ADInstruments Chart for Windows v4.0 Quick Start MacLab¨ System PowerLab¨ System This document was, as far as possible, accurate at the time of printing. Changes may have been made to the software and hardware it describes since then, though: ADInstruments reserves the right to alter speciÞcations as required. Late-breaking information may be supplied separately. Product: Chart for Windows, v4.0 (MLS013/W) Trademarks of ADInstruments Documentation: Malcolm Bowers MacLab, PowerChrom, and PowerLab are registered trademarks of ADInstruments Pty Ltd. E-Corder and the names of speciÞc recording units, such as PowerLab/16SP, are trademarks of ADInstruments Pty Ltd. Chart, EChem, Histogram, Keeper, Peaks, Scope, Translate, UpdateMaker, and UpdateUser (application programs) are trademarks of ADInstruments Pty Ltd. Document Number: U-MLS013/W-QS-002A Copyright © June 2000 ADInstruments Pty Ltd Unit 6, 4 Gladstone Rd Castle Hill, NSW 2154 Australia Other Trademarks Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, and Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Software: Kit Adams, Callum Jamieson, and Peter Jaquiery, with John Gee and Michael Macknight. Based on the Macintosh version of Chart by Michael Macknight et alia. Web: http://www.adinstruments.com Email: support@adinstruments.com All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced by any means without the prior written permission of ADInstruments Pty Ltd. Windows and Windows 95 are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Windows NT is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. ii Chart Quick Start Contents Introduction 1 The XÐY Window Using Chart for the First Time General 3 Chart Windows The Tool Bar 4 Opening Files Saving Files 3 Setup Comments 14 Finding Data 15 The Data Pad 16 Computed Input 4 5 Miscellaneous Recording 2 5 Reference 19 Menus 19 13 18 Keyboard Shortcuts 21 5 6 Setting the Sampling Rate Channel Controls 7 The Input AmpliÞer Units Conversion 7 8 Display Settings 9 Channel Settings 9 Setting Up the Trigger Event Markers 11 11 Setting Up the Stimulator Analysis 6 12 13 The Zoom Window Chart Quick Start 13 iii iv Chart Quick Start C H A R T v 4 . 0 Introduction Welcome to Chart for Windows, an application program that lets you use your PowerLab as a multi-channel chart recorder, with a computer running Windows 95 or NT 4 or later (98, 2000, and so on). References to Windows in this guide mean those operating systems: Chart does not work with earlier versions of Windows. This Quick Start guide provides a summary of some of the main features of Chart. It assumes that Chart has been installed and set up ready for use. Once you are familiar with the way that Chart works, you can learn more about the full range of features, such as automated recording and control, computed functions, and customising options, in the Chart for Windows UserÕs Guide that came with your PowerLab or software upgrade (the guide also covers installation). Chart Quick Start 1 Using Chart for the First Time You should be familiar with the Windows environment. If you do not know how to use the mouse and keyboard, choose commands from the menus, and so on, consult the guide that came with the computer. 1 2 First, make sure that the PowerLab is properly connected to your computer, and is turned on. 3 4 To start sampling, click the Start button at the bottom right of the Chart document window. (The button changes to Stop.) 5 To change a channelÕs sensitivity, if the amplitude of the signal is too large or too small, use the Range pop-up menu: press the button with the down arrow at the left of the channel title. 6 To stop sampling, click the Stop button at the bottom right of the Chart window, and to save your Þle, choose Save from the File menu. To exit (quit) Chart, choose Exit from the File menu. To open Chart, double-click one of the Chart icons on the screen (see Figure 1), or choose Chart through the Programs menu of the taskbarÕs Start button (under ADInstruments). There may be a short delay while the application sets up the PowerLab. The Þrst (leftmost) icon shows the Chart program, which opens a new untitled Þle. The second shows a Þle of recorded data. The third icon shows a settings Þle, which opens an untitled Þle set up in a predeÞned way. In each case, Chart opens and the Chart application and document windows appear (see Figure 2). To change the sampling rate, use the Rate pop-up menu: press the button with the downwards-pointing arrow at the top right of the Chart document window. The sampling rate is displayed next to this button when the pointer is over the channel control area to the right; otherwise it indicates the time value at the pointer location. Figure 1 Chart desktop icons: doubleclick one to open Chart 2 Chart Quick Start General Chart Windows All essential controls for recording data are provided within the Chart application window and its document windows, as