Analog Output - ADInstruments PowerLab/4SP Owner's Manual

Pod connectors allow the connection of ADInstruments Pods —
small, low-cost units that provide alternatives to front-ends for
specific tasks, for use with precalibrated transducers and so on. (Pods
are supported by Scope v3.6.3 and later, Chart for Macintosh v3.6.3
and later, and Chart for Windows v3.4.7 and later.) The Pod
connectors on the PowerLab/4 do not handle transducers directly
SP
unless the transducers are so labelled (unsuitable transducers will
give a very weak signal). Transducers designed for direct connection
can be provided with power and control, since the Pod connectors
2
provide some functions of the I C output as well as alternative analog
inputs to the BNC connectors.
The PowerLab/8 has eight independent analog inputs (marked
SP
Input 1 to Input 8). All inputs are single-ended (with the signal
referenced to ground), and have only positive connectors.
The PowerLab/16 has 16 independent analog inputs (marked Input
SP
1 to Input 16). All inputs are single-ended (with the signal referenced
to ground), and have only positive connectors.

Analog Output

The PowerLab can generate a stimulus voltage through its analog
output sockets (marked Output 1 and Output 2), giving positive,
negative, differential, or independent stimuli, depending on the
sockets used and the software settings. By default, the outputs are
used for complementary (differential) stimulation, where Output 1 is
positive and Output 2 is negative. When Output 1 is used, a positive
stimulus voltage (set up in the software) gives a positive voltage
output, and a negative voltage a negative one. When Output 2 is
used, the voltage outputs are inverted. When both output sockets are
used, the stimulus is the difference between the voltages at the
positive and negative outputs: you could generate up to a 20-volt
pulse, given a ±10 V stimulus.
The outputs can be used for independent stimulation in Scope and
the Macintosh version of Chart, but not in the current version of
Chart for Windows (v3.4). The details are discussed in the software
user's guides.
8 PowerLab Owner's Guide