USB DIO Device

The Plexon® USB DIO Device can be used in conjunction with our CineLyzer® software to combine live video tracking and control of external devices. The USB DIO interface utilizes simple bare wire screw connectors for flexibility to adapt to a wide range of connection types. The device can receive up to 6 high true and/or 6 low true TTL inputs and can generate 6 high true and/or 6 low true TTL outputs. Setting up a connection is easy – simply utilize the Events functionality in CineLyzer to generate a TTL pulse any time the animal performs a certain behavior, crosses a zone threshold, or performs a sequence of movements. Furthermore, the device can be configured to receive inputs to start recording video upon the receipt of a TTL pulse from an external device, such as a remote control or operant chamber, for time-locked video recordings.

Common applications include:

  • Using proximity to a reward receptacle for pellet delivery in a conditioning task.
  • Using positional data within one side of a chamber to trigger a blue LED for real-time place preference or avoidance assays
  • Using proximity to a moving object data to trigger an LED for optogenetic stimulation in a social interaction task
  • Using positional data in a radial arm maze to trigger opening or closing motorized doors to specific arms
  • Remote start/stop of video recording for water maze experiments
  • Start recording video within an operant chamber as soon as a protocol is initiated

Plexon’s DIO device is fully compatible with our PlexBright 4 channel controller. Ask a Plexon Sales Engineer for more information on integrating video tracking and optogenetics.