leomol / enrichment-chamber

Enrichment chamber

CAD files and assembly instructions for an enrichment chamber with optional RFID sensors.
All the floors, the ladders, and the mazes are removable.
Required CAD files for laser cutting are provided.
Optional code to create the CAD files programmatically (including option to adjust the kerf) is provided in main.m.
Mazes can be designed with simple text instructions (see 6 examples at the end of main.m).

See related resources:

• CAD library

Components

• 6mm clear acrylic sheets
• 3mm black acrylic sheets

Assembly instructions

• Laser cut the acrylic sheets using the provided CAD drawings. Remove protective film.
• Assemble all acrylic parts (except removable parts) using painter's tape and apply acrylic cement or 2-part epoxy.
• Remove painter's tape after drying.
• Heat the ladders at the folding lines of the drawing using a heat gun and bend to accomplish the shape shown in the pictures.

Recreating CAD files programmatically

Prerequisites

• MATLAB (last tested with R2023a)

Installation

• Install MATLAB
• Download and extract the CAD library to the Documents/MATLAB folder (see the library's installation instructions).
• Download and extract the project scripts to Documents/MATLAB folder.
• Edit sizes and maze designs and run main.m.

RFID add-on

Optional RFID sensors can be used to track a subject navigating throught the maze.

Components

• 1 x Arduino Mega 2560 Rev 3
• 4 x ID-12LA RFID sensors
• 2 x 220uF electrolylic capacitors
• 125Khz RFID tags
• Shielded cable with 3 conductors
• Fuse Tape

Software prerequisites

• Python (last tested with Python 3.9)
• PySerial

Instructions

• Repeat assembly instructions above for the microcontroller and RFID sensor enclosures.
• Wire each RFID sensor according to the manufacturer instructions for ASCII output (Pin 2 to VDC and Pin 7 to GND) and connect the data pin D0 from each sensor to RX1, RX2, RX3 and A8 pins of the Arduino Mega. Insert RFID enclosures, the microcontroller and wired sensors through the holes of maze z1.
• Using fuse tape, attach the sensors to the bottom of each casing, facing the maze path, making sure they all face the same side.
• Upload the Arduino code to the microcontroller using Arduino IDE
• Connect the usb cable to the computer and monitor the outputs using a serial monitor program.

Using Serial Capture

• Using python start the acquisition program with python SerialCapture.py
• Stop capturing by pressing ctrl+c
• Data is saved to the Documents folder as a csv file with the data and time encoded in the filename.

Changelog

See Changelog

License

© 2021 Leonardo Molina

License for the aparatus and CAD files

Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0 License

License for the source code

GNU GPLv3 License