illustrated below. Application window Figure 2 The Chart application window, with a tiled Chart document window Þlling it Document window Date display (optional) Channel title Unused channels (can be hidden) Figure 3 The components of a Chart document window Document Control menu File title Title bar Comments bar Rate pop-up menu Amplitude axis Rate/Time display Range/ Amplitude display Channel separator Range popup menu <The data display area> Scale pop-up menu Scaling buttons Marker Chart v4.0 Channel Function pop-up menu <Time axis> Split bar Scroll bar Scroll/Review button View buttons Record/Monitor button Start/Stop button 3 Special display and recording options are available from the menus at the top of the Chart application window (menus are detailed later). The Tool Bar The Tool Bar provides shortcuts for common tasks in Chart in the form of a row of buttons. The button functions are indicated if the pointer is held over them; the Status bar at the bottom of the Chart window gives more information on the button. Open Figure 4 The Tool Bar New Print Save to disk Zoom window Chart window Data Pad XÐY window Go to start of Þle Data Pad miniwindow Go to end of Þle Opening Files Once Chart has been opened, other Þles can be opened from within it. To do this, choose the OpenÉ command from the File menu, or type Ctrl+O: the Open directory dialog box appears. Use it to navigate through your computerÕs Þle system to Þnd the Þle you want. Details view button Figure 5 The Open directory dialog box Up one level button List view button New folder button Click here to open the selected Þle Choose a Þle here Choose a Þle type here (only the chosen type is displayed) You can create a new, empty document by choosing the New command from the File menu, or typing Ctrl+N. If you have another Þle open, you can choose whether or not to close it when the new document is created, and whether the new document will use default settings or those from the active open document. 4 Chart Quick Start Saving Files To save a Þle of recorded data, choose Save from the File menu, or type Ctrl+S. When this is done, an existing Þle will have any changes made to it saved to disk. The Þrst time that you save a Þle, or on any occasion that you choose Save AsÉ from the File menu, the Save As directory dialog box will appear. Use it to navigate through the Þling system of the computer to choose where your Þle will be saved. This pop-up menu shows the folder location Figure 6 The Save As directory dialog box Click here to save the selected Þle Choose a Þle type here Miscellaneous Such options as copying, printing, and so on in Chart work as they do in most other Windows applications. Most other available options are reasonably straightforward. Other menu commands (and even menus) may be added by macros and Chart extensions (small additions to the Chart program). To see the current set of active Chart extensions, choose the ConÞgurationÉ command from the Help menu to bring up the ConÞguration Information dialog box, and click the Extensions pane. Recording Chart uses the visual metaphor of a mechanical chart recorder: recorded data scroll across the data display area from the right of the window as if the display area were a roll of paper in such a device, with new data being drawn at the right and old data moving left. To start sampling (and recording), simply click the Start button at the bottom right of the Chart window. Chart v4.0 5 You can quickly control whether to record sampled data or merely to display the data by clicking the Record/Monitor button at the bottom right of the Chart window, to the left of the Start button. Figure 7 Record/Monitor button Data displayed and recorded Data displayed but not recorded Status While Recording While sampling, the Status bar at the bottom of the Chart application window gives information on the recording status of Chart (see Figure 8): whether data are actually being recorded, or whether Chart is waiting for a trigger or for a post-trigger delay time to elapse. This gives you a quick visual indication of recording status. Figure 8 Status bar while recording ÔRecording dataÕ means that data are being recorded. If data are not being recorded into memory and are only being displayed on the screen, ÔMonitoring dataÕ shows. If you have set up triggering, ÔRecording: waiting for triggerÕ shows while the PowerLab is waiting for a trigger event to occur before it starts sampling. If you have set up a trigger delay, ÔRecording: post-trigger delayÕ shows after triggering, while the PowerLab is waiting for the delay to elapse. A few other messages may appear in some circumstances. Setup Setting the Sampling Rate You can choose the sampling rate directly, using the Rate pop-up menu. The sampling rate (the number of samples per second) is shown in the Rate/Time display beside it, at the top right of the Chart window if the pointer is not over the data display area. S series 