ANY-maze Help > The ANY-maze reference > The Protocol page > The elements of a protocol > Inputs and outputs > Analogue outputs > Setting up an analogue output > Specifying how an analogue output will be set

Specifying how an analogue output will be set

In brief

An analogue output can either be explicitly set to some voltage by an action within a procedure, or it can simply track the animal's position (so the voltage is directly proportional to the animal's X or Y coordinate).

Details

There are three options for how an analogue voltage will be set:

Set by an action

If you select this option, then you'll be able to use an action in a procedure to explicitly set the voltage to some value. This provides enormous flexibility, as the voltage can be based on essentially anything and can be updated under any circumstances you choose.

Track animal's X position

Using this option is very simple - just select it and the output will automatically track the animal's X position throughout the test. If you use this option, you will also need to specify what the output voltage is relative to, either the apparatus or the video picture. This will affect exactly what voltage is output - the relationship of position to voltage is explained in the topic which explains these options.

Track animal's Y position

This is essentially identical to tracking the animal's X position, except that the voltage is tracking Y - the same considerations mentioned above apply here too.

If you want to track both X and Y, then you will need to set up two analogue outputs, one for each.

ANY-maze help topic T0271