Clampex 10 Feature List

General Features

• Data acquisition, display and recording to disk. Up to 16 signals may be recorded.
• Messaging for Automated Analysis - Clampex can send a message to Clampfit indicating that a new data file has just been written. Clampfit can be configured for automated analysis of files as they become available, such as the automatic generation of IV plots.
• View up to 16 signals per Scope Window. Hide/Unhide signals from display.
• Open up to four Scope Windows, for alternate views of the data during acquisition.
• Autozero of the display for pseudo-AC coupling of the signal.
• Open 16 Analysis Windows simultaneously.
• Cursors:
  • Cursor pairs can be "locked" together in Scope and Analysis Windows.
  • Cursor pair difference measurements in text box.
  • Interactive Scope cursors during recording.
  • Ability to move to absolute or relative positions.
• User-configurable toolbars with pre-defined toolbuttons for all menu items.
• Session activities and analysis results can be automatically saved to a log file or printed.
• Extensive on-line help.
• LTP Assistant to aid in the creation of LTP/LTD protocols.
• Context-sensitive right mouse button menus.
• Fully configurable Scope and Analysis Window parameters: fonts, colors, X and Y axis ticks, titles.
• Click-and-drag zoom in all windows.
• Data recorded as Axon binary (supported by a number of third party programs); optionally export to ASCII text files for use with any program.
• Junction Potential Calculator.

Data Acquisition and Control

Functions Common to All Modes

• User-defined Signals for each input and output channel. A Signal defines instrument gain scaling, unit of measurement, software RC filters, Digitizer Gain and CyberAmp configuration.
• Digital RC high-pass and low-pass software filters on each input channel, individually controlled.
• Voice Tags, Time Tags and Comment Tags recorded with data.
• Manual or protocol controls of holding levels on two DAC outputs and 8 Digital Outputs.
• Math signal on two selected input signals; both general purpose algebraic formula and Ratio dyes formula.
• Acquisition protocols can be saved to protocol files.
• New!  Protocol parameters defined in time units.
• Sequencing and linking of Protocols, Seal Test, Membrane Test, and Analog and Digital holding levels. Sequencing keys can be manually interrupted during recordings.
• Invocation of protocols by sequencing keystrokes and tool buttons, with user configured tool tips.
• Saving and retrieval of sets of protocol sequences.
• Signal persistence.
• New!  Membrane Test with three distinct stages in a resizable window.
• Membrane Test.
• CyberAmp Control.

Episodic Stimulation

• Sweep length up to one million samples per channel.
• Perform multiple "runs" to average complete sweep protocols.
• Auto and threshold triggering with hysteresis.
• Independent stimulus waveforms. Allows alternating stimulation between two output channels.
• New!  Membrane measurements during episodic sweep recording.
• New!  Two sampling rates can alternate during episodic sweep recording.
• Train generation during episodic sweep recording:
  • Square wave pulse and digital trains.
  • Biphasic square wave pulse trains.
  • Cosine wave trains.
  • Triangle wave trains.
• Stimulus waveform output features include:
  • 10 time regions defining amplitudes and durations.
  • Create waveforms from Clampex data files or any text data files.
  • New!  Digital output patterns for eight bits during sweeps.
  • Stimulus Waveform Preview Window.
  • Create Trains within the waveform protocol.
  • Conditioning Trains preceding the stimulus waveform.
  • P/N Leak Subtraction, executed before or after the stimulus waveform or arbitrary waveform.
  • New!  Leak subtraction raw data saved with the corrected data.
  • User List containing arbitrary values for one stimulus parameter. Now with repeatable patterns, for unlimited regeneration of patterns.
  • Persistent data display of a single trace for real-time data comparison.
• Real-time display and recording of up to 18 Shape Statistics in each of 8 independent user-defined regions of each sweep. Statistics can be measured on multiple channels, and regions can overlap.
  • Peak
  • Time of peak
  • Anti-peak
  • Time of anti-peak
  • Mean
  • Standard deviation
  • Area
  • Half width
  • Maximum rise slope
  • Time of maximum rise slope
  • Maximum decay slope
  • Time of maximum decay slope
  • Slope
  • Baseline
  • Rise slope } adjustable range
  • Rise time }
  • Decay slope } adjustable range
  • Decay time }

High-Speed Oscilloscope

• Sweep length up to one million samples per channel.
• Averaging of sweeps; average stored with raw data.
• Auto and threshold triggering with hysteresis.
• Persistent data display of a single trace for real-time data comparison.
• Display and recording of up to 18 Shape Statistics on 8 user-defined segments of each sweep.

