Using different ports to send triggers

Anita

Dear all,

I have posted this message in the category Miscellanous yesterday, but as nobody has replied I though that maybe it was not the best place to post it. So, I'm trying here. Sorry for the inconveniences this can cause.

I have several doubts about sending triggers from OpenSesame experiments to EEG recording system. So, I'll try to be brief and hopefully anyone might be able to help me. I really would appreciate any support....

Using a parallel port: I have an experiment using the dlportio.dll through a Python inline script. Previously I was using a computer with Windows Xp, so I had downloaded the drivers for it, but now I'm gonna use Windows 10, and I don't know which drivers should I download, as just drivers up to Windows 7 are available in the website.

Using a USB serial port: on the other hand, we have another experiment running in a laptop without parallel port, so we bought a c-pod device from CEDRUS, in order to get the triggers. Our EEG software is BrainVision, so we got the c-pod for it. When we install the drivers I realize this device emulates a serial port. So, I don't know how to deal with this situation now, since I have all my Python code with the dlportio.dll. My specific questions are:

• should I change all my code to set a serial port? how should I do it? I checked this post.... should I try through that?
  http://forum.cogsci.nl/index.php?p=/discussion/734/solved-serial-port-trigger-for-eeg

• it is possible just to change the port address (e.g from 888 port, to COM4 port) and not to change the rest of the code?

• is there any specific code form CEDRUS to use with OpenSesame?

Summing up, I'm really lost here, specially because I'm not very skilled programming in Pyhton (not in other languages either ). I had a lot of help form a friend to got my experiments done one year ago, but he is not available now to help me with this, so I'm asking for help here, as I think it is the best place to do it

Thank you in advance, and congratulations for this amazing program.

Anita

Roelof

Hi Anita,
I personally don't know much about this topic but maybe @sebastiaan knows more?
Roelof

sebastiaan

Hi Anita,

If you can choose between a parallel and a serial port, choose the serial port—it's much more convenient, because you don't need to mess around with dlls.

In addition, it's important to realize that the serial port is just a type of connection. To communicate with a device through a serial port, you also need to know the protocol, i.e. what kind of information the device expects to receive (and sends) through the serial port. And that depends on the device, not on OpenSesame. Do you see what I mean?

So here's what I would do: Find an example script that shows how you can use your specific Cedrus box in Python. The Cedrus people should be able to help you with that; that's what you've paid them (a lot) for. To get you started, I suspect you're looking for the pyxid library:

• https://github.com/cedrus-opensource/pyxid

Next, you can take this information here, and we can help you to integrate this into OpenSesame, which won't be difficult.

Does that help at all?

Cheers!
Sebastiaan

Anita

Hi Sebastiaan,

many thanks for your answer, yes it is helpful!!

Actually, we posted a question about this topic in the CEDRUS forum around the same time as here... but they never replied, so we decided to return the c-pod, and try with a CardBus. Now, it is working just fine!!

The only remaining doubt it is about the use of the "dlportio.dll" in Windows 10, how can I install the drivers for it in Windows 10?

Cheers,

Anita

sebastiaan

The only remaining doubt it is about the use of the "dlportio.dll" in Windows 10, how can I install the drivers for it in Windows 10?

@_Bob do you know this?