UGO BASILE 47650 User manual
UGO BASILE S.R.L.
instruction manual
Rotarod Mouse
Cat. No. 47650
E C T Unit
Cat. No. 57800
UGO BASILE S.R.L.
Via Di Vittorio, 2
21036 GEMONIO, VA, ITALY
Phone: +39 0332 744574
instruction manual
Rotarod mouse
Cat. No. 47650
Serial No.
SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
ALTHOUGH THIS INSTRUMENT HAS BEEN DESIGNED WITH INTERNATIONAL
SAFETY STANDARD, THIS MANUAL CONTAINS INFORMATION, CAUTIONS AND
WARNINGS WHICH MUST BE FOLLOWED TO ENSURE SAFE OPERATION AND TO
RETAIN THE INSTRUMENT IN SAFE CONDITIONS.
SERVICE AND ADJUSTMENTS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY QUALIFIED
PERSONNEL, AUTHORIZED BY UGO BASILE ORGANIZATION.
ANY ADJUSTMENT, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIR OF THE OPENED INSTRUMENT
UNDER VOLTAGE SHOULD BE AVOIDED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE AND, WHEN
INEVITABLE, SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY A SKILLED PERSON WHO IS AWARE OF
THE HAZARD INVOLVED.
CAPACITORS INSIDE THE INSTRUMENT MAY STILL BE CHARGED EVEN IF THE
INSTRUMENT HAS BEEN DISCONNECTED FROM ITS SOURCE OF SUPPLY.
Instruction Manual dated March 2021
Revision 2.2
CHECK-LIST
47650 Mouse Rota-Rod
CLIENTE / CUSTOMER______________________________________________
Ordine No. / Order No. ____________________ Data / Date____/_____/______
UB code
CAT.No.
Q.ty
DESCRIPTION
DESCRIZIONE
E-WP 008
MAINS CABLE
EUROPE
CAVO RETE
EUROPA
E-WP 008-1
U.S.A.
U.S.A.
47650-320
5
TRIP BOX
VASCHETTA
E-FT 013
2
FUSE (T2A)
FUSIBILE (T2A)
E-AU 041 USB
pen-drive
47650-302
1
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
MANUALE DI ISTRUZIONE
X-PAD
SOFTWARE
SOFTWARE
DATE / /
Serial No.
IMBALLATO DA / PACKED BY
Set for
115V 50 Hz
230V 50 Hz
115V 60 Hz
230V 60 Hz
IMPORTANT/IMPORTANTE:
Check the shipment for completeness immediately after receipt: should you find any discrepancy, please fill in the following part and transmit it
to our fax no. +39 0332 745488
Al ricevimento della merce controllate che la spedizione sia completa: in caso di discrepanza, completate il formulario di seguito riportato ed
inviatelo al nostro fax no. 0332 745488
FROM: Name
Company/Institution
DATE
REF.
