Installing & Maintaining Your Kinarm Lab
Getting ready for your Kinarm Lab
Ensure your lab has enough space and the necessary services to comfortably install your KINARM Lab with these Documents.
Download the Customer Questionnaire
Download your "Considerations" document
Download the Task Development Computer Setup Guide
If you will be creating Custom Task Programs, please ensure you have access to the necessary MathWorks’ MATLAB toolboxes, prior to your training day. We recommend you use the newest release that we support.
An SSD for the main drive where task development is recommended. 256GB will do. Compiling tasks is a highly hard drive bound process; a faster hard drive will make a significant difference to compile times.
Maintaining your Kinarm Lab
When you purchase a Kinarm Lab, you are buying a sophisticated scientific instrument that has been extensively tested prior to shipment. We encourage our users to follow these simple rules:
The computers that form part of the Kinarm control system have been set up to ensure robust, reliable operation of your Lab. Changing settings on these computers can adversely affect the performance of the Kinarm Lab and may void the warranty. Please be sure that all users and administrators of a Kinarm Lab, including the IT department if applicable, are aware of the following:
Anti-Virus
The Dexterit-E computer comes with anti-virus software installed.
The installed anti-virus software is known to work properly with Dexterit-E and your Kinarm Lab. Many anti-virus software applications cause problems with Dexterit-E. In particular, many anti-virus software applications interfere with the subject display’s timing and, therefore, should not be used.
User Accounts
- You may create multiple Microsoft Windows accounts for users to provide data isolation between users and groups. Accounts do not require administrative privileges to run Dexterit-E.
- Each new user account that you create will have a separate, default
location where all relevant exam data are saved. - Advise your IT administrator that the Dexterit-E computer CANNOT be added to your Windows Domain (usually this is done by a local area network administrator).
None of the settings that are part of the Windows Operating System should be changed without express consent from Kinarm, as this could adversely affect the performance of the Kinarm Lab. Examples of settings that should NOT be changed include:
- Windows Security settings
- Windows Performance settings
- Screen saver
- Video driver updates
Other than MATLAB and their required compilers, no other software should be installed on the Dexterit-E computer, such as:
- Virus scanners (all systems are shipped with installed virus scanning software with settings to ensure it does not interrupt operation of your lab)
- Firewalls
- Remote administration software
- Overclocking or power management software
- Back-up software (unless configured in accordance with Dexterit-E User Guide, 6.2.6 Database Backup)
If you need to replace a Dexterit-E/GUI or Robot/real-time computer, please contact us first: support@kinarm.com.
If you wish to purchase a separate computer for task development purposes, we recommend the following specifications:
- OS: Windows 10
- SSD: for the main drive where task development is done – 256GB will do
Additional regular HD for data (e.g. 1-2 TB) - CPU: quad-core (i5 or i7)
- RAM: 8 GB
If you wish to replace your Operator Display, and are running Win 7 or 10 on the Dexterit-E computer, please be mindful that issues have been noted with certain displays interfering with the Subject Display. We can confirm that the following 3 displays do not cause issues for the presentation of visual stimuli in the subject display:
- ASUS VG248
- BENQ BL2420
- ViewSonic VX2452
Should you select a different display, you could encounter frame drops in the subject display when the operator mouse is moved. Dexterit-E will warn you when our allowable threshold is exceeded.
Installing Dexterit-E Updates
Dexterit-E is installed on the Dexterit-E computer. Multiple instances of major or minor releases (e.g. 3.0 or 3.7) of Dexterit-E may exist on the computer and will not interact with each other. However during the installation of a patch release (e.g. 3.6.3), former patches of the same minor release (e.g. 3.6.2) will be overwritten.
Prior to installing a new version of Dexterit-E, please consult the release notes for any considerations that may influence your decision to upgrade. Key factors to be consider:
- changes to supported hardware
- changes to supported OS versions for the Robot Computer
- changes to Kinarm Standard Test analysis results
- changes to the Task Development Kit that may affect Custom Task development
- Please see the current Dexterit-E Guide for full instructions.
Dexterit-E is only supported to run on computers supplied by Kinarm (BKIN Technologies Ltd.) While older computer systems may work, the following computers have been tested for the latest version of Dexterit-E:
- Dexterit-E Computer – PN 13108 or greater
- Robot Computer – PN 11103 or greater
If you have an older, or a non-part numbered computer, you may have to upgrade your computer for Dexterit-E to work properly.
New releases of Dexterit-E could include improvements to the analysis results of KST. These improvements could include updates to the raw analysis parameters, the normative models (i.e. Z-scores) and overall scores (i.e. Task Score and M-score). To take advantage of these improvements:
- all KST analysis results should be re-exported
- all KST reports should be re-generated.
In both cases, exporting a new CSV file of KST analysis results or re-generating a report will automatically re-analyze the data. Please see the release notes for details on the most recent updates, and see Appendix – KST Versions for a complete history of all version changes.
