NHP Joystick

Description

Current Designs' fMRI NHP Joystick is made to order. It is non-magnetic, non-electronic, and entirely made out of plastic, so will not add noise to the images or raise safety concerns in the MR/MEG room or similarly demanding environments.

This joystick closely resembles the Tethyx joystick, but has a snap-off shaft feature designed to protect the internal components from excessive force applied by the subject. The shaft will snap out if too much force is applied, and can be snapped back in to continue use. "NHP" stands for non-human primate, because this was first developed for use with primates.

We do not recommend the use of this joystick with human populations because the snap-off feature introduces an angular error and decreases the accuracy of the return to center (when the shaft is released). If you want the cylindrical shaft but are working with human subjects, please consider the -CYL joystick.

Specifications

• Custom Joystick: please contact us before ordering
• Handheld for the 932 interface
• Two axis shaft encoder control
• Angular range: 30 degrees (+/-15 degrees).
• A wide variety of serial and USB outputs are available for Windows, Mac and Linux computers for high speed and demanding applications
• Grip: 3 in. (7.5 cm)
• There are no buttons on this custom version
• Overall height: 4.6 in. (11.5 cm); Base: 1.6 in. (4 cm) high, 4.5 in. (11.25 cm) diameter
• 10 ft (3 m) long fiber pigtailed connector
• Uses any length Bundle Extension (BE-XX), or previously purchased 12-fiber bundle (BNSC-XX-12)
• Active light levels for handheld identification and gain adjustment

X,Y Range Features

Tethyx is normally provided with a square range of motion covering approximately +/- 15 degrees in X and Y, but a removable plastic plate in the bottom cover makes it easy to change this range for different task needs. For example, a circular range might be better for some task, or possibly a straight line in only X or only Y would be better. Please get in touch to let us know if you are looking for a particular range.

Return to Zero

An internal non-magnetic spring forces the shaft back to its vertical resting position when released.

What Else Is Needed

This handheld response device needs an electronic interface to function -- that converts the optical signals to standard computer interfacing signals. In most cases you will also need a long optical fiber extension bundle to allow this device to be used at a distance from the interface unit. The required interface and compatible bundles are shown below in the Related Products section.

This item contains no metal, nothing electronic, and nothing magnetic. It can be used safely in the magnet room.