# Troubleshooting: Data acquisition

Video tracking

▪The Start trial button is grayed out

▪I track from the live camera image, and I get missing samples

▪I track from video, yet I get missing samples

▪Tracking from video is slow

▪During tracking there is a significant lag

▪The subject’s trail (or the area where it was first detected) is detected as the subject

▪The text on top of the video window during acquisition is too small

▪Tracking does not start when the animal is inside the shelter

▪I cannot make tracks of long duration

▪I selected the DDS option but my video plays at normal speed. Why?

▪I see spikes in the track

▪Error: The trial duration does not correspond with the system time (Id: 12015)

▪The subjects is detected in one arena, while in another arena I only see an orange blob

Manual scoring

▪I do not see a behavior category in the Manual Scoring screen

▪I want to remove the center point of the subject while observing

▪The body points of one or more subjects are not displayed in the Manual Scoring screen

Other issues/questions

▪I cannot start acquisition with a remote control

▪I cannot import external data, or I get an error message “a gap was detected in the raw data”

▪How can I randomize the start time of my trials?

▪The Acquisition screen is not available in a Quality Assurance (GLP) experiment

▪How do I start data acquisition on multiple PCs simultaneously?

The Start trial button is grayed out

This may happens also when trials are planned. Adding trials in the Trial List does not help.

1.Make sure that, in the trial list, all the necessary settings are selected (Arena, Trial Control, Detection).

2.Make sure that the video selected in the Trial List is the same as that selected in the Acquisition screen (you find its name next to the Video button).

3.If you defined behaviors in the Manual Scoring Settings, make sure that there is one selected as initially active.

I track from the live camera image, and I get missing samples

This could be due to a number of reasons.

▪Tracking is too processor-demanding.

▪Try reduce the sample rate, or use another detection method (e.g. Dynamic subtraction instead of Differencing).

▪Camera settings are not optimal.

▪Make sure that the Exposure of the camera does not reduce the frame rate of the camera. See Adjust the camera exposure time

▪Make sure in EthoVision XT that Video Pixel Smoothing is set to None. See Detection Settings > Video pixel smoothing.

▪In the Experiment Settings, click the camera button. Make sure that the color space is Y800 for monochrome cameras. See Adjust camera settings in EthoVision XT

▪Communication between camera and computer not optimal.

▪In some circumstances the Ethernet board is not set properly, or the data transfer rate is too low for the frame size. You may see this message in pylon Viewer:

Either reduce the video resolution and frame rate, or increase the packet size in pylon Viewer (in the Feature panel, locate Transport Layer). A packet size of 1500 should be fine. If this is not sufficient, increase the packet size to the maximum. If it does not help, there may be something wrong with the Ethernet board. See also Settings of the Ethernet board

▪Disable the firewall. See Disable the Windows firewall for the Ethernet board

▪Disable your anti-virus software: check the settings in your anti-virus software or ask your local IT person to disable it.

▪As a last resort, do a factory reset on the camera. See Do a factory reset on the Basler GigE camera

▪If none of the above solves the issue please Make a PC report for Support.

See also

▪Missed samples

I track from video, yet I get missing samples

This is probably caused by the option DDS (Detection Determines Speed) not being selected. When DDS is selected, EthoVision XT takes the time necessary to process the images, and samples are not missed. See DDS (Detection determines speed)

If you work with multiple subjects per arena, and you do not want to select DDS, for example because you score behaviors live and you do not want video to be played back too fast, then in the Detection Settings (Subject size section), move the Modeling effort slider towards Performance. This reduces the likelihood that samples are missed. See Advanced detection settings: Subject size (multiple animals per arena)

Also make sure that the camera Exposure time does not conflict with the camera frame rate. See I cannot select a high frame rate

Tracking from video is slow

Close other programs, including virus scanners. Check if the drivers of the video board (not the encoder board) are up to date.

During tracking there is a significant lag

At times the system freezes a bit, then catches up and resumes.

1.Restart the PC daily to refresh PC’s resources.