NOTE
MOD.04 REV 0
Page i
47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
C O N T E N T S
1GENERAL .............................................................................................................1
1.1 PRINCIPLE OF OPERATION........................................................................................ 1
2INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION.............................................................................1
2.1.1 NOTES ON RESISTIVE TOUCH-SCREENS 3
2.2 ROTA-ROD FEATURES .............................................................................................3
2.3 EXPERIMENTAL CONFIGURATION.............................................................................. 4
2.4 DATA COLLECTION AND MANAGEMENT ....................................................................4
3INSTALLATION ....................................................................................................4
3.1 UNPACKING &PRELIMINARY CHECK ........................................................................4
3.2 NOTES ON THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL......................................................................5
3.3 GENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS............................................................................. 5
3.4 ASSEMBLING THE INSTRUMENT ................................................................................5
3.5 BEFORE APPLYING POWER......................................................................................5
3.5.1 MAINS SWITCH 6
3.5.2 FUSE HOLDER 6
3.5.3 MAINS CORD 6
3.6 INTENDED USE.........................................................................................................6
3.7 ADDITIONAL SAFETY CONSIDERATION......................................................................6
3.8 CONNECTIONS .........................................................................................................7
3.8.1 USB HARD DISK 7
3.8.2 KEYBOARD 7
3.9 INSTALLATION OF X-PAD SOFTWARE.......................................................................7
4PRELIMINARY...................................................................................................... 7
4.1 PLACING THE MICE ON THE ROTOR...........................................................................7
4.2 ADJUSTING THE DETECTION SENSITIVITY..................................................................9
4.3 TRAINING................................................................................................................. 9
5OPERATION ......................................................................................................... 9
5.1 HOME PAGE ..........................................................................................................10
5.1.1 SYSTEM ICONS 10
5.1.2 HOME PAGE ICONS 10
5.2 EXPERIMENT.......................................................................................................... 11
5.3 SET-UP................................................................................................................. 12
5.3.1 CONSTANT SPEED 12
5.3.2 ACCELERATED/DECELERATED SPEED 12
5.3.3 REVERSE ROTATION 13
5.3.4 CUSTOM RAMP 13
5.3.5 ROCKING 14
5.4 START BUTTON...................................................................................................... 14
5.4.1 STARTING CONSTANT SPEED 14
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
5.4.2 STARTING A RAMP 15
5.4.3 STARTING A REVERSE ROTATION 16
5.5 RESULTS............................................................................................................... 18
5.6 USB STORAGE...................................................................................................... 18
5.6.1 SAVE DATA 19
5.6.2 LOAD PROTOCOL 19
5.7 UTILITIES............................................................................................................... 19
5.7.1 SOFTWARE UPDATE 20
5.7.2 SETTING DATE &TIME 21
5.7.3 DIAGNOSTICS 21
5.7.4 RESET HD 22
5.8 SIGNAL OUTPUT .................................................................................................... 22
5.8.1 PIN-OUT 22
6MAINTENANCE.................................................................................................. 23
6.1 ELECTRICAL .......................................................................................................... 23
6.2 CLEANING ............................................................................................................. 23
6.3 LONG INACTIVITY................................................................................................... 24
6.4 CUSTOMER SUPPORT ............................................................................................ 24
747650 SPECIFICATIONS................................................................................... 24
8ORDERING INFORMATION.............................................................................. 25
8.1 OPTIONAL ............................................................................................................. 25
9BIBLIOGRAPHY................................................................................................. 26
9.1 METHOD PAPERS................................................................................................... 26
9.2 PAPERS DEALING WITH UGO BASILE MOUSE ROTA-ROD....................................... 26
FIGURE INDEX
Figure 1 “Main Menu”..............................................................................................................2
Figure 2 “Trip-Box”..................................................................................................................3
Figure 3, "Power Module”........................................................................................................5
Figure 4, "Connection Module”................................................................................................8
Figure 5 “Placing the Mice on the Rotor”.................................................................................8
Figure 6 “Detection Sensitivity” ...............................................................................................9
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
Mouse Rota-Rod NG
Cat. 4 7 6 5 0
1 GENERAL
The “Rota-Rod” technique has been originated by a 1957 paper of N.W. Dunham and
T.S. Miya (see paragraph 9.1-Method Papers) and has proved to be of great value in
research involving screening of drugs which are potentially active on motor co-ordination.
Ugo Basile designed the first industrial Rota-Rod in the 1960s. The name we coined
soon became so popular, now everybody knows this instrument as RotaRod!
The Rota-Rod is the reference test to screen drugs potentially active, or having side
effects, on motor coordination.
The 47650 Rota-Rod NG (Next Generation), is an evolution of the original model and the
result of many years of research in cooperation with the latest development in behavioral
and pharmacological research.
1.1 Principle of Operation
When a mouse falls off its cylinder section onto the trip-box below, the plate boxes and
the corresponding magnetic switch is activated, thereby recording the animal endurance
time in seconds.
The display shows the actual angular speed (RPM). At the end of a run, the display
shows for each animal the running time, the rotation mode and the rotation speed at the
time the animal fell off, combined with information preset by the user.
