title: Dual-monitor deterministic hardware for visual stimuli generation in neuroscience experiments.
abstract: This article describes the development of a dual-monitor visual stimulus generator that is used in neuroscience experiments with invertebrates such as flies. The experiment consists in the visualization of two fixed images that are displaced horizontally according to the stimulus data. The system was developed using off-the-shelf FPGA kits and it is capable of displaying 640x480 pixels with 256 intensity levels at 200 frames per second (FPS) on each monitor. A Raster plot of the experiment with the superimposed stimuli was generated as the result of this work. A novel architecture was developed, using the same DOT Clock for both monitors, and its implementation generates a perfect synchronism in both devices.
authors.affiliation: Wernher von Braun Center for Advanced Research, Campinas, SP, BRAZIL. yah@vonbraunlabs.com.br
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gazziro
authors.forename: Lirio
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055984:Cathode Ray Tube; D003196:Computer Graphics; D004175:Diptera; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D009488:Neurosciences / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*