Multichannel Systems MC_Rack Manual - Manual (Page 9)

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2 First Use of MC_Rack
2.1 Welcome to MC_Rack
Please read the following paragraphs to understand the general idea behind the MC_Rack
program before going on with the tutorial or application examples.
MC_Rack is a data acquisition and analysis software. Combined with the hardware, for example
MC_Card, (USB-) ME-Systems or (USB-) MEA-Systems, it forms a complete data acquisition system
for measuring extracellular activities of excitable cells, in vitro and in vivo. It has been developed
especially for use with the (USB-) ME- and the (USB-) MEA-System, but is also ideally suited to
work with other experimental setups.
Together with the data acquisition device, MC_Rack fully replaces a complete hardware set for
data acquisition. For example, you do not need an oscilloscope, a filter, or a spike detector device
anymore, because all this functions are integral part of the software. You set up a virtual
instrument rack, which is comfortable, easy to use, and saves space on your workbench.
The main power of MC_Rack is its great flexibility. You can combine various virtual instruments
according to your experimental setup. You can decide about the fate of each single data stream
separately. It is up to you, which data streams are displayed on the screen, which are saved,
which are analyzed, and so on. This concept saves disk space and computer performance and
makes handling of up to 256 channels with up to 50 kHz sampling rate easy. A status bar
informs you on the actual performance of your computer when you record or replay data.
Please note that the high flexibility of MC_Rack makes a complex configuration of the software
necessary. As a fresh user of MC_Rack, this may present some difficulties to you. But the
straightforward user interface will soon make you feel comfortable with the general concept
and learn to appreciate the advantages of the system. This documentation tries to help you on
your way.
It is very important to note, that all virtual instruments in your rack work independently from
each other. As a consequence, they have to be configured separately. For example, you have to
select the input streams for each instrument separately.
Generally, you will arrange the virtual instruments in your rack in a hierarchical order. The
selected data streams flow from your data acquisition or from the Replayer (recorded data)
into the virtual instrument highest in the hierarchy. Similar to a production line in a plant, this
instrument picks up only those channels from the data streams that you have assigned to it.
It processes this data and produces an output stream, that is lead to the virtual instrument(s) next
in the hierarchy, and so on. When you build a rack, make yourself clear, which data streams flow
to which instrument and what output you should expect. If you change the selection of channels
for a virtual instrument, you may have to adjust the selection for instruments that depend on its
output as well. If you have not specified an input for a tool, an error message will inform you.
In MC_Rack, the rack you use to record and analyze data online and offline, and the data files are
as a matter of principle independent from each other. You can save and reuse a rack for several
experiments and generate separate data files. You can then load the generated data file with
another rack for further offline analysis later.