6 Chart Quick Start PowerLabs allow faster continuous sampling rates than E series PowerLabs. The sampling rate is the same for all inputs. Figure 9 The Rate pop-up menu, for E and S series PowerLabs (only newer S series PowerLabs offer the 200 kHz rate) Rate/Time display Rates for the S series PowerLabs Select a sampling rate directly Channel Controls Each channel can be set up independently using two pop-up menus: Range and Channel Function. à Figure 10 Channel pop-up menus: Range and Channel Function Press the down arrow button to bring up the Range popup menu Press the down arrow to bring up the Channel Function popup menu à The Input AmpliÞer The Input AmpliÞer dialog box lets you change parameters for each of the PowerLab inputs: you can change the range, apply Þltering to the signal, and view the effect of the change on the incoming signal. To open the Input AmpliÞer dialog box, press the Channel Function pop-up menu of the channel where you want to change the input, and choose the Input AmpliÞerÉ command. By default, Chart Chart v4.0 7 channels record data from the matching PowerLab inputs. E series PowerLabs offer a 50 Hz low pass checkbox rather than a pop-up menu of Þlters. The numeric display shows the average amplitude of the signal Click these buttons to pause or restart the scrolling signal Scale popup menu Set the voltage range using this pop-up menu Figure 11 The Input AmpliÞer dialog box Filtering options Amplitude axis These checkboxes let you set up the signal input (not available where the input is only single-sided) The input signal is displayed here To bring up the Units Conversion dialog box, click this button If you connect or disconnect a pod when the dialog box is open, click this button Turn this on to invert the signal The Pod Scan button only appears if the PowerLab has pod connections. Front-ends and pods (signal conditioners) connected to PowerLab inputs may replace the Input AmpliÞer dialog box with a dialog box speciÞc to the device, with controls for extra Þltering, offsetting, and so on (but most functions will be similar). Units Conversion Units conversion lets you change your data from volts into some other unit of measurement. You can apply the conversion before you start recording, so that all subsequent recordings are scaled to the required units, or you can apply it after you have made a recording, either to the entire channel or to particular blocks of data. For more detailed information on units conversion, see the full userÕs guide. 8 Chart Quick Start To open the Units Conversion dialog box, either choose the Units ConversionÉ command from the Channel Function pop-up menu of the channel you want to change, or click the UnitsÉ button in the Input AmpliÞer dialog box (the latter option does not allow conversion of individual blocks of data). You can type Ôconvert fromÕ values directly here Figure 12 The Units Conversion dialog box You can type Ôconvert toÕ values directly here Select or deÞne the unit name using this pop-up menu Click the arrow button to use a value from the display; click the ∆ button to use a difference To use a value from the display, click to select a point or drag to select an area This arrow indicates the value at a point or the mean value of a selection What the conversion will affect Display Settings The Display Settings dialog box (Figure 13) lets you change the look of the Time axis, how Chart displays data as it records, and so on. To bring it up, choose Display SettingsÉ from the Setup menu. Channel Settings The Channel Settings dialog box (Figure 14) lets you set up and examine multiple channels easily: you can both see and specify most display and recording settings in the one place. To bring it up, choose Channel SettingsÉ from the Setup menu or type Ctrl+Y. Chart v4.0 9 Figure 13 The Display Settings dialog box Choose how (or if ) blocks and comments are marked here Choose the form and units of the Time display, and if the date shows, here Choose the colour and visibility of the default graticule here Choose the form of the Zoom & XÐY graticules here Choose the colour and line style of the XÐY plot here Figure 14 The Channel Settings dialog box Turn channels on or off in this column Type in this column to rename the channels Set the channel range here Click here to bring up the Input AmpliÞer, Units Conversion, or Computed Input dialog boxes Set the colour for the channel data trace here Set the channel line style here (for use in the Zoom window) Set any channel calculation, such as smoothing, here Set the number of channels visible in the Chart window here (lower channels are hidden Þrst) 10 Chart Quick Start Setting Up the Trigger Triggering determines the way in which Chart is told to start or stop recording. A trigger is an event such as clicking the Start button or a voltage pulse above some threshold in an incoming waveform. To set up triggering, choose the TriggerÉ command from the