Final Design

Final Design

            The decision was made to incorporate both the Ultramic 250K and LabView into the final design of this project.  The Ultramic 250K was significantly less expensive than the other microphone (CM-16) and allowed more leeway in the budget for spending on other items.  The Ultramic 250K was also selected because it did not require a data acquisition card or the purchase of additional software (which the Cm-16 did require).  This particular microphone was also easier to use as it simply connects to a computer for data acquisition through USB.  It was also found that USB audio devices are ideal for use with a PC.  This is because the device is always engaged once detected and would eliminate any recording delay that could be encountered while collecting data.  This microphone was also selected over the bat detector because it could save in a WAV file rather than mp3 format.  A WAV file is ideal because it is an uncompressed form and the information that is stored is based on factors such as sampling rate, resolution, amplitude, and time.  This made the Ultramic 250K even more ideal because it would be able to save the most data. 

Figure 1: Ultramic 250K

The program LabView was also incorporated into the final design of the system.  This program was specifically selected by the sponsors because of their familiarity with the program, which would make it easier for them to learn how to use the testing program as well as maintain it.  LabView is also capable of running several different programs consecutively without having to open any other files.  This made it extremely easy for the researchers to collect, analyze, and playback audio (and video) during their experiments.  The overall program has three specific components: 1) Recording, 2) Audio Analysis (and Video play back), and 3) Sensor Analysis.

How the Program Works

1: Recording- 

• The program records all the data the is collected by the Ultramic 250K and stores it in a WAV file

• Adjustments can be made for the sampling rate, bit rate, and device selection

Figure 1: Recording VI

2: Audio Analysis-

• The audio file (WAV) is selected from the hard drive or external device

• The video file (AVI) can also be selected if needed

• A Waveform (Amplitude vs. Time) graph and colorgraph (Frequency vs. Time) is computed by LabView

• Filter levels, time span, and time increments can all be selected and adjusted as desired

Figure 2: Analysis VI

3: Sensor Analysis-

• There are 6 sensors that collect data by whether or not a change is detected (ie. the mice interrupt the path of the transmitter)

• Every time the path is interrupted the program records the time stamp

• All the data is compiled and listed: this will help determine what areas of the maze the mice are in at any give time

Figure 3: Sensor VI

Y-Maze:

    For this project four "Y" shaped mazes were built in order to perform behavioral testing on the mice.  In order to ensure structural rigidity 1/4'' acrylic was utilized as well as the addition of a "puzzle" like design Figure2.  It was also necessary to increase the height of the maze from the original design to 10''  to ensure that the mice would remain in the maze during testing.  Infrared sensors were also incorporated into the maze in order to be able to track the location of the mice during testing.  2 sensors were placed in each leg of the maze to show and a LabView program was also included to count to number of times each sensor was triggered.

Figure 6: Completed Y-Maze

Files:

The files included on this page are the final versions of the programs developed in LabView. 

• • "analysisf.vi" is the audio analysis and video playback program

  • "recorder.vi" is the audio recording program

  • "sensordetection.vi" is the motion sensor detection program