FAQ - DECRO hardware
#1 Sterilization - Is it possible to sterilize/decontaminate the DECRO solution? If so, what methods can be used?
Here are the ways to sterilise your equipment depending on its type :
- Jacket / consumables:
The user can follow a process based on the vaporization of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in a transfer chamber upon entering the protected area. This means that the jackets and electrodes must be removed from their packaging during the decontamination process.
They can also be decontaminated using a process based on ionizing radiation. In this case, the consumables can remain in their sealed packaging. Please note that any process based on other chemical compounds or high temperatures (such as autoclaving) must not be used. The jackets are considered consumables and should therefore be disposed of in the contaminated biological waste bin.
- Electronic equipment:
Electronic equipment can be sterilized in the same way as jackets using an H2O2 process before shipment or in decontamination chambers. The equipment can be cleaned with a surface cleaner such as decyldimethylammonium chloride (e.g., Anio Surfac'Safe). Please note that any process based on ionizing radiation, other chemical compounds or high temperatures (such as autoclaving) must not be used.
#2 Disk space - How much data can I store with my system's capacity? How can I check the remaining space?
To give you an idea of the storage capacity of the different systems available with the DECRO solution, here is a conversion of each system's capacity and the conversion into hours of data. This capacity may be subject to variations if additional analysis modules are used. Recording hours storage capability per hard drive size :
Hard Drive Size / Total Capacity (GB) – Recording Hours
START 2: 128 GB / 128 – 540 hrs
CLOUD DEFAULT: 300 GB / 300 – 1400 hrs
ADVANCED 4: 2 TB / 2048 – 10140 hrs
You can check this storage space on the systems, when you click on the clock available on the home page of each system software.
You can free up space by archiving, exporting, and deleting data using the following procedure. Studies can be compressed to reduce their size on the internal memory. They can then be exported, deleted and restored at a later date. The software allows a complete study database to be exported in .lasa format. This database contains all raw data, analysed data, configurations and audit trails, enabling the study to be backed up securely.
#3 Networking - How do you set up a networked system? What are the advantages?
Networking a system allows you to:
- View and interact with the interface from your office or another environment with a PC connected to the same internal network. This is a real advantage when reviewing and analysing data. It means you don't have to stay in the animal facility to carry out these steps.
- Allow multiple users to access a system at the same time
- Transfer data to a DECRO analysis server hosted in the CLOUD, or to a DECRO analysis server hosted on your premises in another room.
An Ethernet cable must be connected between the system (LAN2 ethernet port) and the existing network. The system can then be configured as part of a network by your IT department. for IT configuration, MAC address is indicated on the label of the system in the DHCP mode section. The IP address/URL of the acquisition system that allows you to connect to a system via a web browser must be managed by the IT department.
Connection to the user interface requires a single port (TPC/80, configurable on demand) to be open for TCP connection. Additionally, another port is required for getting updates directly from Etisense.
The default configuration for network port is listed in the table below:
In order
for the system to be able to send data to a DECRO analysis server (networked)
or CLOUD (internet), you need to check with your IT that the following ports
are open: Port 443 (HTTPS) and Port 22 (SSH - rsync)
The two system connection
configurations are detailed in the table below. It illustrates both the Standalone configuration and connection to an
Existing network that might be secured using Firewall (See Section 1.3 about
network port), Subnetworks based on your IT policies…
#4 Cloud management - I have a CLOUD, how can I see its validity period? What should I do when it expires?
The Cloud is a remotely hosted ANALYSIS SERVER. The Cloud interface offers all the features of the LASA software for comprehensive analysis of data acquired with a START, ADVANCED or NANO system.
If the Cloud is used with an acquisition system, you will find the various information under the DATA TRANSFER logo/button, which should be present on the home page of this acquisition system (the acquisition system header is green).
Once the two elements are linked, this page appears:
You will find the remaining CLOUD time before renewal in the top right corner “EXPIRES IN x MOUNTHS”, along with the available space in GB.
The
validity period will also be provided to you by email by our team at the time
of purchase. You may also contact your sales contact or the support department
to obtain this information and renew it as necessary.
#5 Cloud management - I have an analysis server locally or in the CLOUD, but I cannot connect to it even though it is online/properly connected. Why is this ?
If the acquisition system are correctly installed and networked or also deployed for the CLOUD format, a fault in the data transfer module may be due to two things :
A BROWER FAULT
If pairing
with the SRV fails, the ‘Retry’ button can be used to restart the
connection attempt.
If the
RETRY button doesn't disappear after several tries, it's
because your browser doesn't recognize the analysis server as a “reassuring
website” for browser certificate issues. In this case, first log in using a new
web tab and the server's connection URL/IP address to authorize the browser to
continue to the system, as per the procedure
below
Once the
certificate is valid, try the RETRY button again and the DATA TRANSFER page
should load on the acquisition unit.
