Frequently Asked Questions about the fORP
I would like to try out your response pad before buying it. Where can I see it? |
We'll be exhibiting at the following upcoming conferences. Please stop by. 2010 ISMRM, Stockholm, Sweden. May 2-6, 2010 Booth 262 Society for Neuroscience, San Diego, CA. November 13-17, 2010. Booth 412 2011 Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Quebec City, Canada. June 26 – 30, 2011. Society for Neuroscience, Washington, DC November 12-16, 2011 2012 ISMRM, Melbourne, Australia. May 5-11, 2012 Society for Neuroscience, New Orleans, LA. October 13-17, 2012. |
With some fMRI equipment, we sometimes have problems with noise on the images. Is this something we have to worry about with your response pads? |
With an all-plastic, all-fiber system you don't have to worry about problems like intermittant noise that can arise unpredictably in any system with wiring in the magnet room. The electronic interface sits next to the computer, and everything after that is all plastic. All of our response pads and pointing devices are light-based, and contain no metal and nothing electronic. |
Our scanner has several different groups using the same fMRI equipment. Some people use EPrime, some people use Presenatation, one guy uses PowerLab on a Mac, and then there is a new person who wants to use MatLab. Which of these programs will work with your interface? |
All of them. Our interface is compatible with every program we know of, and then some. The FIU-932 electronic interface has unlimited output options easily selected with the help of the OLED display. Users can upload new firmware with customized outputs through the USB port. In addition to full speed USB, the multi-function connector supports serial, parallel and any specialized cable. |
I have an idea for a different type of response device I would like to use in an fMRI study. Do you make special "one-of-a-kind" systems? |
Yes, we do. We are usually working on a few special projects like this at any given time. Using components of our standard system we can usually complete special projects in a quick and economical way. |
We would like a joystick and a response pad. Do we have to buy two complete systems? |
You just need to buy one interface and one fiber optic bundle, and the response devices needed. There are 20 standards handhelds devices, including a variety of button boxes as well as a joystick, trackball, grip force and scroll click. |
For our study would like to have a handheld with two boxes, one with 2 buttons and the other with 5. Can you make this for us? |
Yes, we can easily make a custom handheld device combining elements of the standard ones. The FIU-932 interface can be used for up to 8 butttons, or 4 buttons and 2 continuous detectors. Depending on the handheld enclosure, special configurations are not much more expensive than the standard ones. |
How long have you been making the fORP? |
We started making the fORP in 1996. At first we just made them for a few labs, but people from new sites kept requesting the fORP. It has continued growing by "word of mouth" and the power of the web. In 2010, Current Designs' fMRI response systems are being used at over a thousand sites on 6 continents. |
What happens if my response pad breaks? |
We'll fix it. It's under warranty for 1 year, so any malfunction is fixed for free. If it is caused by misuse then it is repaired at a reduced charge. After one year, we charge for parts and labor. |
What happens if I buy the fORP and don't like it? |
Please tell us what you don't like. We will try our hardest to fix your problem. If you still don't like it, send it back. We don't want anyone to be unhappy with our equipment. |
I'm a MEG user and the sound of the button's clicking is a problem. Can you fix this? |
We have lots of MEG customers and make the button extra quiet for them. Just let us know when you place an order. |
I like your response pads, but want the buttons in different places. Can you do this? |
It's easy for us to move the buttons or place them in a different enclosure. We've done this for many customers. Just contact us and provide a drawing of the button placement. Usually there is only a small charge for this customization. |
What if there is something I don't like about the fORP? |
Please tell us. The new FIU-932 interface is very versatile, so many problems can be solved with firmware changes. We've spent the past 14 years making the fORP better based on constant feedback from users. We really are interested in what your experience is, and will do what we can to make it better for you in the short and long run. |
Does the FIU-932 have a serial port output? |
Yes, it does and it is access through the 36 pin MDR type connector on the rear panel. A serial cable can be purchased which mates with this connector. |
Does the FIU-932 have TTL lines for the buttons? |
Yes, it does and it is access through the 36 pin MDR type connector on the rear panel. A parallel cable can be purchased which mates with this connector. |
How does the program switch on the FIU-932 interface work? |
The interface has two programming modes: autoconfig and manual. For autoconfig, the interface automatically identifies the handheld device and computer connection, and then lets the user select between the available programs. For manual, the interface lets the user scroll through handheld devices, computer conection and type of output. See CdiDocs for more detailed information. |
How do I connect the trigger in? | This depends a little on your scanner. Usually the hardest part is indentifying the appropriate output from your MR scanner. If it is a TTL signal, you can connect it directly to the SMC-BNC input on the interface unit. If it is an optical signal, you can connect it directly to the Agilent HFBR connector. We can provide cables for both connectors. |
Does your interface work with EPrime, Presentation, and Superlab? |
Yes. Our customers tell us they are using all of these packages. |
We're using a real-time system. How fast is your response time? |
The FIU-932 has sub-millisecond time resolution.
But this answer gives a false impression: the hardware
interface delay (through serial, TTL, or USB) and the operating system timing
overheads, can severely delay the final reception of the signal by the
end software. Note: the FIU-004/005 interfaces used a synchronous modulation and detection scheme to optically scan the buttons: 4 buttons systems have a time resolution of 0.8 ms and 8 buttons, 1.6 ms. |
Why do I need the fiber optic bundle to go out of the magnet room? |
Wires can carry
noise into the room. The radio frequency receiver in MR systems is incredibly sensitive (signals at the
thermal noise level are routinely measured) and any increase in noise
is generally unacceptable because it leads to longer scan times or
degraded image quality. Wires can of course be filtered, and this can go a long way to solving the noise problems that they bring. But the worst thing about noise is that it's unpredictable, so testing if a system adds noise or not is never a fully convincing effort: it may be fine one day and noisy the next when, say, an elevator motor is turned on, or an electrocautery unit is in use. |
Why do I want "no metal and nothing electronic" in the magnet room? |
Metals interact
with magnetic fields. Ferrous metals are especially dangerous and are often strictly forbidden because they
can be drawn into the magnet and harm people or equipment along the
way. But even non-ferrous metals like aluminum can create odd problems
by interacting with time-varying magnetic fields, as well as by having
magnetic susceptibilities that distort the shape of the magnetic field
near the imaging region of interest. Just as wires can carry noise into the magnet room, so too electronics in the room can generate noise. This is generally more of a concern as the electronics in question approach the bore of the magnet, since the proximity to the imaging area is what matters here. Most modern electronics involves switching components, and switching waveforms have broad frequency distributions that can be detected as intermittent radio frequency noise. If there is nothing electronic in the magnet room, this potential noise source is eliminated. |