E-Prime & BIOPAC on same computer

[David McFarlane]

I have a lab that wants to run E-Prime and BIOPAC at the same time on
the same computer, with E-Prime sending signals to the BIOPAC software.
I am more accustomed to running E-Prime and physiology measurement
software on separate PCs. Has anyone succeeded in using E-Prime and
BIOPAC at the same time on the same machine?

Thanks,
-- David McFarlane

[David March]

I currently run Biopac and DirectRT, Inquisit, Superlab, etc. all on the same PC. I also have e-prime, but haven't used it during a physio study. I don't see any reason why it wouldn't work. Key is a beefy machine. 

-David

[Jacky Kuo]

Our lab uses Biopac fNIR and Eprime. 

I could create a virtual Biopac machine (using COBI modern) and use this on the same computer as Eprime. However, I've only really have Eprime and Biopac on separate computer when running as we uses serial signals (physical ports). I think the question here is what signal are you trying to send? and why would you want to keep Biopac and Eprime on the same machine? I don't think you could keep Eprime and Biopac on the same computer if you do serial or parallel signals unless those are virtual ports (I think it's overcomplicating things if you are creating a virtual port though). Sending signals over ethernet/ network might be a possibility but I imagine you also need to create a virtual port. 

Hope this helps. I would be very interested in finding out your solution in the end just so I could feed my curiosity. 

Jacky  

[David March]

I also sent TTLs via a parallel port from the machine back into the Biopac connected to the same machine. I've not had any issues using a physical parallel port to send signals to a Biopac MP160 that then feeds back into the same machine via USB. 

-David

[Jacky Kuo]

Haven't thought of doing it like that, our computers only have one parellel port and one serial port. I am going to try it out when I have time to put more ports on the computer :)

We also don't have the MP160 it's just computer to computer. Does Eprime take the signal from USB from the MP160?

[McFarlane, David]

Thank you for the discussion so far. I thought I would step in to address some issues that have come up. (Disclaimer: I am helping a lab at a distant location and I actually have no direct experience with the BIOPAC equipment -- I base all of this on my reading of the documentation.)

"Does Eprime take the signal from USB from the MP160?"

The *physiology* signals *from* the BIOPAC MP160 go to the AcqKnowledge software, not E-Prime. And the MP160 actually communicates to the AcqKnowledge software via ethernet. Instead of using up a network port or adding a card, users may use a USB to ethernet adapter. Thus, the MP160 may *indirectly* connect to AcqKnowledge via USB, but AcqKnowledge still sees it only as a network device, not USB.

E-Prime in turn may send *digital* signals *to* an STP100C through a 25-pin connector, and from there to the MP160 and then to AcqKnowledge. Typically you would use a ParallelPort (LPT) device in E-Prime; alternatively, you could use a USB-TTL Module which provides parallel-port-like output to the STP100C, but gets handled as a serial (COM) port by E-Prime.

Finally, it looks like you could send *digital* signals to E-Prime through the same device that handles digital output from E-Prime.

"what signal are you trying to send?

In this case, the lab simply wants to use E-Prime to trigger the start of data acquisition. More commonly, labs may want to send event markers.

"and why would you want to keep Biopac and Eprime on the same machine?"

Possibly due to limitations of money or space, or as a matter of convenience, or assuming that that is the ordinary way to do things based on experience or lack of experience. That's all I can think of, I did not ask.

-- David McFarlane

________________________________________
From: e-p...@googlegroups.com <e-p...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Jacky Kuo <ouky...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, October 15, 2021 6:44 PM
To: E-Prime
Subject: Re: E-Prime & BIOPAC on same computer