The record related to each lane can be zeroed during the operation by resetting the
related trip plate. This allows the operator to place a fresh mouse on a particular rotor
lane while the mice on the other lanes are running.
2 INSTRUMENT DESCRIPTION
The 47650 combines the same functionality of the previous version, now considered the
standard, with additional new features: surprisingly silent operation, much easier
experimental organization and data management.
The Mouse Rota-Rod consists of five 3cm diam. cylinders, which are suitably machined
to provide grip. Six 25cm diam. dividers make for five lanes, each 5.7cm wide,
enabling five mice to be on the rotor simultaneously. The height to fall is 16cm.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
The rotor, whose angular speed can be preset by the operator, turns on ball bearings. It
is driven by a silent D.C. geared motor. Drive speed is unaffected by voltage variations,
friction, or wear. This ensures that all trials can be repeated in constant operating
conditions. The standard rod rotation is CCW.
The 47650 incorporates a 4”3
touch-screen, for basic setting
and monitoring, via an intuitive
panel.
The picture shows the Rota-Rod
main menu.
Figure 1 “Main Menu”
During the test, the touch-screen
indicates the actual speed (RPM)
and the status of the rotor
section.
The test results for each section,
can be browsed in a condensed
view.
The brand new X-PAD software, included as standard, provides a user-friendly interface
to set the experiment and a powerful tool to manage the results easily on one’s PC. Data
exchange from the instrument to the PC is done via the USB flash drive provided.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
See also paragraphs 2.3-Experimental Configuration and 2.4-Data Collection and
Management.
2.1.1 Notes on Resistive Touch-Screens
If you have in mind the sensitivity to touch of your tablet or smart-phone, you might think
the Rota-Rod touch screen does not react promptly, and you have to press down harder.
This is because we employ a resistive touch-screen (while most smart phones use a
capacitive screen); the resistive screens are better of our application because of
▪High resistance to dust and water
▪Better use with gloved hand or stylus (because the conductive technology is
dependent on the conductive nature of human body, it doesn’t work if the
user is wearing gloves).
2.2 Rota-Rod Features
The main features of the new model are:
▪SPEED: adjustable in the range 3-80 RPM, in steps of 1 RPM
▪MODE: constant, ramp (accelerating), reverse, multi-step ramp (NEW!)
▪ROTATION: forward, reverse and rocking
▪DRIVE: totally silent motor. Zero noise!
▪CONTROLS: 4”3 touch-screen to set and monitor the test
▪SOFTWARE: X-PAD brand new, user-friendly version, to set the experiment
and manage the results
▪DETECTION:
while maintaining the reliable
magnet-contact detection system,
the new model introduces new trip-
boxes replacing the old trip-plates.
The boxes confine the animals
when they fall off the rod and are
made of stainless steel to
guarantee sturdiness and easy
cleaning (they can be autoclaved).
Figure 2 “Trip-Box”
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
2.3 Experimental Configuration
Via the new X-PAD software, the
operator can easily organize the
experiment on her/his PC, and
upload it to the Rota-Rod via the
USB flash drive provided.
Treatments, protocols, stages,
animals, and various test features
(speed, mode, revolution, etc.) can
be quickly defined and saved for
future use.
Configurations are easily:
▪exported to Text, Excel or Pdf reports
▪saved to cloud to DropBox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive
2.4 Data Collection and Management
A basic version of the collected data can be viewed on the touch-screen; when
transferred to PC via USB drive, test results appear in full version.
The software automatically classifies the data, combining configuration settings with test
results. The user can add information, before or after the test.
Results appear in a tree-like structure, where columns can be dragged and dropped to
customize the layout.
Data are quickly:
▪exported to Text, Excel or Pdf reports
▪saved to cloud to DropBox, OneDrive, GoogleDrive
3 INSTALLATION
3.1 Unpacking & Preliminary Check
Check the contents of the shipment for completeness, packing list to hand, and visually
inspect the instrument as soon you take it out of the packaging. Use the supplied Check
List.
