Cambridge Cognition legacy hardware

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Computers supplied by Cambridge Cognition to run their DOS-based Monkey CANTAB product have the following characteristics:

 

one ICS input/output ISA card at 0x280 [to 0x283]. It should be configured for reversed inputs and reversed outputs; port A is for input; ports B and C are for output.
one display
one touchscreen
one audio card
no fake lines or failsafes
a device definition file as follows:

 

INSERT DEVICE DEFINITION FILE HERE AS SUPPLIED BY CAMCOG

 

There is a known problem with this hardware. When an ICS card is initialized, it turns all its outputs off. There is no way to avoid this; it's a feature of the 82C55 controller chip used. Since CamCog wire up their boxes with reversed outputs (i.e. when the card thinks something's off, it's actually on, and vice versa), initializing the card actually turns all the outputs on. WhiskerServer fixes this problem as quickly as it can, so that the outputs are on for no longer than a few microseconds, but devices that are sensitive to such short 'blips' may trigger. Some users have noticed this in that a pellet is delivered when WhiskerServer first starts. There are no problems subsequently, when WhiskerServer is running. The only way to fix this would be to rewire the boxes so that outputs are not "reversed".