you are using a MEA S4/2, you will have to connect an external power supply to the
MEA S4/2 for operating the amplifiers. The power is then distributed along the 68-pin MCS
high grade cable. Please ask your local retailer for more information about the setup.
1. Connect the MEAS4/2 to a computer via the USB port with a standard USB 2.0 High Speed cable
(Type A - B).
2. Connect the MEAS4/2 output to the MC_Card in your computer or to the USB-ME data acquisition
via the provided 68-pin MCS standard cable (see illustration "MEA S4/2 rear panel").
3. Connect the four 60 channel amplifiers to the MEA S4/2 via the provided 68-pin MCS standard
cables. Make sure that both cables are oriented to opposite sites to avoid a mechanical
interference of the connectors (please see picture).
4. Connect the MEAS4/2 to an external power supply PS40W.
6
First Use of the MEA Switch
7
4 Operating the MEA Switch
4.1 Controlling the MEA S4/2
The 240 channels from four 60 channel amplifiers are reduced to 120 channels. You can decide
from which of the four amplifiers a channel should be picked. The channel selection is mutually
exclusive, that means, channels with the same channel number, for example No. 21, cannot be
picked from both amplifiers. If you use a MC_Card with 240 channels or an USB-ME240-System,
you can use a MEA S4/2 for two pairs of 60 channel amplifiers.
The operation of the MEA S4/2 is computer-controlled via USB port. You can easily make your
selection with the MEA Switch USB software program.
Double-click the MEA Switch USB.exe file.
- OR -
Double-click the MEA Switch USB icon on your desk top.
The MEA Switch USB program starts.
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MEA S4/2 Manual
The main window shows:
MEA Switch: Serial number of the device.
Info.... Information about the Version of the MEA Switch USB program.
MEA 1 / MEA 2 / MEA 3 / MEA 4: MEA amplifier 1 to MEA amplifier 4 to which the MEA S4/2
is connected.
Electrode fields of the amplifiers in MEA standard 8 x 8 grid. The electrode channels colored
in green are active, that means, they are detected in MC_Rack. The electrode channels colored
in red are inactive.
All: Button to select all electrodes from one amplifier, MEA 1 to MEA 4 respectively.
Start data acquisition program, for example, MC_Rack.
In MC_Rack choose in the dialog Channel Layout in Source Layout: 2 dim. MEA.
The MC_Rack data display shows the MEA standard grid 8 x 8.
10
Operating the MEA Switch
4.2 Toggling Channels
Each channel of the data stream is either assigned to the left or the right MEA. You cannot select
the same channel from both MEAs.
The buttons represent single channels and have a toggle function. Click a button to activate
or deactivate a channel. Acitvated means, the channels are detected in MC_Rack. Non-selected
channels appear in grey. If you have a 128-channel MC_Card or an USB-ME128-System, you can
configure the channel layout for two pairs of MEAs separately.
The MEA S4/2 does not replace a Signal Grounding unit. That means, the channels that are not
selected are only removed from the input data stream, but they are not grounded. If you have
bad electrodes that produce noise, the noise can still interfere with your input signals.
1. Click a button to select a single channel or click All to select all channels. A selected channel
button appears in green color. The corresponding channel on the other pair is deselected and
colored in red.
2. Click a selected channel again to deselect it. The corresponding channel on the other
pair is selected and colored in green.
3. Non-selected channels appear in grey.
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MEA S4/2 Manual
The function select “All” electrodes from one amplifier is useful, for example, for checking the
condition of the cell culture or of the slice placed on MEA 1 to MEA 4 amplifier. However in this
version of MEA Switch USB you have to save your channel assignment manually before clicking
"All". Please see chapter "Printing the Channel Assignment".
4.3 Printing the Channel Assignment
In the data acquisition and analysis program MC_Rack, you cannot identify from which amplifier
the data is acquired. The data is treated as if it was acquired from one amplifier. Therefore,
you should save the present channel layout, for example, via screen shot to document your
experiment. You can print the screen shot for your lab book or store it as a data file.
Later versions of MEA Switch USB will feature a print function.
12
5 Troubleshooting
5.1 About Troubleshooting
The following hints are provided to solve special problems that have been reported by users.
Most problems occur seldom and only under specific circumstances. Please check the mentioned
possible causes carefully when you have any trouble with the product. In most cases, it is only
a minor problem that can be easily avoided or solved.
