Hi there,
We’ve been using the ITC18 TTL pulses, and it seems like our lab’s legacy usage utilizes the backpanel ribbon, that connects to a custom switchbox. Is there any way to utilize the front panel of the ITC 18? For instance, I just need an out TTL pulse for reward, so one of the DAC Outputs on the front should do, however the Mworks commands to TTL00 (or 01 or 02) don’t seem to trigger the front ITC18 ports. Is there a different asynchronous variable that would give me access to ITC18’s front panel TTL pulses?
Hi Travis,
Unfortunately, no. None of the ITC-18’s front-panel outputs (DAC or TTL) are supported.
If you need additional digital I/O lines, a cheap and easy solution is to get an Arduino board or compatible device and control it via MWorks’ Firmata interface. The DiCarlo Lab is currently moving to Arduino Nano 33 IoT boards for basic I/O tasks (e.g. pump control and trigger/timing signals to recording hardware). These cost about $20 each and connect directly to the Mac running MWServer via USB. The MWorks knowledge base includes a guide on how to set one up.
Cheers,
Chris