How-To: How to configure a Display PC

[Sam]

The typical EyeLink system setup uses two computers. The core EyeLink system includes the computer that connects to the EyeLink camera - we call this the Host PC. The setup also requires a computer used for stimulus presentation to the participant - we call this the Display PC. Almost any modern computer can serve as a Display PC (Windows, Mac OS X, or Linux). Experiment Builder and Data Viewer work on Mac and Windows operating systems.

• Display PC Requirements
  
  The requirements for the Display PC depend greatly on the type of experimental paradigms for which the eye tracker will be used. For example, gaze-contingent paradigms generally require more computing power than simple cognitive paradigms because the computer display needs to be updated as quickly as possible. Similarly, video and audio intensive experiments may need faster hard disks to support the transfer of large video file data to the computer in a timely manner. The following requirements are suggestions for a Display PC configuration that should be able to handle most experimental requirements.
  • Recent Intel CPUs with duo-core / multi-core processor
    
  • 250 GB or larger hard disk with 7,200 or higher rpm, or solid-state hard drive
    
  • 1.0 GB or more PCIx video card supporting vertical refresh rates of at least 100 Hz
    
  • At least 4 GB RAM
    
  • A DVD-ROM writer for software installation and data backup
    
  • 32-bit and 64-bit Windows (XP, Vista, 7 / 8 / 10) or Mac OS X. (Intel Macs only, 10.6.x, 10.7.3 and 10.7.4, 10.8.x - 10.11.x If using a MacBook Pro Retina, an external monitor should be used; please avoid Mac OS X High Sierra or later for now, as it is not compatible with Experiment Builder)
    
  • A dedicated ethernet port to connect Display PC to the Host PC
    
  • An ASIO compatible sound card (Windows PC only and if presenting / recording audio and require precise timing; For more information on ASIO sound cards compatibility / installation, see this post).
    
  • Optional ethernet card for use on local network or internet access
    
  • A keyboard and mouse
    
  • Free USB port (for Data Viewer / Experiment Builder USB license key, if using these software packages)
    
  • Parallel Port for sending / receiving synchronization pulses to / from EEG, MEG, MRI, or other third party devices (only an option to consider if syncing is required with these other devices)
    
  • A high refresh rate, low latency monitor (especially useful with gaze-contingent studies). The following thread lists the monitors we have tested and found to have good timing
    
• Software Installation
  
  The software that needs to be installed on the Display PC depends on which software / programming environment is used for stimulus presentation.
  • Experiment Builder: If using Experiment Builder for stimulus presentation, then the installers for Windows and Mac at the following link:
    • Experiment Builder Installers
    Hasp USB License Key Driver Installation: Any time an Experiment Builder experiment is created, edited, or deployed, a Hasp USB License Key is needed. To use the USB License Key, a Hasp driver must be first installed. Note, the USB License Key is not required to run deployed Experiment Builder experiment (i.e. not needed for data collection). 
    • Windows: After Experiment Builder has been installed, you can go to Start -> Programs -> SR Research -> Install Hasp Driver to install the Hasp driver
      
    • macOS: The Hasp runtime environment installer (the Hasp driver) is packaged with the Experiment Builder/Data Viewer DMG file. After launching the Experiment Builder DMG, please find the driver in HASP -> Sentinel Runtime.dmg. You can launch the Sentinel Runtime.dmg to install the Sentinel Runtime Environment and install the driver.
      
    For more information on programming with Experiment Builder, please see Getting Started with Experiment Builder.
    
  • Third party programming packages / languages: If a third party experimental programming packages (including Psychtoolbox in Matlab or Octave, E-Prime, NBS Presentation, PsychoPy, Inquisit, LabView, Monkey Logic, and Open Sesame) is used to program the experiment or if interfacing with the Host PC / eye tracker using a programming language (including C#, C, C++, Python, JAVA, Visual Basic, or the COM interface), then the EyeLink Developers Kit needs to be install on the Display PC. The EyeLink Developers Kit contains the Application Programming Interface (API) that allows these programming packages / languages to interface with the Host PC and the EyeLink eye tracer. You can get it at the following link:
    • EyeLink Developers Kit
    For more information on interfacing with the Host PC and the EyeLink eye tracker using specific third party programming packages, please see Getting Started with Experimental Programming.
    
  • Data Viewer: If the Display PC is also used for data analysis, then also install Data Viewer. You can get the installer from the following link:
    • Data Viewer Installer
    For more information on data analysis options, please see Getting Started with Data Viewer.
    
• IP Address Configuration
  
  The Display PC and the Host PC communicate via a direct ethernet connection between the two PCs. In order for Experiment Builder and other third party programming packages / languages to use this connection, a static IP address is used for the ethernet port that is connected to the Host PC. This static IP should be:
  • IP Address: 100.1.1.2
    
  • Subnet Mask: 255.255.255.0
    
  For more information on how to use a static IP Address, please see the following post about How to configuring your network settings.