Starting acquisition after launching LabHelper
When launched, LabHelper displays a splash-screen.   Click on it to move to the next step (or simply wait a few seconds).   The program runs a system speed test and then opens a window (below) that prompts to you select an A-D converter.   The 'test mode' option lets you run the program with a simulated A-D device.

Note the rightmost button, here 'DataTaker DT800', which shows either the default Sable UI-2, or the last A-D converter you used (see below).   If you click this button or the 'Test Mode' button, the program will skip the next section.

If you clicked the 'External A-D' button, another window opens with a choice of converter hardware.   Select the one you want to use with the popup menu:

The 'streaming serial' option is for reading serial (ASCII) output from an external device, instead of the analog voltages, resistances, etc. handled by A-D converters.   Once you have selected an A-D converter, the 'Save Selection' button is activated.   Clicking this will let you save your selection in the 'Labhelper prefs' file that is read at startup, and your selection will appear as the default A-D converter in the initial selection window (shown at the top of this page).

After A-D converter selection, the program needs to identify the serial port to which the A-D converter is attached (this is bypassed if you used 'test mode').   Port selection can usually be done automatically if you select the 'Automatically Select Serial Port at Startup' option in the A-D interface pane of the Preferences window (LabHelper menu), and then click the 'Save Settings...' button (this won't take effect until the next time you launch the program).
          If automatic port selection isn't activated, the program asks you to pick the correct serial port from a list of options.   Here, the user has selected the port on a Keyspan USB-to-serial adapter):

  •   After serial port selection, the window for selecting recording modes will appear in its place.  From here you can select the mode and number of channels you want, or choose a pre-recorded setup file.  If you click the setup file button, a standard file selection dialog appears, showing available setup files.  After selecting one of these, you are routed directly to the Display Setup window.

  •    If you selected Oscilloscope or Oscilloscope plus chart mode, after you exit the Display Setup window you will be presented with a standard Mac dialog requesting a file root name.  Saved oscilloscope screens will have a name consisting of the root (e.g., 'bird data') plus a suffix corresponding to the sequence number of the file (e.g., 'bird data 1', 'bird data 2', 'bird data 3', etc.).  You will be warned if the first file in the sequence already exists.

    After the file root is selected, the program presents a window for entering a comment string (which can have up to 32,000 characters) and data for gas exchange calculations (body mass, air flow rate, barometric pressure, etc.).  Edit these as necessary (they usually can be ignored for oscilloscope data), then click the 'Selection OK' button.

    • You can also access the file comments and data window from the Edit menu.

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