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jvs:cigal:manual:chapter1:background [2014/03/18 18:35] voyvodic [Configuring your other software for compatibility with CIGAL in background] |
jvs:cigal:manual:chapter1:background [2023/02/23 18:43] |
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- | **CIGAL Reference Manual, Chapter 1 (Topics): background** | ||
- | ===== Running CIGAL in the background while running other software ===== | ||
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- | If you already have your behavioral tasks set up using other software (e.g. EPrime, Presentation, | ||
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- | ==== Running two programs simultaneously without interference ==== | ||
- | In order to run two programs simultaneously you must configure each so that they do not attempt to compete for the same limited resources when they run. As long as they don't compete for resources you can run each program independently, | ||
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- | The main resources that need to be shared between running programs are: | ||
- | * computer processor | ||
- | * computer memory | ||
- | * disk access | ||
- | * standard input devices (keyboard and mouse) | ||
- | * standard output devices (video and sound) | ||
- | * extra input devices (e.g., button box, scanner trigger pulse, analog waveform input, eye-position input, network socket connections) | ||
- | * extra output devices (e.g., analog/ | ||
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- | On a dual-core or quad-core computer, the computer processor itself is not a limited resource because two independent programs running together will automatically be run on separate computer processors. Computer memory is limited but BIAC scanner computers have quite a lot of memory so there shouldn' | ||
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- | Standard output resources such as the video display and sound output can be shared easily by allocating separate parts of the display to each program, and by restricting sound output to just one program source at any given time. In practice, the easiest way to do this is to have each program displayed on a separate video monitor and only one of the programs allowed to play sounds. | ||
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- | Standard input devices, such as the keyboard and mouse, can only be used by one program at a time, but we are already used to switching input focus between programs simply by clicking on different windows on the screen or tabs on the taskbar. On a Windows computer you can also change the input focus by pressing < | ||
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- | Other externally connected devices are the more problematic limited resources that can usually can only be accessed by one program at a time. This includes some button boxes, video switch connections, | ||
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- | ==== Sharing hardware resources on the BIAC scanner computers ==== | ||
- | The Windows computers at the BIAC scanners are already set up in such a way that it is easy to run 2 behavioral programs simultaneously. The main stimulus control computer has 2 video monitors that you can configure as one wide desktop and then run one program on each screen. The sound and button boxes only need to be used by the main task program (e.g. EPrime, Presentation, | ||
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- | The scanner trigger pulse is the most important external input signal you need to think about when running two programs, because that is the best way to make sure they are accurately synchronized with each other (and with the scanner). BIAC provides the scanner trigger signal on multiple different input devices, which means that two programs can read the same trigger signal, provided they read it on different hardware channels. CIGAL should be configured, therefore, to read the scanner trigger from the analog input device, which it has open anyway in order to record the physiological waveforms. That allows the other program to access the scanner trigger pulse from the serial response box (EPrime SRbox), or from a parallel port input (probably no longer available on Windows 7 computers), or by simply manually starting the program by pressing a keyboard key. Since CIGAL will trigger from the scanner automatically, | ||
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- | ==== Configuring CIGAL for background recording ==== | ||
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- | ==== Configuring EPrime for compatibility with CIGAL in background ==== | ||
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- | ==== Configuring Presentation for compatibility with CIGAL in background ==== | ||
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- | ==== Configuring Matlab for compatibility with CIGAL in background ==== | ||
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- | ==== Starting CIGAL for background recording ==== | ||
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- | **See Also:**\\ | ||
- | [[jvs: | ||
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