Setup menu. The Trigger dialog box will appear. You can use the controls to set up the type of trigger event you want, the delay until recording, the duration of recording, and so on. For more detailed information on the trigger, see the full Chart for Windows UserÕs Guide. Use this pop-up menu to set the stopping condition Use this pop-up menu to choose the trigger event Use the arrow buttons or text entry boxes to set times Figure 15 The Trigger dialog box Use this pop-up menu to set the starting condition Click these buttons to choose the trigger state change: up for positive, down for negative Use the slider bar or text entry box to set values Event Markers Stimulus events (and external trigger events, when using E series PowerLabs) can be marked using the Event Markers dialog box: choose the Event MarkersÉ command from the Setup menu. Figure 16 The Event Markers dialog box (for E series PowerLabs) Chart v4.0 Choose a channel in which to mark a stimulus or external trigger event from the pop-up menus 11 Setting Up the Stimulator To use the stimulator, choose Stimulator from the Setup menu. The Stimulator dialog box will appear. You can use the controls to deÞne the stimulation characteristics (controls vary with the chosen mode). Select the stimulus type from this pop-up menu Click these radio buttons to choose continuous stimulation or a set number of pulses or a step Set the number of pulses with the arrows or text box Figure 17 The Stimulator dialog box Use this popup menu to change the stimulus voltage range Values set for the parameters are displayed in the text entry boxes Use the slider bar or text entry box to set values Choose Stimulator Panel from the Setup menu to bring up the Stimulator Panel. You can change the stimulator settings either before or during recording. The Stimulate button is for manually starting a set number of pulses or a step; if continuous selection has been set up, then Off and On buttons on the panel start and stop stimulation. Click the tiny arrow buttons to change the Stimulator settings during recording Figure 18 The Stimulator Panel miniwindow 12 Click the Stimulate or On/Off buttons to start a train of pulses or a step, or start/stop continuous stimulation Chart Quick Start Analysis The Zoom Window To look at a small selection of data from the Chart window in great detail, drag to select an area of interest in the Chart window. (To add channels to a selection, hold down the Shift key and drag in the display area of the channels you want to add. To remove channels from a selected set, Shift+click them. To select data over all channels, position the pointer in the Time axis area before dragging.) Then choose Zoom Window from the Windows menu: the Zoom window appears, with the selected waveform enlarged. Figure 19 The Zoom window Time and amplitude readings for active channel Click to stack channels separately Waveform Cursor Pointer Click to overlay channels in this window Marker Active channel IdentiÞcation bars The XÐY Window The XÐY window lets you plot data in one channel against data in another over the same period of the recording. Drag in the Time axis to select an area of interest (over two or more channels) in the Chart window, and then choose XÐY Window from the Windows menu: the XÐY window appears. Chart v4.0 13 Figure 20 The XÐY window Pointer X and Y values at the pointer position Y channel X channel Comments Comments can be added at various points in the record, to note information speciÞc to a particular time, channel, or data selection. Comments are added during recording by using the Comments bar, at the top of the Chart window below the title bar. Figure 21 Comment entry during recording: the Comments bar Channel the comment applies to (* for all) Comment number box Text is inserted here as you type Click this button to add a comment To enter a comment, click in the text entry area and type what you want to say. Click the Add button at the right of the text entry area to add the new comment to the Þle, or if the cursor is in the text entry area (it is put there by default when sampling is started), you can just press the Enter key to add the comment at the time the action is taken. Comments can be added to an existing record after recording by choosing the Add CommentÉ command from the Commands menu, or typing Ctrl+K. A dialog box appears in which you can enter the new comment. Once a recording has been made, you can read the comments in it by positioning the pointer over the comment box and pressing the mouse button. 