If the instrument is damaged, inform the carrier immediately, notifying our company. If
after having tested it, the instrument fails to meet rated performances, please contact our
after sales service, see paragraph 6.4-Customer Support.
Page 5
47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
Protect the environment!
Dispose of packaging properly, according to existing and
applicable waste management rules and regulations.
3.2 Notes on the Instruction Manual
The 47650 Instruction Manual included in the package (on the USB pen drive) is
necessary for the correct installation and operation of the instrument.
We recommend reading the manual with attention, as it is essential for the correct
installation and operation of the instrument.
Please save the manual, ready to be consulted by the qualified personnel who use the
instrument. Print it, only if necessary.
Our Instruction Manuals are available as free download on our web. For any additional
information and/or assistance, you are welcome to contact our Service Department (see
paragraph 6.4-Customer Support), specifying the serial number of your instrument.
3.3 General Safety Instructions
The following guidelines must be followed to ensure safe operation.
DO NOT attempt to open or perform any service work
DO NOT connect up human subjects
3.4 Assembling the Instrument
The Rota-Rod is shipped assembled: position it on a stable and reasonably flat bench or
table surface.
Check that the five trip-boxes, under each cylinder section, are correctly positioned.
3.5 Before Applying Power
Consider the Power Module (see figure 3), positioned
left on the back panel, which encompasses –from
left to right - the mains switch, the inlet connection of
the mains cord, and the fuse holder/voltage selector.
Figure 3, "Power Module”
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
3.5.1 Mains Switch
This two-pole toggle switch, which complies with international safety standards, is lighted
when the instrument is ON.
3.5.2 Fuse Holder
The fuse holder comprises two fuses, one on the live, and the other on the neutral. Use
(T2A) timed fuses for operation at both 115 or 230 Volts.
For fuse replacement, please refer to paragraph 6.1-Electrical.
3.5.3 Mains Cord
It is a standard cable, Cat. # E-WP008. Make sure your power outtake is provided with a
reliable ground connection.
3.6 Intended Use
The Rota-Rod is intended for investigation use on laboratory animals only.
3.7 Additional Safety Consideration
1) Use original accessories and spare parts only, see also paragraph 8-
ORDERING INFORMATION.
2) immediately disconnect and replace damaged mains cord.
3) do not obstruct a comfortable access to the power module.
4) do not operate in hazardous environments or outside prescribed
environmental limitations (i.e. +10c° / +40c°, 95% max. relative humidity, non-
condensing), see also paragraph 7-47650 SPECIFICATIONS.
5) do not spray any liquid on the connectors and on the geared motor.
UGO BASILE DOES NOT ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROBLEMS OR
HARM CAUSED TO THINGS OR PERSONS, ARISING FROM:
▪incorrect electrical supply;
▪incorrect installation procedure;
▪incorrect or improper use or, in any case, not in accordance with the
purpose for which the instrument has been designed and the warnings
stated in the instruction manual supplied with the instrument;
▪replacement of original components, accessories or parts with others not
approved by the manufacturer;
▪servicing carried out by unauthorized personnel.
Page 7
47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
3.8 Connections
Connect the mains cord to a power outtake, provided with a reliable earth connection.
Now consider the connection module which is positioned on the front panel, for easy and
quick access. It encompasses the following connectors, from left to right:
▪The upper and lower USB ports enable data exchange by plugging in a SUB
pen drive to upload experiment data from the XPad software or to save and
transfer experiment data from the device as .csv file.
▪I/O this D-SUB 1 5 connector provides TTL outputs for latency and
temperature, see paragraph Error! Reference source not found.-Error!
Reference source not found.
▪COM this USB-B 2.0 allows communication to the PC (for Ugo Basile use,
programming and debug)
▪ETH the Ethernet connector will be used for remote diagnosis and Internet
access used for standard operation.
