The ECM (Experiment Control Module) is a programmable device that is designed for controlling in real time various instruments in an experimental setup. While it is possible today to get performant data acquisition, visual/electrical stimulation and other equipment that compose an experimental setup, integrating these independent pieces of equipment in a single experimental setup and synchorizing them with sub-millisecond accuracy remains a daunting task. Even if two acquisition devices/instruments are controlled by two different applications running on the same computer, having their software operate in a synchronized manner can prove difficult. Most of the operating systems under which various control/data acquisition software applications run are not designed or capable of real-time operation. ECM is designed to overcome most of these difficulties by providing hardware mechanisms for synchronizing various instruments in an experimental setup. Its functionality is similar to a high-speed Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), widely used in industry for process automation, but has been designed specifically for neuroscience resarch and clinical applications. ECM is not just a time sequencer that outputs logical signals at predefined time intervals. It is much more than that. It monitors continuous behavioral variables, the state of instruments in a setup, then changes its state according to the programmed algorithm. It actually implements a finite-state machine that can be intuitively programmed.

ECM also performs specialized digital data acquisition, processing and monitoring of behavioral variables (for instance eye/arm position). The behavioral variables are capable of triggering in real time events that would change the state of the system. In simple psychophysics/behavioral experiments, just using the advanced behavioral variables data acquisiton and a few of ECM's event inputs for monitoring subject's responses would make an almost complete setup, rigurously synchronized with stimulus presentation. ECM, together with the APM spike recording system and a variety of visual/auditory/electrical stimulus generators, can also form an integrated electrophysiology experimental setup.

The APM is built using a 32-bit floating-point Digital Signal Processor to achieve maximum performance and accuracy in real-time control and data processing. Find more about it by browsing the online manual.