2.Assuming you are using a PC purchased from Noldus and the setup isn’t too demanding (e.g. multiple arenas, deep learning), then this is likely to be related to an incorrect exposure settings in pylon Viewer (see Adjust the camera exposure time).

3.Check that the video resolution is compatible with the frame rate; this may also need adjusting. See Adjust camera settings in EthoVision XT

4.Do also a check for missing samples. See Check that the camera is set up properly

5.If none of the above resolve your lag problem, then was your PC purchased from Noldus? If not, it may be insufficient to run EthoVision XT. If you would like Noldus Support to review your PC specifications, please Make a PC report for Support and submit a support case at my.noldus.com.

The subject’s trail (or the area where it was first detected) is detected as the subject

Make a reference image of the empty arena. Or if you use video, open the Advanced section in the Detection Settings pane and click Background next to Detection reference Image. Choose one of the options in the window that opens.

The text on top of the video window during acquisition is too small

The size of the text is proportional to the screen resolution. The higher the resolution, the smaller the text. To solve this, choose a lower screen resolution.

I cannot make tracks of long duration

Try the following:

▪Switch off the Windows power-save options.

▪Remove virus-scanners

▪Switch off the automatic Windows Update. If that cannot be done, disconnect the computer from the internet and restart it before acquiring data.

▪Make sure that you have enough disk space.

For information on the maximum trial duration tested with specific cameras, see Resolution, frame rate, and maximum trial duration.

To track or record video for time longer than that reported above, we recommend that you make a series of trials. See Split a multi-day test in multiple trials

I selected the DDS option but my video plays at normal speed. Why?

The cause could be related to the amount of data processing that EthoVision XT carries out. For example, the following options in the Detection Settings may be enabled: Track noise reduction and Dropped frames correction. To speed up data acquisition, make a copy of the Detection Settings, set the options above to Off and re-do the trial with those new settings. Or, accept the slow data acquisition if you need those settings to produce good data.

I see spikes in the track

This may occur in the Detection Settings, during data acquisition or in Track Visualization, or in the Integrated Visualization. In most cases you need to correct the arena settings and the detection settings.

Here a few examples:

1.EthoVision XT tracks light reflections as the subject. Remove sources of reflections by using diffuse, indirect light. Watch the video chapter Set Up the Test Environment in Help > Video Tutorial.

2.EthoVision XT detects some noise at the margin of the well. You can do two things:

▪In the Arena Settings, reduce the size of the arenas, so they do not include the margin of the wall where the animal will never be. This should solve most of the issues.

▪In the Detection Settings, increase the Minimum Subject Size so small groups of pixels will not be detected as the subject. If you work with DanioVision, move the Sensitivity slider to the right. See Advanced detection settings: Subject size (one subject per arena)

3.EthoVision XT finds the subject but it considers it as noise (here in orange), while other objects are detected as the subject. In this case it may suffice to increase the Maximum Subject Size in the Detection Settings. The Maximum value should always be higher than that under Current when the animal is detected correctly. See Advanced detection settings: Subject size (one subject per arena)

You can also remove spikes by editing the tracks (not in DanioVision though). See Edit the Tracks

Error: The trial duration does not correspond with the system time (Id: 12015)

This could occur if the video camera provides an unreliable (i.e., fluctuating) frame rate. This may cause a mismatch between the system time and the tracking time. This halts data acquisition.

Industrial cameras such as the Basler cameras have reliable frame rates, while IP cameras and web cams often do not. If the camera is faulty or the driver is not installed properly, unreliable frame rates could occur.

The subjects is detected in one arena, while in another arena I only see an orange blob

This may be caused by one of the following:

▪The second animal is of a color that does not match the current detection settings.

▪The reference image is not updated.

▪The subject in the second arena is larger than the one in the first arena, and its exceeds the Maximum subject size currently set in the Detection Settings. See Advanced detection settings: Subject size (one subject per arena)

▪The second arena is set to To Skip. Open the Trial List and set the Acquisition Status for that arena back to Planned.