3.8.1 Hard Disk
The device hard disk is now embedded in the inside electronics and does not require
an external USB anymore (unlikely previous instrument versions)
3.9 Installation of X-PAD Software
The X-PAD software is saved on the USB Flash Drive provided with the instrument:
download it on the Hard Disk of your PC.
4 PRELIMINARY
4.1 Placing the Mice on the Rotor
We recommend that the rotor is set in motion before placing the mice in position; or
else, by the time the last mouse is in place, the first may well be facing the wrong
direction and is therefore likely to fall immediately when the drum starts rotating.
Start the rotor at the selected speed and then place the mice, one by one, in their
respective lanes, at the same time resetting the related counter to zero, by lifting the
corresponding trip plate.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
Flip them up by the tail,
right-side up but dorsal
side in first, and then
drop them between the
rotating discs onto the
rotor.
Figure 4 “Placing the Mice on the Rotor”
IMPORTANT:
The mice should not be lowered from above; if an attempt is made to place
the animal directly on the rotor, it will spread its legs and block entry
between the discs.
Experience and patience will teach the ideal technique: as in most behavioural devices,
the man/ animal interface is not less important than the animal/ machine one, and
requires some patience and gentle handling to be perfected.
Speaking about animal/machine interface, the surface finishing of the drums is a
sensitive point. The rotor drums are knurled to provide adequate grip. Soft substances
are not suitable, as the mice would cling to the drums without trying to keep pace with the
revolving rotor as the experiment dictates; knurled Perspex provides, according to our
experience, the ideal compromise, and remains spotless after years of use.
If you have the feeling that the rotor surface is too glossy and smooth, brush its knurled
surface with a metallic brush; this action will not make the surface texture coarser, but it
creates thousands of micro scratches which eventually improve the grip.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
4.2 Adjusting the Detection Sensitivity
A small stainless steel screw allows the gap
magnet/keeper to be adjusted thereby enabling the
plate release-sensitivity to be regulated.
For juvenile (lighter) animals, it might be necessary
to increase sensitivity a little.
Turn the screw CW to increase, CCW to decrease
sensitivity.
Figure 5 “Detection Sensitivity”
4.3 Training
It advisable to carry out an acclimation and training session, before starting the motor co-
ordination test.
With the rotor at low speed, say 4-5 R.P.M., each naïve mouse is placed upon its section
in order to familiarize it with the revolving rotor. After 2-3 training runs of 1-2 minutes at
intervals of 2-3 hours, the mice should be accustomed to the rota-rod, and ready for the
test proper.
5 OPERATION
Switch on the Rota-Rod: the
instrument performs a CPU check,
which might take up to 60 seconds,
during which the display will show:
After switching on the instrument, first of all, get familiar with its controls.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
5.1 Home Page
The test is managed by the 4”3
touch-screen.
This is how the Home Page
looks like.
From the Home Page, the
logo button on the tool-bar,
opens the “screen-saver”
window
This window displays current date and time, and
the version of the software on-board.
From any other menu, the logo button
always brings back to the Home page.
5.1.1 System Icons
NEW SOFTWARE DETECTED: if this icon is present, a new version of SW
has been detected on the USB Key.
ETHERNET DETECTED: an Ethernet connection has been detected
USB KEY DETECTED: if this icon is present, a USB has been detected on the
USB port.
5.1.2 Home Page Icons
In the EXPERIMENT page, it is possible to enter information about the test,
including treatment, protocol, stage, trial, see paragraph 5.2.
Speed and Mode are defined from the SET-UP page, see paragraph 0
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
goes to START Page, see paragraph 5.4
goes to RESULTS Page, see paragraph 5.5
goes to USB STORAGE Page, see paragraph 5.6
goes to UTILITIES Page, see paragraph 5.7
5.2 Experiment
In the EXPERIMENT page, it is possible to
enter information about the test.
First of all, select the lane number:
The selected lane appear in red color.
Depress the keybord icon to activate
the virtual keyboard
Enter a maximum of 12 characters in each field. TREATMENT, PROTOCOL, STAGE
and TRIAL are text boxes, where it possible to specify the related information.
