Noldus EthoVision TTL Adapter
5 parameters · USB adapter · bidirectional
Overview
The Noldus EthoVision TTL Adapter bridges ConductMaze behavioral events to Noldus EthoVision XT video tracking software. The adapter translates ConductMaze serial TTL frames into EthoVision-compatible digital signals, enabling synchronized behavioral event logging alongside video-tracked locomotion, zone entries, and body-point analysis.
Bidirectional communication allows EthoVision to trigger ConductMaze events (e.g., start a trial when the animal enters a zone in the video feed) and ConductMaze to send event markers to EthoVision for overlay on tracked video.
Setup Instructions
- Install the ConductMaze Noldus Adapter driver from the ConductScience downloads page.
- Connect the adapter module via USB. It will appear as a virtual COM port in Device Manager.
- In ConductMaze > Integrations > Noldus, select the adapter COM port and EthoVision version.
- In EthoVision XT, configure the digital I/O input to match the adapter COM port.
- Set event mapping mode (Direct maps each ConductMaze event to a unique digital input line).
- Run a synchronized test: trigger events in ConductMaze and verify they appear in the EthoVision timeline.
Common Pitfalls
- ⚠EthoVision XT digital I/O sampling rate limits event resolution. Set EthoVision sample rate to at least 30 Hz (33ms) for reliable detection of ConductMaze events.
- ⚠The adapter requires the EthoVision IO Interface license add-on — check that this is enabled before configuration.
- ⚠In bidirectional mode, avoid circular triggers (EthoVision triggers ConductMaze which triggers EthoVision). Use one-directional event flow per event type.
Methods Text (Copy-Paste)
Behavioral events from ConductMaze were synchronized with Noldus EthoVision XT video tracking (Noldus Information Technology, Wageningen, Netherlands) using the ConductMaze Noldus Adapter (ConductScience, Skokie, IL). The adapter translated serial TTL frames into EthoVision-compatible digital input signals at 115,200 baud with 10ms resolution.
Suggested text for the Methods section of your manuscript.
Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| EthoVision Version | enum | XT 17 | Compatible EthoVision version (XT 14, XT 15, XT 16, XT 17) |
| COM Port | string | Auto | Serial port for adapter communication |
| Baud Rate | integer | 115200 | Serial communication speed |
| Event Mapping Mode | enum | Direct | How ConductMaze events map to EthoVision inputs (Direct, Encoded, Custom) |
| Sync Direction | enum | Bidirectional | ConductMaze → EthoVision, EthoVision → ConductMaze, or Bidirectional |
Compatible Products
ME-OC-TTL
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