INCORRECT SYSTEM CONFIGURATION
To enable
the acquisition unit and the CLOUD / analysis server to be networked and send
data to each other (LAN2), you must check with your IT department that the
following ports are open : Port 443 (HTTPS) and Port 22 (SSH -
rsync)
If the
system(s) are correctly configured, the status displayed will be as follows:
If the two
interfaces are unable to interact, the connection status will be offline and
will appear orange. (online or offline)
This status
may also appear if the URL of the analytics server has been changed in the
meantime. Feel free to unpair and then pair again to update the server
information and restore the connection.
#6 Battery - What is the battery life? How many times can the battery be recharged?
The batteries supplied guarantee 12 hours of continuous signal acquisition The batteries are rechargeable in 3 hours via USB cable without reconditioning. To know if the battery is charged and ready for use, its LED must be green when connected to a power supply.
According to the manufacturer, the batteries used can withstand a minimum of 300 charge cycles without loss of capacity.
#7 Battery - How to optimize battery life and/or or limit battery replacement during a study?
The battery life in continuous acquisition mode (non-Scheduler) is 12 hours. If you want to record for 24 to 48 hours, you can also replace one battery with another to extend your recording. Battery replacement does not require removing the jacket from the animal.
You can also save battery life using the scheduler mode. For example, it is possible to :
- take measurements over 23 hours of recording with a new battery by programming measurements of 30 minutes/1 hour (phenotyping or chronobiology study)
- record continuously for 8 hours, then take 10-minute measurements every hour for up to 24 hours after the start of recording (pharmacological compound study).
Example of continuous format over 8 hours, then 10 minutes of recording per hour. A battery change was carried out during DOSING.
It is advisable to test your recording program prior to the study to ensure that the batteries will allow for the entire recording period. Please note, however, that a battery in wait/standby mode consumes a small amount of battery power even when not acquiring data.
#8 Battery - If I only want cardiac monitoring, can I disable monitoring of other functions to extend battery life?
No, it is currently not possible to disable the recording of other signals even if the sensor is not connected.
However, you can disable the module during detection to save time when the system launches detection and analysis, and also to clean up your Excel spreadsheets by avoiding the introduction of columns of unrecorded physiological parameters.
To do this, during detection step, uncheck the box corresponding to the module you do not want to analyse.
To avoid
having to uncheck the boxes each time detection is performed, this
configuration can be saved by default using the pencil icon available in the
study menu.
When
launching the detection, do not hesitate to RESET CONFIG if the parameters
displayed are not the latest ones configured. This will update them.
#9 Emitter - How do I know that the emitter is switched on? And ready for use (charged)?
The emitter is turned on when it is connected to the battery after sliding the two elements together, hearing a “click” indicating that the battery is locked, and seeing the LED flash briefly blue and then red.
Batteries
are marked with a YELLOW label and the emitters with a WHITE label. Each
emitter is identifiable by its serial number.
If the
emitter does not blink, check your battery charge level. To know if the battery
is charged and ready for use, its LED must be green when connected to a power
supply.
When the
emitter is ready to record, you will see this when you want to pair it with an
acquisition slot via the software interface.
>Connect
the emitter associated with your animal to your previous acquisition session.
Click on CONNECT
>Click
on SEARCH, STOP SEARCH to refresh the emitters available in the room. The
numbers displayed are the SERIAL NUMBERS of each emitter.
To separate the two elements, simply press the battery clip and slide the emitter.
#10 Emitter - In what type of situation could an emitter disconnect ?
Disconnections can be caused by transient interference from other 2.4 GHz devices (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi access points) or other equipment (typically EMC from industrial machinery) operating in the immediate vicinity. The screen effect (an animal passing behind a material that blocks radio waves) can also cause signal blockage and disconnection. The emitter may also disconnect when the battery charge level is low.
In all cases, when disconnected, the system is configured to search for the emitter automatically and does not need to be reconnected manually.
If you notice too many disconnections, check the following points:
Hardware installation check
Check the location of the system in the room in relation to the animals and the positioning of the antennas. To optimize the Bluetooth signal, the system must be placed in the same room as the animals, with no walls or dividers between the two. In addition, the antennas must be correctly positioned and directed towards the emitters, and consequently towards the animals being acquired.
Acquisition slot reset
This connection instability may be due to incorrect/unintentional switching on or off. By performing a system RESET SLOT, you will need to re-establish the connections between the elements. Resetting a slot does not require stopping the current recording on the slot concerned or on other slots currently being acquired.
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