Amti Gen5 User manual

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Quick Start Guide (Gen5 users)
Note: These instructions do not cover the physical mounting of the force plate to the floor. For more
information on this consult pages 10 to 22 of the force plate manual.
Step 1: Locate the AMTI USB drive. It contains manuals and software for your force transducer.
Step 2: Locate all the necessary cables for your system and connect them as shown on page 2
of this guide
Step 3: Install the Gen5 drivers found in the folder ‘Optima-Gen5 Drivers’ using the
instructions on page 3 of this guide.
Step 4: Install Netforce by double clicking setup.exe in the NetForce folder (see page 4). This is
required even if you plan to use a third-party system for data collection.
Step 5: Open Netforce and run through the setup helper - instructions on Page 4 of this guide.
Step 6: Configure the system with settings relevant to your research. For common settings see
page 4 of this guide. More detailed information on the process can be found in the
technical note Gen 5 Setup and Optimization found on your USB drive
Step 7: View the real-time stream in NetForce to ensure you are properly connected.
Instructions can be found on page 6 of this document. If you are unable to connect
consult the product manuals.
Congratulations your Force Plate is now installed!
You can now collect data through NetForce
Digital integration is also possible with a number of third party applications
including 3D motion capture systems
For more detailed information consult our full-length manuals.

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1. USB Flash Drive
This drive contains all necessary manuals, along with required software (Netforce, drivers, and other
purchased software). Also contained is a backup of the force plate’s calibration information which will
automatically load from the force plate during the installation process.
2. Force plate setup
Required Components:
Force Plate (or transducer)
Force transducer to amplifier cable (9615 cable)
Amplifier (Gen 5) Power supply
USB cable
Connections:
a. Connect the 9615 cable from the force transducer to the amplifier.
b. With the power switch set to off, plug the power supply into the amplifier, then into a socket
c. Plug the USB cable from the amplifier to the computer (if you have more than one amplifier plug
them all into a powered USB hub, then into your computer).
USB cable
Force transducer cable
(9615 cable)
Power Supply
(with adaptor)
Force transducer cable
(9615 cable)

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3. Driver Installation
These are brief instructions for driver installation on a Windows 7 computer. For more detailed
instructions see page 17 of the Gen 5 user manual.
a. Make sure the amplifier and force transducer are connected and the amplifier is powered on.
b. In the control panel search for the the ‘Device Manager’ and click on it.
c. Locate the Gen 5 device. It will likely be listed under ‘Other devices’ and have a yellow warning
on its logo.
d. Right click the GEN 5 device and select ‘Update Driver Software …’
e. Select ‘Browse my computer for driver software’.
f. Click ‘Browse’ and navigate to the folder containing the driver files. Make sure to select the
appropriate 32-bit or 64-bit version for your operating system and then click ‘OK’.
i. To determine which operating system you have click ‘Computer’ under the Windows
‘Start’ menu, then right click and select ‘Properties’.
g. Click ‘OK’ and then click ‘Next’
h. The drivers should install.
i. If you have trouble please consult the Gen 5 manual or windows support.
For more detailed instructions on the driver installation see page 17 of the Gen 5 User Manual.

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4. NetForce Installation
Even if you plan to integrate your force transducer with a third party system such as a motion capture
system you must install NetForce. NetForce will allow you to perform the initial configuration of your
Gen 5 amplifier so that you have the correct settings when integrating with other systems.
Double click the Setup.exe to install the software. Click through the installation wizard. If you receive a
warning regarding a newer version of C++ simply close this window and continue on to opening
NetForce.
5. NetForce Setup
a. The first time you open NetForce it will automatically take you through an initial setup. If this
does not open automatically access it by clicking ‘Setup’, then ‘Setup Helper’,and ‘Yes’.
b. The first window will ask if you wish to continue with the setup, click ‘Yes’
c. Next select the configuration that matches your hardware, in this case highlight ‘Optima \ Gen 5
(using USB 2.0)’ and click ‘OK‘
d. The ‘AMTI System Configuration’window will pop up. It should auto-populate the list of
‘Installed Amplifier’ and ‘Associated Platform’ with your amplifier model and serial number as
well as the force plate’s serial number (see figure below).
In the future you can access this window by clicking ‘Setup’, then ‘Hardware
Installation’, then ‘Modify’