14 Chart Quick Start Figure 22 Reading a comment from the Chart window To look at several comments at once, locate a comment in a Þle, or delete or edit comments, choose Comments Window from the Windows menu, or type Ctrl+L, to bring up the Comments window. The comments are listed in a scrolling Þeld in the window in the order that they appear left to right across a Þle, with the comment numbers in boxes. Click the buttons to change the channels that appear in the scrolling list Figure 23 The Comments window Click the text of the selected comment to edit it Turn this off to hide the Time column Click this button to delete the selected comment Click this button to go to the selected comment in the Chart window Finding Data The FindÉ command in the Commands menu brings up the Find and Select dialog box (Figure 24), which lets you Þnd and select data in a recording according to criteria you specify. The exact controls appearing depend on what is chosen in the scrolling lists. You can search any or all channels for comments, peaks and troughs in the waveform, data discontinuities, and so on. The command can set the active point at the position found, or select data for a period before, around, or after it, for the active channel or all channels. Chart v4.0 15 Figure 24 The Find and Select dialog box Pop-up channel selection menu These buttons set the search direction Selection list of things to look for These buttons set what is selected relative to the data found Search options list (depends on selection in left-hand list) Percentage of full scale; used to eliminate noise, small peaks and so on Turn this checkbox on to select the data in all channels rather than a particular one Choose how Chart aligns and displays the found data here The Data Pad The Data Pad command in the Windows menu brings up the Data Pad window (Figure 25), which calculates and stores statistics about recorded data. The Data Pad keeps statistical or selection information, comments, and so on in columns. To set up the columns to record what you want, click their headings in the Data Pad to bring up the Data Pad Column Setup dialog box (Figure 26), and choose options. After this, choosing Add to Data Pad from the Command menu, or typing Ctrl+D, gets the requested information for the selected data in the Chart window, and records it in the Data Pad columns. Information on the current selection or active point is shown under the column headings of the Data Pad, and in visible miniwindows. To keep useful information displayed, you can show the miniwindows you want or keep the Data Pad visible in the background. 16 Chart Quick Start Figure 25 The Data Pad window Current selection (points and time) is noted here Click the arrow button to edit entire rows; click the A button to edit any cell The pop-up menu allows you to add headings and so on The headings indicate column, channel, type of data, and units Data on the current selection are displayed here Selections are recorded here Dragging the vertical divide lets you change the column width Figure 26 The Data Pad Column Setup dialog box Click the buttons to go to and set up adjacent columns Recording options list (depends on selection in left-hand list) Show or hide miniwindow Explanation of selected option Selection list of the types of data available Conditions of recording data Chart v4.0 Pop-up channel selection menu 17 Computed Input The Computed Input dialog box lets you choose to process signals as they are recorded, converting the raw data from any PowerLab input into computed data. The dialog box for a channel appears when you choose the Computed InputÉ command from the channelÕs Channel Function pop-up menu. The channel is indicated in the title of the dialog box (Display Channel 2, for example). The raw input signal and the computed function based on it (which will be recorded) are both displayed for optimal settings adjustment. The controls will change depending on the computed function chosen from the pop-up menu at the right. Figure 27 The Computed Input dialog box Choose the raw data input here after a computed function has been chosen Choose a computed function here Sensitivity control Threshold control Signal tracking controls (for triggering Ratemeter and so on) 18 Raw data display Computed data display Chart Quick Start Reference Menus The menus shown here are the default settings, and Chart may be set up differently, since Chart menus are able to be customised to a great extent. Chart has seven of its own menus: File, Edit, Setup, Commands, Windows, Macro, and Help; more can be added with macros. There is also the standard Control menu (the icon to the left of the rest of the menus). Some of the menu commands shown will change or be disabled depending on the active window and what, if anything, is selected. An ellipsis (É) after a menu command indicates that it brings up a dialog box; a tick to its left indicates that it is currently active; and a keyboard shortcut, if there is one, is shown to its right. Figure 28 The Control menu: this is common to all Windows programs, and mostly serves to provide keyboard shortcuts for the mouse-impaired Restore window to previous size from maximised state Make window moveable with keyboard arrow keys Make window resizeable with keyboard arrow keys Shrink active window to an icon in Chart