Gap-Free

• Continuous recording mode records data continuously to disk, with no gaps, up to the limit of free disk space, with simultaneous display.
• Recording and real-time display of threshold-based statistics:
  • Percentage above threshold
  • Event frequency
  • Mean open time
  • Mean closed time
  • Event counter

Fixed-Length Event Driven

• In Fixed-length Event-Driven mode, the segment is a fixed, user-specified length (up to one million samples) and includes a user-specified pre-trigger region. The threshold for the trigger is set by the user. If an event is detected while processing a preceding event, both events will be recorded without loss of data, guaranteeing no missed events.
• Recording and real-time display of threshold-based statistics.

Variable-Length Event Driven

• In Variable-Length Event-Driven mode, after a threshold is crossed, a variable-length segment is recorded until the event returns below the threshold. The user also specifies how much data to record before the event passes the threshold and after the signal returns below the threshold.
• Recording and real-time display of threshold-based statistics.

Data File Index (DFI)

• The DFI is a database for organizing data files and sorting them by categories: File name, Acquisition mode, Date, Time of day, Sampling rates, Experiment Type, ID numbers, use of Leak Subtraction, User list, Conditioning train, External tags, Statistical Analyses or Math signal, Number of sweeps, Holding potentials, File Comments, Input and Output signal names, and the path to the data file.
• The DFI can be sorted on any category and files searched for with any text value in any category.
• Files are added to the DFI by data file search criteria, including folder name, dates of acquisition, acquisition modes, and data file comment.

Logging

• Lab Book Window automatically logs events.
• Comments can be added to the log. Full text editing and searches.
• Graphics (such as screen shots) can be pasted into the log.

Analysis Window

• Open large data sets (2 gigasamples).
• Work on selected sweeps or whole data files.
• Next/Previous feature for rapid review of sequentially acquired data files.
• Up to 8 cursor pairs per Analysis Window, with mouse control and keyboard shortcuts for moving cursors.
• Displays statistics of selected data between cursor pairs 1 and 2 in a spreadsheet format.

Results Window

• Summary statistics by sweep for data between cursor pairs 1 and 2 in the Analysis Window: Y min amplitude, Y max amplitude, Y delta amplitude, time of Y min, time of Y max, X delta, Average Slope, Mean, Standard Deviation. In addition, the File Name, the Signal, Sweep number, and data values and time for the position of each of the 4 cursors is given.
• Gives minimum and maximum Y values and their times, the mean, standard deviation, average slope and many other useful quantities.
• Copy and paste into an analysis program.
• Export as a text file.

Data Transfer

• Data in all types of windows can be saved in the Axon ABF binary or ATF text file format.
• Real-time analyses from Shape Statistics, the Threshold-Based Statistics, and the Membrane Test functions automatically saved in Axon ATF text file format, organized by columns for easy importing into third party analysis programs.
• Saved real-time analyses can be opened in an Analysis Window for review.
• Segments of data defined by cursors can be saved.
• New!  ABF 2.0 binary file format.
• Exports ABF 1.8 files, as several third-party analysis programs accept Axon Instruments ABF 1.8 binary data files directly, so no data conversion is necessary.
• You can copy screen images to the Windows Clipboard either as bitmaps or in metafile format. Vector-based, the metafile format is excellent for transferring screen images to a word-processing or drawing program, allowing you to resize the image or edit data objects in the image.

Plotting and Printing

Versatile Page Setup, with control of range of data to be printed and which components of the window are printed, including cursors and their values. Control of Headers and Footers with control of the insertion of data file information, such as comments, time and date stamps.

• Preview plots on screen while building a multi-plot page.
• Up to 50 printed windows per page.
• Control over X Axis and Y Axis appearance.
• High-resolution plotting to all Windows-compatible printers.
• Printing of Analysis, Scope, Results or LabBook Windows.

Multi-Tasking

• Concurrent use with other Windows applications.
• Concurrent use with AxoScope.
• Signalling to Clampfit for instant analysis of the last recorded data file.
• New!  Software signaling with MetaFluor 7.