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Troubleshooting

Spike Recorder Is Recording Background Audio​

Symptoms:

  • The waveform changes when you clap near the computer or phone.
  • You hear or see room noise instead of the experiment signal.

Cause: Spike Recorder is probably using the built-in microphone instead of the SpikerBox input.

Fix on Desktop:

  1. Open Spike Recorder.
  2. Turn on the SpikerBox.
  3. Connect the SpikerBox.
  4. Look for the USB/device button if using USB.
  5. Open the Config screen.
  6. Select the external audio input. (for non-USB type of connection).
  7. Set the built-in microphone channel to black so Spike Recorder ignores it (for non-USB type of connection).
  8. Return to the live view.
  9. Clap near the computer again. The SpikerBox channel should not respond strongly to the clap.

No USB Button Appears​

Try this order:

  1. Disconnect the USB cable.
  2. Turn on the SpikerBox.
  3. Open Spike Recorder.
  4. Plug in the USB cable.
  5. Wait a few seconds.
  6. Look for the USB/device button.

If the USB button still does not appear:

  1. Try using a different USB cable, and make sure it supports data transfer, not just charging.
  2. Try connecting to a different USB port.
  3. Make sure the device is powered on.
  4. Confirm that your device supports USB connection with Spike Recorder.

You may also find these forum posts helpful:

If you still need help, please email us at hello@backyardbrains.com.

Green Cable Does Not Work​

  • Check the cable labels.
  • Make sure the end labeled “SpikerBox” is plugged into the SpikerBox.
  • Plug the other end into the phone, tablet, or combined audio port.
  • Do not use a generic audio cable.
  • On desktop, make sure that the device is recognized by system, chek audio drivers, and that the app has all required permissions
  • On desktop, open Config and select the correct audio input.
  • On mobile, make sure the app has all required permissions and is not only recording from the built-in microphone.

Signal Is Too Small​

  • Confirm electrode placement or preparation setup.
  • Confirm that the correct channel is selected.
  • Increase the vertical zoom in Spike Recorder.
  • Check that cables are fully connected.
  • Check battery or device power.
  • Follow the experiment guide for improving contact or electrode placement.

Signal Is Clipped or Has Flat Tops​

  • Reduce the vertical zoom.
  • Confirm that the electrodes or preparation are not creating large movement artifacts.
  • Check the filter settings.

Signal Is Noisy​

  • Confirm that Spike Recorder is not using the built-in microphone.
  • Check all cable connections.
  • Keep electrode leads still.
  • Move away from strong sources of electrical noise when possible. Also unplug your laptop charger from both the laptop and the wall outlet.
  • Use the notch filter if the noise appears to be mains hum.

Cannot Open or Analyze a Recording​

  • Confirm that the recording file is a Spike Recorder-supported audio recording.
  • On desktop, click the folder icon in the top right corner to browse for a .wav file
  • Keep the associated .txt event files in the same folder. The event marker file should have the same name as the .wav file, with -events added: for example, eeg1.wav and eeg1-events.txt.
  • If analysis options are missing, complete spike sorting first.
  • Try a longer or clearer recording if spike detection fails.