All the information boxes are independent for each lane: select another lane and enter
the related data. Repeat the same process for each lane.
In the RESULT table the entered information will be matched with the test results. Of
course, the user may choose not to enter any information and leave the fields empty.
The Home Page icon brings back to the home page.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
NOTE:
Whenever data are entered on the virtual keyboard, it is possible to use an
external QWERTY keyboard instead, connected to the device’s upper USB
port, see also paragraph Error! Reference source not found..
5.3 Set-Up
In this page it is possible to set-up Speed and Mode.
The user may choose among the CONSTANT, RAMP, REVERSE RAMP, CUSTOM
RAMP, ROCKING modes, by depressing the related button at the page bottom.
Having selected the Speed and mode, press to go back to the Home page.
5.3.1 Constant Speed
With Constant Speed mode, the rod rotates CCW at a speed which remains constant,
for the duration of the test.
Depress the icon to activate the numeric keyboard, and enter a speed between 3
and 80 RPM. Confirm by “ OK ”.
5.3.2 Accelerated/Decelerated Speed
This mode allows testing the subjects with an increasing/decreasing speed. It is
necessary to set the initial and final speed, and the ramp (the time the rotor takes to go
from the initial to the final speed). Revolutions are CCW.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
Depress the icon to activate the numeric keyboard to enter:
▪Initial speed: between 3 and 80 RPM
▪final speed: between 3 and 80 RPM
•if the initial speed is lower than the final speed, the speed will be accelerating: on the
contrary a decelerated speed is obtained by setting an initial speed higher than the
final one)
▪ramp: from 1s to 999s (acceleration limits: maximum 2RPM/s)
5.3.3 Reverse Rotation
This mode allows testing the subjects with
reversing rotation, which means a 4-stage
cycle consisting of a CCW-rotation phase at
increasing speed, followed by a phase at
decreasing speed, a change of rotation,
hence a CW-rotation phase at increasing
speed, followed by a phase at decreasing
speed.
The scheme on the
right simplifies the re-
verse cycle.
Depress the icon to activate the numeric keyboard to enter:
▪initial speed: between 3 and 80 RPM
▪final speed: between 3 and 80 RPM
•if the initial speed is lower than the final speed, the speed will be accelerating: on the
contrary a decelerated speed is obtained by setting an initial speed higher than the
final one)
▪ramp: from 1s to 999s (acceleration limits: maximum 2RPM/s)
5.3.4 Custom Ramp
The custom ramp option is a unique feature of the Ugo Basile RotaRod, enabling the
creation of a custom defined speed curve, by putting together a sequence of speed
elements, each with different speed, mode, etc.
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47650 Instruction Manual (Rev. 2.1)
This feature is not controlled on the touch-screen, and is to be set on the PC. The related
button is not active.
The custom ramp can be saved and exported to the RotaRod via the USB flash drive.
This option becomes very useful when the protocol requires a period at no rotation
(pause), for example at the beginning of a test, or just before a speed increase of
decrease phase. It is sufficient to define a custom ramp element at 0 RPM.
5.3.5 Rocking
When this mode is selected, the rotor will
complete the number of preset revolutions
CCW, then reverse rotation and complete
the same number of revolutions CW, then
repeating the cycle until stopped. number.
In the example: the rotor will revolve
repeatedly 5 times forward, then 5 times
backward.
Depress the icon to activate the numeric keyboard to enter:
▪Speed: between 3 and 80 RPM (In the Rocking mode, the speed is constant!)
▪Revolution number
5.4 Start Button
5.4.1 Starting Constant Speed
During RUN state, each counter is started by lifting the related trip box (UP position).
When an animal falls off its rotor section, tilting the trip box to DOWN position, the related
counter stops and the display shows the lane as green; the data are saved and will
appear in the RESULT table.
In the constant speed mode, during
IDLE state, the motor and the counters
are disabled.
Pressing the RUN button, starts the
motor and enables the counters.
The motor stops and the counters are
disabled by pressing the STOP button.
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