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e. If the lists do not automatically populate check your connections and that the amplifier has
power and click ‘Find Amplifiers’. If you are still having trouble consult the Gen 5 manual.
f. Under ‘Global Settings’, and ‘Digital Outputs’, select English or metric units.
g. Under ‘Global Settings’, and ‘Analog Outputs’ select either MSA 6 Compatible or Fully
Conditioned.
If you are using the Gen 5’s digital output only (for example if you are collecting through
NetForce, or integrating digitally with a third party system) this setting doesn’t matter.
Leave it as ‘MSA 6 Compatible’
If you plan to use the analog output from the Gen 5, choose ‘Fully Conditioned’
If you are unsure leave it as ‘MSA 6 Compatible’. You can always change this setting
later. Consult the Technical note Gen 5 Setup and Optimization for more details on
what these modes represent.
h. Click on ‘Apply’ and ‘Save’
i. Click ‘Done’
j. In the next window select the location where data collected through NetForce should be saved.
Navigate to an appropriate folder or select the folder ‘Data’ under ‘AMTINetForce’ and click
‘Open’, then ‘Open’.
k. Click ‘OK’ for the location of the default directory.
l. Click ‘OK’ to complete the setup and close the program.
You can find more detailed information about setting up and running NetForce in the NetForce User
Manual.
6. Gen 5 Amplifier Configuration
In order to properly configure your force plate you must select Excitation Voltages and Amplifier Gains
that are relevant to the measurements you intend to make. You can choose different values for each
channel. If you plate to use the analog output you will also need to set the Analog Sensitivities. For
information on how to do this consult the Technical note Gen 5 Setup and Optimization
Excitation Voltage:
To achieve the best signal to noise ratio you want the Gen 5 to output the largest possible excitation
voltage. This will normally be 10 volts.
Amplifier Gain:
To achieve the best system resolution, apply the largest gain setting available where the Gen 5
measurement range is greater than the expected application range.
Typical Settings:
NOTE: The settings in the table below are simply guidelines and may not be suitable for your particular
study set. These can be used as a starting point but you should verify their appropriateness under your
conditions and ensure that none of the channels are saturating.

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Activity
Platform Vertical
Capacity (lbs)
Excitation Setting Gain Setting
Adults walking
1000
10 V
1000
2000
10 V
2000
Children walking
1000
10 V
2000
2000
10 V
4000
Running
1000
10 V
500
2000
10 V
1000
How to Set the Gain and Excitation:
a. In NetForce under the ‘Setup’ menu select ‘Hardware Installation’,then click ‘Modify’. If there
are no force plates listed under ‘Current Installation’ return to Step 5)
b. For the force plate and amplifier of interest click on the button listed under ‘Configure’ in the
list of ‘Installed Amplifiers’
c. In the ‘Amplifier Configuration SN: XXXX’ window set the ‘Excitation’ and ‘Gain’ to appropriate
values for each channel (use the table above and the instruction at the beginning of this section
as a guide).
d. Click ‘Apply’, then ‘OK’
e. Click ‘Save’ in the next window.
7. View the Real-time Data Stream
a. Open NetForce (your force plate should already be installed from Step 5)
b. At the bottom left of each graph set the ‘Amp ID’ to the force plate number for which you wish
to view the data (This should be 1 or greater; no data will appear if it is set to 0).
c. Under the ‘Startup’ menu select ‘Hardware Zero’. The Auto Zero light on the amplifier should
flash.
d. Under the ‘Settings’ menu select ‘Acquisition Settings’ and ensure that the ‘Mode’ at the
bottom right of the window is set to ‘Recurring’
e. At the bottom right of the graph window the ‘Units’ or ‘Setup’ button will allow you to set the
units, line color and scaling on the graph.
f. You can adjust which channels are displayed by toggling the channel buttons to the left of the
graph window on or off.
g. Click the ‘Center’ then ‘Space’ button in the bottom right of each graph window to ensure all
displayed channels are visible in the window.
h. The position of the curve can be changed by dragging the triangle that is to the left of the y-axis.
i. Click ‘Start’ at the bottom right of the graph window and you should see the data begin to
stream.
j. For more details on the features available through NetForce refer to the NetForce User Manual.