ANY-maze Help > Getting started with ANY-maze > Planning and setting up your system
Planning and setting up your system
Introduction
Clearly, before you can actually start to use ANY-maze you will need to plan out your system, organise the equipment you'll need and then set everything up. Although this might seem rather complex, it needn't be. For example, if you're just intending to use ANY-maze to automate a single piece of apparatus. then this process will be quite straight forward and you should be up and running in no time.
| • | Deciding how to use ANY-maze |
| • | Planning your system |
| • | Choosing cameras and lenses |
| • | Choosing a computer for tracking |
| • | Working out the details |
| • | Putting it all together |
Deciding how to use ANY-maze
At one level ANY-maze is a simple system and you can use it to automate tests in a single piece of apparatus very easily. For example, using a notebook computer and a USB camera, you could probably automate a plusmaze and start running tests in about 15 minutes!
Figure 1. Using just a notebook computer and a USB camera, you could automate a plusmaze in minutes - you wouldn't even need a power outlet.
However, ANY-maze goes beyond this simple model and can be used to create complex systems involving multiple apparatus and cameras. To help you plan your system, I've outlined four typical scenarios below, but as you'll see, you can mix things up too.
| • | Scenario 1. Using a single piece of apparatus |
| • | Scenario 2. Using multiple apparatus simultaneously |
| • | Scenario 3. Using more than one camera to view a piece of apparatus |
| • | Scenario 4. Switching between cameras to use different apparatus at different times |
| • | Mixing these abilities |
Scenario 1. Using a single piece of apparatus
This is the simplest ANY-maze scenario; you have a single piece of apparatus and a single camera which can see all of it. There's nothing much to say about this - it's easy to set up and there are no special considerations.
Scenario 2. Using multiple apparatus simultaneously
A great feature of ANY-maze is its ability to work with multiple apparatus at the same time. This doesn't mean you can run a plusmaze experiment and a water-maze experiment simultaneously - this would be very confusing - but what it does mean is that you can run up to 40 tests simultaneously in the same experiment.
For example, if you're using the water-maze to screen potential new drugs, then running two or three mazes in parallel will dramatically increase your throughput - see figure 2.
Figure 2. Running an experiment using three water-mazes in parallel will dramatically increase throughput.
Running multiple apparatus in this way will generally require more than one camera and a more powerful computer. You'll also need to think carefully about where you'll position the computer, and how you'll route the video cables.
Scenario 3. Using more than one camera to view a piece of apparatus
In some types of apparatus, it's difficult to organise a single camera so it can see everything. A good example is when the apparatus is inside an enclosure; a sound-proof box for example - there's unlikely to be much space above the apparatus, and a single camera simply won't work - see figure 3.
Figure 3. It's impossible to see both sides of the place preference box using a single camera - the surrounding sound-proof enclosure means we can't get the camera far enough away.
ANY-maze provides a simple solution to this problem - you can use two cameras. For example, in the place preference box above, you could simply mount one camera on either side. In this situation, the software will stick the two video images together to create a single picture of the entire apparatus.
This type of scenario will clearly require two or more cameras, and this will have repercussions when you're deciding on the equipment you need to buy.
Scenario 4. Switching between cameras to use different apparatus at different times
A common situation in many labs is to have different rooms for different apparatus - perhaps one room contains a water-maze and another contains a plusmaze. In this case, you won't be able to use a single ANY-maze system to run experiments on both pieces of apparatus simultaneously, but you will be able to install a camera in each room and then simply switch to the appropriate camera depending on what type of experiment you want to perform.
Again, you need to think about where you're going to position the computer and how you'll route cables. You'll also need the ability to connect both cameras to the computer.
In the previous sections, I've described various different scenarios in which you can use ANY-maze - however these are not mutually exclusive, and you can mix any of the abilities to create a more complex system.
For example, if you have two place preference boxes such as I described above, then you could easily use four cameras to run tests in both boxes simultaneously. If you also have another room with a water-maze in it, then you could connect up another camera and switch over to the water-maze when you're not doing place preference work - I'm sure you get the idea.
Planning your system
Once you've decided what apparatus you want to automate and how you're going to do it, then you're ready to start planning your system. Apart from the equipment you'll need, which I'll talk about in the following sections, there are some important points to consider:
| • | Unless your apparatus is inside an enclosure of some kind, it's generally a good idea to locate the computer in a different room to the apparatus. This way, you can leave the room entirely while tests are running. You'll need to think about how you're going to route the video cable(s) from the camera(s) to the computer - i.e. between the rooms. You should also estimate how long the cables will need to be - then add 20% to be on the safe side. |
| • | You'll need to mount the camera(s) directly over the apparatus - possibly by fixing it directly to the ceiling. You need to think about how you're going to do this so that the camera is stable - false ceilings can be a particular problem in this respect, although we can supply a special camera mount which addresses this. |
| • | If you're using analogue camera(s) (see below), then you'll need a power outlet for it - is there one available? |
| • | Lighting is something else to give attention to, particularly if you currently hang a light over your apparatus - it will obscure the camera's view. Unless your experimental conditions call for something different, then you should ideally aim to have uniform diffuse lighting. |
Nevertheless, ANY-maze doesn't have problems with apparatus which are not uniformly lit, and it's also very good at ignoring reflections - even moving ones in water-mazes. What will cause problems is having a light that points at the camera, or a naked bulb that's in the camera's field of view - these will cause flare and, particularly on auto-iris cameras, will cause the rest of the image to be very dark.
