Parts List:

  • A Printed Circuit Board (PCB)
    • Note: This is available as both 270 and 360 degree variants
  • Small circuit elements to solder onto the PCB
  • LED Panels
    • Green panels are better for behavioral experiments. However, they are less compatible with imaging experiments. Therefore, blue panels should be used from the get-go if you plan on doing any imaging for consistency
    • Most arenas consist of 2 rows of panels, this means you will need between 18-24 panels total depending on your configuration. It is good practice to save extra LED panels from the same lot should any fail later.
  • Panel Microchips
    • Interface between your code and the LED panels. Microchips in the designated panel drawer have already been programmed.
  • White Light Diffuser Film
    • 1 layer, cut out squares and adhere directly to each individual LED panel
  • Blue/Green Gel Filters
    • 3-4 layers, taped to form an even cylinder
    • note: if you are using the panels for imaging, you might also want to add a layer of Marine blue filter, which blocks some of the bluer components that can generate autofluorescence coming from the fly, and decrease the SNR.
  • Laser Cut Parts
    • Square platform base with screw holes - for easier mounting
    • Circular top - for securing top row LED panels in place
  • 3D Printed Ball Holder (6 or 9 mm)

 

  • Controller Box
  • SD Card and USB SD Card Reader
    • Loads patterns and functions for experiments
  • Chameleon3 Camera
    • For filming the ball and tracking the fly’s movements via FicTrac
  • Infrared Light Source
  • Phidget Device
    • For closed loop - converts FicTrac (tracking software) signal to a voltage signal that is then fed into the panels via the controller.

Arena Assembly

There is a collaborative “HOW TO” document for setting up and working with the panel code that can be found here. The following is an abridged version.

  1. Solder each small component onto the PCB in their correct locations
  2. Combine each LED panel with a pre-programmed microchip
  3. Note: This only works in a specific orientation. “Flypanel” should be at the top of the microchip while a serial number should be on the left.
  4. Power the controller box and connect the USB port to your computer
  5. If it has not been already, program the controller: 1. Download the program WinAVR. Download flash1152.bat and panelcontroller.hex to your Desktop 1. Ensure that the COM port listed in the flash1152.bat file matches the controller box port listed in Device Manager, under Ports as “USB Serial Port (COMX)”. If it is not listed, you may need to download the FTDI driver. 1. Open a terminal and navigate to the Desktop directory 1. In quick succession, turn the controller off, then back on, and run flash1152.bat. If this fails, you may need to change the time between switching the controller on and running the file.
    1. cd C:\User\name\Desktop
    2. flash1152
  6. Power the arena and connect to the controller via the I2C port.
  7. Configure an SD card by adding the arena configuration. The controller must be notified about the arrangement of individually addressed panels on which BUS. To do this, you will need to create a new arena config.mat file and load this file onto an SD card. Start the controller to notify it of this change.
  8. Download the Wilson Lab panels repo
  9. The default.mat starter file should contain a variable named 16x16 array called cfgData. The left columns in every other row (1, 3, etc) refer to possible panel addresses (1-128). The right columns in every other row (2, 4, etc) designate which BUS said panel should be used on (1-4). If necessary, update the variables to reflect your current setup and save. 1. Note: the boards use 0-indexing while matlab uses 1-indexing
  10. Plug the SD card into a USB SD card reader and load this arena config file onto it in PControl.m
  11. Go to configuration > load config to SD.
  12. Open your new configuration.
  13. Load your configuration onto the SD card.
  14. Safely remove the SD card, insert it into the controller, and turn it on.
  15. For the controller to actually listen to this new arena config file, open PControl.m
  16. Go to configuration > set arena config.
  17. Choose your new configuration from the drop-down menu.
  18. Load your configuration onto the controller. 1. Note: For old patterns to play correctly, you will also need to update your patterns file to know about the new position of each LED panel.
  19. To set the panel address for each individual LED panel/microchip combo, plug each in one at a time and execute the following:
  20. Plug the unaddressed panel/microchip into the PCB slot
  21. The default panel address should light up and read 83 1. Note: The LED panels should light up with its address regardless of whether the controller is on. If it does not, this may indicate an issue with either your power source or the soldered components for said slot. Try a different slot and re-solder if necessary.
  22. Change the panel address by setting the current and new address value in matlab using Panel_com.m, it should change relatively quickly
  23. Panel_com(‘address’, [current## target##]) 1. Note: If you cannot get a panel to display a new address, it may be an issue with the microchip. Place the old microchip in the “to be programmed” bin and get a new one. 1. Note: It is good practice to immediately wrap the back of the microchip with electrical tape to improve electrical isolation AND label each panel/microchip combo
  24. To set the top row addresses, plug an unaddressed panel/microchip on top of its corresponding, already programmed first row panel/microchip.
  25. Once all top and bottom row panels have been addressed, plug everything in in order.
  26. Note: If you find it difficult or even finicky to get panels at a specific PCB slot to turn on, re-solder the base now and save yourself a headache later. The panels should be relatively stable if components are soldered well.
  27. Cut out squares of white light diffuser film and adhere directly to each individual panel. The film should cover the entire LED array without any bubbles in order to avoid bright spots/aberrations.
  28. Cut 3-4 strips of blue or green gel filters
  29. For electrophysiology, you will need to build a copper wire cage for the panels in order to reduce electrical noise