I do not see a behavior category in the Manual Scoring screen

This happens when you open the Manual Scoring screen, then open the Manual Scoring Settings to define a new behavior there, and then return to the Manual Scoring screen.

Solution: Close and reopen the experiment.

I want to remove the center point of the subject while observing

In some cases the center point of a small animal makes it hardly visible.

Solution: To hide the center point, choose Track Visualization or Integrated Visualization or Track Editor, and de-select the body points on the right-hand pane. Next, close and re-open the experiment.

The body points of one or more subjects are not displayed in the Manual Scoring screen

This happens when one or more subjects have been de-selected in the Track Editor or in one of the Visualization screens.

Solution:

1.Open the Track Editor or the Integrated Visualization.

2.In the Track Plot Settings, under Subjects select the items you are interested in.

3.Return to the Manual Scoring screen.

I cannot start acquisition with a remote control

The remote control only works after opening the Acquisition screen and adding a new trial.

To activate the remote control, follow the instructions, see Use a remote control to start and stop acquisition.

Contact Noldus Information Technology to obtain a remote control.

important Before using the remote control, make sure that the Video window or the Playback Control window are on focus. To do so, click anywhere on the Video window or the Playback Control window. Then, operate the remote control.

How can I randomize the start time of my trials?

For example, start a one-minute trial every N minutes chosen randomly between 60 and 120.

1.Create a batch file that performs a key press Ctrl+F5, which triggers the start of the trial. In this example, a batch (*.bat) file calls a VBS script (*.vbs) in Windows:

wscript "C:\vbsprogram.vbs"

2.The VBS script contains the following code:

Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")

WshShell.AppActivate "EthoVision"

WScript.Sleep 1000

WshShell.SendKeys "^{F5}"

3.In Windows, open the Task Scheduler and create a new task.

▪In the Triggers tab, specify when a trial should start (e.g. with a random delay).

▪In the Actions tab, select the batch file (*.bat) that triggers the key press Ctrl+F5.

▪See also Start and stop the trial at specific clock times

notes

▪When the task is enabled, make sure that EthoVision XT Acquisition screen is open, and there are no other windows or applications open.

▪The end of each trial should be set in the Trial Control Settings.

▪In the Trial List, create a list of trials with the appropriate settings already assigned to each trial.

▪The WScript.Sleep 1000 (1 s delay) ensures that the key press is given when EthoVision XT is in focus.

The Acquisition screen is not available in a Quality Assurance (GLP) experiment

First, make sure that you have a valid EthoVision XT license that includes the Quality Assurance module. See Modules of EthoVision XT

This issue could occur if you use EthoVision XT 17 or earlier, and you try to open Acquisition with an EthoVision XT software license. In that case you need a license on a hardware key instead. See Types of EthoVision XT license Contact Noldus when needed.

How do I start data acquisition on multiple PCs simultaneously?

In the following example, we want to start data acquisition (that is, tracking) in three computers. For this you need three USB-IO boxes and EthoVision XT with the Trial and Hardware Control module in all PCs.

1.Connect the first PC (master) to the other two through the USB-IO boxes: TTL port 1 of the master PC to the TTL port 1 of the second PC, and TTL port 2 of the master PC to the TTL port 1 of the third PC.

2.For each PC, configure the hardware in the Experiment Settings.

3.On the master PC, open the Trial Control Settings and modify the Start-Stop Trial rule in such a way that a TTL “high” signal is sent after the start of tracking to both ports TTL 1 and TTL 2 simultaneously. Make sure that the Action boxes and the Operator are at the right of the Start track box.

4.For each of the other PCs, open the Trial Control Settings and modify the Start-Stop Trial rule in such a way that tracking starts as soon as TTL “high” signal is detected in TTL port 1. Make sure that you place the Condition box at the left of the Start track box.

5.To start acquisition in all the PCs, click the Start Trial button on the master PC.

As an alternative solution, you could devise a push button that sends TTL signals to each of the USB-IO boxes through UTP cables. Contact Noldus if you need this device.