If the problem persists, please contact your local retailer. The highly qualified staff will be glad
to help you. Also please inform your local retailer, if other problems not mentioned here occur,
even if you have solved the problem on your own. This helps other users, and it helps MCS
to optimize the instrument and the documentation.
5.2 No Connection
The MEA Switch USB displays the main window after starting the program without
any colors on the electrode fields and the error message "Not Connected" appears.
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MEA S4/2 Manual
Possible causes:
? The USB cable is not plugged in correctly to the USB port of the computer and / or
to the MEA S4/2.
Select another USB port from the data acquisition computer and test the connection again.
? The MEA S4/2 is not connected to a power supply.
Check all cables and connections.
? The MEA S4/2 is not connected to the computer.
Check the USB cable. Make sure the MEA S4/2 and the computer are connected directly
with the provided USB cable. Make sure all cables are plugged in properly. Replace the
cable if the problem persists.
5.3 Problems with Single Channels
You are not able to record signals from one MEA amplifier on single channels. You may
also see wrong signals on single channels due to a crosstalk between different channels.
Possible causes:
? This can happen if the 68-pin MCS standard connectors are not carefully plugged into the
MEA S4/2. Single pins may have a bad connection. If single pins have no (or a bad) connection,
you are likely to see wrong signals due to a crosstalk between channels.
Carefully check all connections and cables. Make sure the connectors are plugged in so that both
input cables are oriented to opposite sides, avoiding that the connectors and cables mechanically
interfere with each other. See also chapter “Setting Up and Connecting the MEA Switch”.
14
6 Appendix
6.1 Technical Specifications
Operating temperature 10 - 40 °C
Storage temperature 0 - 50 °C
Dimensions (W x D x H) 220 mm x 235 mm x 52 mm
Weight 950 g
Supply voltage +/- 6 V (min +/- 5.7 V, max +/-12 V)
Supply current -2 mA to +38 mA
Number of input channels 2 x 64 + 2 x 64 (MEA S4/2)
Input voltage 5 V
Number of output channels 2 x 60 (MEA S4/2)
Output voltage 5 V
Output impedance
Interface USB port
300
MEA Switch USB program
Operating system Microsoft Windows ® 7, XP or Vista with NTFS;
Two versions are available, MEA S2/1 and MEA S4/2.
6.2 Pin Layout
English and German versions supported
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MEA S4/2 Manual
6.3 Contact Information
Local retailer
Please see the list of official MCS distributors on the MCS web site.
User forum
The Multi Channel Systems User Forum provides the opportunity for you to exchange your
experience or thoughts with other users worldwide.
Newsletter
If you are subscribed to the newsletter, you will be automatically informed about new software
releases, upcoming events, and other news on the product line. You can subscribe to the list on
the contact form of the MCS web site.
www.multichannelsystems.com
6.4 Ordering Information
This chapter shows you a selection of MCS products. For information on the whole product range,
pricing and ordering information, please contact your local retailer.
MEA MEAS4/2
Product Product
Number
MEA S4/2 for 4 amplifiers MEA S4/2
MEA S2/1 for 2 amplifiers MEA S2/1
Spare Parts
Product Product
Number
0.5 m 68-pin MCS high
grade cable
1 m 68-pin MCS high grade
cable
3 m 68-pin MCS high grade
cable
C68x0.5M
C68x1M
C68x3M
Description
The MEA S2/1 allows you to acquire data from
60 single channels from two MEA1060
amplifiers. If you have a 128-channel MC_Card
(MEA-120 System), you can even pick 128
channels in total from two MEA pairs with
the MEA Switch for four amplifiers MEA S4/2.
The selected channels are combined to one
Electrode Raw Data stream that is delivered
to MC_Card by a 68-pin MCS high grade cable.
Description
For MEA- or ME-Systems
16
7 Index
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MEA S4/2 Manual
B
Buttons
channel buttons ................................11
C
Channel Assignment
Printing ..............................................12
Channels
Toggling ............................................11
Choosing
channels.............................................11
Connecting 6
Contact Information 17
F
Failed 9
I
Installing
Hardware.............................................6
Software ..............................................6
IPS10W 6
M
MC_Card 6
O
OK 9
P
Pin Layout 17
Preview 12
Printing 12
S
Selecting
Channels ............................................11
Setting up 6
Software
Installing ..............................................6
T
Test Connection 9
Toggling
Channels ............................................11
U
USB 5, 6
W
Windows
supported versions..............................6
18
19
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