Software / Documentation / Getting Started

Getting Started

Get up and running with the Logger in minutes. This guide covers installation, basic setup, and your first recording session.

System Requirements

The Logger runs on Windows, macOS, Linux, and Raspberry Pi.

Platform Requirements
Windows Windows 10 or later (64-bit)
macOS macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
Linux Ubuntu 20.04+ or equivalent (x86_64)
Raspberry Pi Pi 4/5 with Raspberry Pi OS Bookworm (ARM64)

Storage Recommendations

For video recording, we recommend using an SSD. On Raspberry Pi, use a USB 3.0 SSD rather than the microSD card to avoid frame drops during high-bitrate video capture.

Installation

No installation required! Download the appropriate package for your platform, extract (if needed), and run.

Windows

  1. Download RPi-Logger-Windows.zip
  2. Extract the zip file
  3. Run RPi Logger.exe

macOS

  1. Download RPi-Logger-macOS.zip
  2. Extract the zip file
  3. Run RPi Logger.app
  4. On first launch, you may need to authorize the app in System Preferences > Security & Privacy

Linux

  1. Download RPi-Logger-x86_64.AppImage or RPi-Logger-Linux-x86_64.tar.gz
  2. For AppImage:
    chmod +x RPi-Logger-x86_64.AppImage
    ./RPi-Logger-x86_64.AppImage
  3. For tar.gz: Extract and run ./rpi-logger

Raspberry Pi

  1. Download RPi-Logger-RaspberryPi-arm64.tar.gz
  2. Extract:
    tar -xzf RPi-Logger-RaspberryPi-arm64.tar.gz
  3. Run:
    ./rpi-logger

Running from Source

For development or to run from source, clone the GitHub repository and follow the instructions in the README.

First Launch

When you first launch the Logger, you'll see the main window with:

  • Menu Bar — Access to Modules, Session controls, and Settings
  • Devices Panel — Shows detected hardware devices
  • Log Panel — System messages and status updates
  • Status Bar — Connection status and session state

Enabling Modules

By default, no modules are enabled. To enable modules:

  1. Go to Modules menu
  2. Check the modules you want to use (e.g., Cameras, Audio, Detection Response Task)
  3. Connected devices will appear in the Devices panel

Connecting Devices

USB Devices

Most devices connect automatically when plugged in:

  • Detection Response Task — USB cable, appears as serial port
  • Visual Occlusion Goggles — USB cable, appears as serial port
  • Audio — USB microphones, auto-detected
  • Cameras — USB webcams, auto-detected

CSI Cameras (Raspberry Pi only)

Raspberry Pi camera modules connect via the ribbon cable:

  1. Power off the Pi
  2. Connect the ribbon cable (blue side facing Ethernet port)
  3. Power on and enable the camera in raspi-config

Network Devices

Some devices connect over the network:

  • Pupil Labs Neon — WiFi or USB tethering
  • Wireless Response Task/Occlusion Goggles — XBee wireless via USB dongle

GPS

UART GPS receivers (like BerryGPS) connect to the GPIO header. See the GPS Hardware Setup for details.

Your First Recording Session

  1. Enable modules

    Go to Modules menu and enable the modules for your connected devices.

  2. Verify device detection

    Check the Devices panel to ensure all your devices are detected and showing "Connected" status.

  3. Configure output directory

    Go to Session > Set Output Directory to choose where data will be saved. We recommend a USB SSD for video recording.

  4. Start Session

    Click Session > Start Session or use the keyboard shortcut. This initializes all modules and creates a session folder.

  5. Record a trial

    Click Session > Start Recording to begin capturing data. All enabled modules will start recording simultaneously.

  6. Stop recording

    Click Session > Stop Recording when finished. Data is automatically saved.

  7. End Session

    Click Session > End Session to finalize and close all modules.

Session Output

After your session, you'll find a folder structure like:

session_20251208_143022/
├── Cameras/
│   ├── usb_0_001/
│   │   ├── trial_001_usb_0_001.avi
│   │   ├── trial_001_usb_0_001_timing.csv
│   │   └── trial_001_usb_0_001_metadata.csv
├── Audio/
│   ├── 20251208_143022_AUDIO_trial001_MIC0.wav
│   └── 20251208_143022_AUDIOTIMING_trial001_MIC0.csv
├── ResponseTask/
│   └── 20251208_143022_DRT_trial001_DRT_ttyACM0.csv
└── Notes/
    └── 20251208_143022_NOTES_trial001.csv

Next Steps