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What's New?
Recent Changes to SCRC Data Capture and Analysis Software
(From January 2011 to December 2011, beta release)
G. R. Detillieux
Spinal Cord Research Centre,
The University of Manitoba,
Winnipeg, Canada R3E 0J9
Capture
- Fixes to networked capture.
Setup scripts and launch script fixed to avoid command line arguments
changing selected capture device or server URL inappropriately.
Limits for number of channels are consistent on all supported systems
(up to 64 channels, up to 256 entries in channel list) to handle the
most advanced boards we've tested.
Network client and server code now IPv6 compliant.
- Added support for National Instruments DAQ devices supported under Linux
using their NI DAQmxBase library, and under Windows using the NI DAQmx
library, using a new networked capture server.
Tested so far using NI USB-6210 multi-function DAQ device.
- Added channel list de-duplication feature so that when a channel appears more
than once in the channel list, it's only captured once per input sampling
period. This was needed to support duplicate channels on NI DAQ devices, which
don't allow a channel to be repeated in the channel sampling list, but it also
optimizes capture on other devices.
- Fixed bug in PowerDAQ support that caused incorrect level measurements in
calibrate program.
- Fixed chanmon to redraw the window after it's uncovered when there's no
backing store, as well as recalculate scaling and redraw the window after
resizing.
Also fixed chanmon's handling of asynchronous queued capture (normal mode on
PowerDAQ systems) so it doesn't drop backlogged data, to avoid the uneven
display timing it used to have at higher data rates.
- Fixed chanmon's buffer filling to work properly when adding more than 32KB of
samples to the buffer (a short int overflow bug was fixed).
- New features in chanmon:
You can now begin recording from chanmon, using the R key, which shows a
running display of data as its captured.
While recording, chanmon shows the elapsed and remaining capture time - which
can be extended using the E or X key.
Using the D key allows you to set the run description before or during
recording, rather than having to wait until the capture is done.
You can now switch between
horizontal and vertical level monitors, using "/" or H and V keys, and
change the place the screen is split for triggered sweeps, using
the "<" and ">" or left and right arrow keys.
The Home key, M key or middle mouse button re-centers the split screen.
You can also drag and drop these display elements using the mouse.
Interpolation of the triggered sweep display can be turned on and off with the
I key.
Averaging of triggered sweeps can be turned on and off with the A key.
You can use the mouse scroll wheel, up and down arrow keys, or "+" and "-"
to zoom in or out the display of the waveform selected by the mouse.
A time scale bar is now displayed below the waveforms, and a menu bar
on the left shows the various options for display and capture modes.
Analysis
- Changed cursor reading feature in Raw waveform display to get readings from
all waveforms simultaneously, rather than one at a time.
- Added options in burst duration and spike train duration graphs to get the
ends of bursts from a second waveform, e.g. to consider a burst as the start
of activity on a flexor to the start of activity on an extensor.
- Integrated a number of conversion and analysis scripts from the web site
archive into the main software package, with updates and documentation:
addwfs2run, proa2run, burstareas, wfampls, burstbars, stickfig.
- Extended import of single unit data to handle .spta format,
as well as .txt/.csv/.asc format of data from Export menu operations.
This allows, for example, to export cycles or trains and import them as
single unit spike data.
- Added import of cycles, trains or deleted sections from previously exported
data in text files.
- Added export of deleted sections as a text file.
Exported single units, cycles and trains are now flagged in the text file
if they occur outside of the selected analysis range or in a deleted section.
- Fixed a small memory leak in W.F. activity start & stop time analysis.
Asc2run
- Fixed asc2run program to ignore blank lines properly, for any number of columns
(used to work only for single-column data files).
- Fixed asc2run and dsepr to properly handle sampling rates below 0.5 Hz, and
no longer give a spurious error message about an invalid (default) buffer
length.
Miscellaneous
- Fixed neuro program to not do network capture status check when configured
for network capture (only cap, cavg & chanmon need to do this check).
- Changed neuro program to not request backing store from X Windows server,
to avoid problems with a blank window not getting redrawn on some systems
(e.g. Scientific Linux 5).
- Fixed X Window support code to fall back to "fixed" font if the selected font
can't be loaded, as some newer Linux systems don't have many of the common
monospaced fonts installed by default.
- Fixed X Window event handling to compress events that resize or cause
redrawing, to avoid excess repetition of redrawing.
Fixed handling of resizing to avoid divide by zero errors when
shrinking the window too much.
- Fixed Cygwin installation script for more reliable reinstallation or update of
software under Cygwin systems.
Directory of What's New Listings
SCRC WWW administrator:
www@scrc.umanitoba.ca
Copyright © G. R. Detillieux, Spinal Cord Research Centre, The University of Manitoba.