application window Expand active window to fuse with Chart application window Close the active window Cycle through the open windows making each active in turn Figure 29 The File menu Create a new Chart Þle Open an existing Þle Append an existing Þle to the current Þle Close the current Þle Save the current Þle Save the Þle with a new name, elsewhere, and so on Save the current selection as a Þle or text Set up page size and so on to suit the printer See how the Þle will print Print the selected data, active window, and so on Choose where and how to store data while sampling Exit (quit) the Chart application Chart v4.0 19 Figure 30 The Edit menu Undo previous action (if possible) Undo the undo Cut selected data to the clipboard Copy selected data to the clipboard Paste selection Paste Chart data at end of Chart document Clear selection Select all data in Chart window, all rows in Data Pad Delete all data in selected channel Specify the settings of new documents Customise Chart options (see submenu) Figure 31 The Preferences submenu Figure 32 The Setup menu Modify Chart menus Choose the shape of the Waveform Cursor Modify display settings, grids, lines, and so on Change channel titles, colours, ranges, etc. Set up what triggers and stops sampling Set up the stimulator Display the stimulator control panel Mark stimuli and (on E series) external trigger Figure 33 The Commands menu Insert a comment at the selected time Set Marker position (see submenu) Add data on the selection to the Data Pad Go to start of recording Go to end of recording Find and select data matching user criteria Find and select next data matching user criteria Figure 34 The Marker submenu 20 Set Marker to lowest point in selection Set Marker to highest point in selection Set Marker to left-most point in selection Set Marker to right-most point in selection Chart Quick Start Figure 35 The Windows menu: the lowest grouping lists all the open windows in Chart: the currently active one is ticked Return to or open the Chart window Display a selection in the Zoom window Plot one channel versus another in the XÐY window Display the Comments window Display the Data Pad window, for setup or analysis Show miniwindow with date, time, or channel read-out Arrange windows in the Chart window in cascade Arrange windows in the Chart window in tessellations Line up minimised windows in the Chart window Close all open windows in the Chart window (Make the named window active) Figure 36 The Macro menu Start or stop recording a macro Choose macro control actions (see submenu) Delete a macro from the current list of macros Pause the macro for a set time Set an audible alert using available sounds Display a message dialog box (requiring user action) Figure 37 The Macro Commands submenu Repeat some action while selection is within a block Select regular periods of data to manipulate Select each block of data to manipulate Start a repeat sequence Finish a repeat sequence or repeat select sequence Leave remaining macro steps until sampling Þnishes Figure 38 The Help menu Show hardware and software details About Chart Keyboard Shortcuts The keyboard shortcuts shown in Table 1 are default settings, and Chart may be set up differently, since Chart can be customised to a Chart v4.0 21 great extent. Some may change or be disabled depending on the active window and what, if anything, is selected. Table 1 Chart keyboard shortcuts: the list is alphabetical so that you can see at a glance which keys have been used for menu commands Keystrokes Function Ctrl + A Select all data in the window Ctrl + C Copy to Clipboard Ctrl + D Add information on selection to Data Pad Ctrl + F Find and select data matching user criteria Ctrl + K Add comment Ctrl + L Comments window Ctrl + N New Ctrl + O Open Ctrl + P Print Ctrl + R Start/stop macro recording Ctrl + S Save Þle Ctrl + V Paste Ctrl + Shift + V Paste Chart data at (right) end of Chart document Ctrl + X Cut selection Ctrl + Y Channel Settings dialog box Ctrl + Z Undo last action Ctrl + Shift + Z Undo the undo Ctrl + Spacebar Start/stop sampling Ctrl + Left arrow Go to start of document Ctrl + Right arrow Go to end of document Ctrl + F4 Close the active window Ctrl + F6 Cycle through open windows making each active in turn Alt + F4 Exit (quit) Chart F3 Find and select next data matching user criteria Delete Clear selected data Standard Windows shortcuts also work. You can press the Alt key to activate menus, use the left or right arrow key to select a menu, and the down arrow key to show it. You can also, more directly, press the Alt key and then type the underlined letter in the menu title to show it. The menu commands also have underlined letters (often the Þrst letter): you type that letter to choose the command in an active menu. You can also use the up and down arrow keys to select and highlight a menu command, and then press the Enter key to choose (activate) it. 22 Chart Quick Start