Often the best solution for lighting is to use standard ceiling lamps with some heavy, opaque paper stuck over them to help diffuse the light. Alternatively, wall mounted lights that point up, and thus reflect light off the ceiling, also work well.
| • | Perhaps an obvious thing to say, but you'll need somewhere to put the ANY-maze computer where there's an available power outlet and WiFi coverage (or an available wired network point). |
In summary, you need to consider:
| 1. | Cable routing |
| 2. | Cable lengths |
| 3. | How to mount the camera(s) |
| 4. | Power outlets for the camera(s) |
| 5. | Lighting |
| 6. | Location for the computer |
Choosing cameras and lenses
Choosing the right camera, and more importantly the right lens, for ANY-maze is critical - if you choose the wrong one, it might not be able to 'see' your entire apparatus!
Broadly speaking, ANY-maze works with two types of cameras - digital and analogue. Nowadays, digital cameras are very good and are usually the best option for ANY-maze; however, analogue cameras do still have their advantages. Here are some of the points to consider when choosing:
| • | USB web cams are the cheapest option, but they always have a fixed lens, which can be a problem if you're working with a large piece of apparatus (see figure 4) or with different apparatus of significantly different sizes. We only recommend USB cameras from reputable manufacturers such as Microsoft and Logitech, as the image quality from generic devices is often quite poor. |
Figure 4. With this lens, the camera can't see the entire open field. You'd need to move the camera up (which is likely to be difficult) or use a lens with a wider angle.
| • | So-called industrial USB cameras do allow you to change the lens, and these are the type of camera we generally recommend for use with ANY-maze, especially when they're fitted with a vari-focal lens which lets you zoom in and out until your apparatus nicely fills the camera's field of view. However, these are significantly more expensive than USB web cams, with prices starting from around $300. |
| • | All USB cameras are, of course, limited by the maximum USB cable length, which is 4.8m (15 feet), although cables on web cams are usually shorter. This might be a problem if you plan to locate your computer in a different room to the camera, or if the apparatus is large (for example, a rat water-maze). There are, however, special active cable extenders available so this problem isn't insurmountable. With analogue cameras, on the other hand, there's practically no limit to the cable length, with cables well over 50 metres working well. |
| • | Analogue cameras can provide very high quality images, and usually work better than USB cameras in low light. However, they do require a digitizer. This is a device which converts the analogue video signal into digital data which ANY-maze can process. ANY-maze supports various digitizers, with a good quality flexible device costing around $300. See Analogue cameras and digitizers for more details. Note that digitizers are usually sold in the form of PCIe cards, which only fit inside desktop computers. |
| • | If you plan to track in multiple apparatus at the same time, then you will probably need multiple cameras (unless all the apparatus fits in the field of view of a single camera). Connecting up to three USB cameras is simple - you can just use a hub; but connecting more than this gets complicated ,and more than 8 usually isn't a practical proposition. On the other hand, you can easily connect 4 analogue cameras to a single digitizer, and you can usually install as many as 4 digitizers in a single (large) desktop computer - so connecting up to 16 cameras in this way is a practical possibility. |
Choosing a computer for tracking
The next thing to consider is the computer you'll use for tracking. The key point here is how many apparatus you might want to track in simultaneously:
| • | For tracking in a single piece of apparatus, essentially any modern (or even quite old) notebook or desktop computer should work fine. |
| • | For tracking in up to three apparatus, again any modern computer should work fine, although you may want to make sure the display is a reasonable size so that the video pictures aren't too small. |
| • | For tracking in more than three apparatus simultaneously (especially if you also plan to use a notebook computer), there are a number of considerations which are described in detail here. |
Working out the details
Once you've decided what apparatus you want to automate, and broadly how you plan to configure your system, then you're ready to actually work out the details. If you just want to track in one or two pieces of apparatus, this is very simple and you probably don't need to do anything further, but for more complex scenarios you'll probably find the following topics useful:
| • | USB cameras |
| • | Analogue cameras and digitizers |
| • | Computers for ANY-maze |
| • | Connecting multiple cameras |
And, of course, you can always just ask us for help! We're more than happy to give advice on setting up an ANY-maze system - so whether you need general guidance or you want detailed recommendations, just drop us a line.
Putting it all together
There's nothing too profound to say about actually setting everything up, but experience has taught us a few lessons to share with you:
| • | Before you even take the equipment to your behavioural rooms, fix the camera mounts to the ceilings and organise the video cable routing - particularly if this will involve drilling holes in walls. Computers, cameras and lenses don't mix well with concrete dust. |
| • | Position the computer so the monitor is NOT in the camera's field of view. If it is visible to the camera, then you won't be able to use ANY-maze's auto-start feature (to say nothing of its effect on the behaviour of the animals). |
| • | Try to mount the camera perpendicular to the apparatus. Although you can use a camera mounted at an angle, distances will be inaccurate and some parts of the apparatus may not be visible; tracking can also be slightly adversely affected. |
| • | If you do need to make holes in the walls or ceiling to route the cables, then remember to make them big enough for the connectors to fit through; not just the cable. |
| • | It's often easier to install and test your digitizer(s) and camera(s) before you take the computer to the behavioural rooms. If you have IT support, ask them to do this for you. |
| • | There are detailed instructions for Installing, configuring and testing cameras and digitizers in the ANY-maze equipment guide and it's a good idea to print out this topic, and any relevant sub-topics, so that whoever is performing the installation can refer to them as they go along. |
Once your rooms are ready and you've set up the computer, then it's just a case of plugging everything together and ANY-maze is ready to go!
See also:
| • | Choosing a camera |
| • | USB cameras |
| • | Analogue cameras and digitizers |
| • | Computers for ANY-maze |
| • | Connecting multiple cameras |
| • | Installing, configuring and testing cameras and digitizers |
| • | Contact ANY-maze Support |
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