Subject: Re: EEG trigger - technical question From: Bob Masta <audio@xxxxxxxx> Date: Fri, 20 May 2016 09:20:48 -0400 List-Archive:<http://lists.mcgill.ca/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=AUDITORY>Do you really need true TTL? Most inputs that state they are TTL compatible just need something in the 0-5V range. If that's true in your case, then probably all you really need is to get rid of the AC coupling capacitor on the output of the sound card. With some sound card chipsets that will give excellent "TTL" levels (0.1 to 4.0 V). See "Simple Sound Card DC Output Modification" at <http://www.daqarta.com/dw_ggll.htm>. Note that the 5.1 channel unit discussed there not only has good TTL levels, it also has multiple output channels. So you may be able to use it for your whole output solution, sound as well as trigger pulse. That's important because in general there is no easy way to synchronize separate sound cards to use the same clock signal. That particular unit is very cheap (under US$20), so you may want to get a couple to experiment with. There is no particular model number, and in fact the unit you get may not be identical. But as long as it uses the same chipset you should have no problems. Not also that to get the full signal swing your digital signal must go from *negative* full-scale to positive full- scale (-32768 to +32767), since negative full-scale will become (close to) 0 VDC. (Binary 0 becomes about 2V.) If you really need "ideal" TTL outputs, and you don't mind building circuits, look at "DC Pulse Output Circuits" at <http://www.daqarta.com/de_gg0o.htm>. But that wouldn't be my first choice. Best regards, Bob Masta ============================== On 19 May 2016 at 17:26, Bastian Epp wrote: > Hi everyone! > > I have a rather specific and technical question - before starting to > develop something from scratch: > > Is there a commercially available solution to translate a digital audio > signal (preferrably from an ADAT channel, otherwise SPDIF) into parallel > TTL (ie "printer port")? I am looking for something (let's call it "THE > BOX") that does not require too much overhead in terms of devices. > > Some background information: > We want to send our EEG trigger as a digital number on the sound card in > one channel, along with two channels containing the stimulus. So "THE > BOX" needs to decode the digital signal/number and encodes it onto 0/5V > on a d-sub connector - without jitter! > > We do have a box that does it with SPDIF, but I wonder if that is > possible with ADAT directly? Looking into audio forums, it seems doable, > I just couldn't find someone that actually did it. And as I said - > before digging into digital electronics...it looks like a fun project > though. > > Any pointers welcome and (of course) I would be willing to share a > concise summary if there is interest. > > Thanks in advance and a wonderful day to everyone from sunny Copenhagen! > > BAstian Bob Masta D A Q A R T A Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis www.daqarta.com Scope, Spectrum, Spectrogram, Signal Generator Science with your sound card!