Each minor release of Dexterit-E is only compatible with Custom Tasks that were compiled with the associated version of the Task Development Kit (note: patch updates to Dexterit-E do not require an additional re-compile, for example tasks compiled with TDK 3.9.1 will run with Dexterit-E 3.9.1, 3.9.2, etc). Therefore, Custom Tasks will only need to be re-compiled when updating to a new minor version (e.g. Dexterit-E 3.9.x to 3.10.x).
In addition, new features in Dexterit-E may require modifications to the Custom Task code depending on which version of Dexterit-E to code is being updated from. Please see the release notes for changes related to the latest version of Dexterit-E, and the Creating Task Programs for Dexterit-E user guide for complete details on all versions of Dexterit-E.
Updating MATLAB
If you are updating your version of MATLAB, please refer to the Custom Task Program Guide and follow this checklist:
Confirm that we support the version of MATLAB you want
Remember: the MATLAB and Robot Computer OS Versions must match
Check Your Path
Rebuild all your tasks
| MATLAB Release | Supporter C/C++ Compilers | Supported Dexterit-E Versions |
|---|---|---|
| R2007b* |
Microsoft Visual C++ 6.0 (SP6) Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 Express Edition Open Watcom 1.3 |
2.2 to 3.5 (Dexterit-E 3.5 is the last version to support R2007b) |
| R2010a** |
Microsoft Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition Open Watcom 1.8 |
3.0 to 3.6 (Dexterit-E 3.6 is the last version to support R2010a) |
| R2013a (64-bit)** | Microsoft Windows SDK 7.1 | 3.4 to 3.8 |
| R2015a SP1 (64-bit)** | Microsoft Windows SDK 7.1 | 3.6 or greater |
| R2019b Update 7>** |
Microsoft Visual Studio 2017 Community Edition |
3.9 or greater |
Task Programs must be developed and built using the specific MATLAB version that matches the version of the operating system (OS) on the Robot Computer. The Creating Task Programs for Dexterit-E guide provides a summary of which versions of MATLAB are supported with which versions of Dexterit-E. The Dexterit-E User Guide provides instructions on how to change the OS version on the Robot Computer. The following are considerations that may affect the selection of a particular version of MATLAB:
- Compatibility with Kinarm Lab hardware (newer hardware may not be compatible with older versions of MATLAB)
- Simultaneous use of multiple versions of Dexterit-E (if users are switching between different versions of Dexerit-E, it may be beneficial to use a version of MATLAB that is supported by those versions of Dexterit-E).
Refer to the Custom Task Programming Guide to ensure you have the proper C++ compiler installed (Microsoft or Watcom) and make sure to configure the installer to use in ‘xpcexplr’
If you’re not sure how to recompile tasks, watch this How-To video
The upgrade path for the robot computer depends on the age of the computer.
- For newer computers, the Robot OS can be selected from the Dexterit-E menu item Kinarm Lab>Robot Computer OS.
- For older computers, you need to select the boot option for the robot computer.
Method 1
Look for a Kinarm Part Number (PN) Label on the Robot Computer (a.k.a. Real-Time Computer)
1. PN 10884 or no part number:
a. choose the “Create Bootable CD” option
2. PN 11103 or 13107
a. choose the “Upgrade Hard-drive Boot Image” option if you would like to continue to boot from the hard-drive
b. choose the “Create Bootable CD” option if you would like the option to switch quickly from one version to another.
Method 2
- Remove any CD/DVDs from the Robot Computer
- Re-start the Robot Computer
- Look at the Robot Computer’s display. Does it boot to xPC Target?
- Yes – choose the “Upgrade Hard-drive Boot Image” option
- No – choose the “Create Bootable CD” option
- Download the correct ISO image from the downloads section of this page:
- Robot computer PN 10884 and earlier:
- xPC 4.3 separate network card – MATLAB R2010a
- xPC 5.4 separate network card – MATLAB R2013a
- SLRT 6.2 separate network card – MATLAB R2015a SP1
- Robot computer PN 11103:
- xPC 4.3 integrated network card – MATLAB R2010a
- xPC 5.4 integrated network card – MATLAB R2013a
- SLRT 6.2 integrated network card – MATLAB R2015a SP1
- Robot computer PN 13107:
- xPC 5.4 integrated network card – MATLAB R2013a
- SLRT 6.2 integrated network card – MATLAB R2015a SP1
- Robot computer PN 10884 and earlier:
- Burn the image to a CD (see instructions below for “Follow these steps to burn an ISO image to CD/DVD”).
- Insert CD into the Robot Computer.
- Double-tap the scroll-lock key to switch the KVM to the robot computer (i.e., to be able to watch the boot process for this first time).
- Re-start the Robot Computer.
- If the computer fails to boot to the CD/DVD, check the BIOS settings on the computer to ensure that the CD/DVD drive is in the boot order.
- Re-boot the computer. Press DEL to enter Setup mode for the BIOS.
- Ensure that CDROM is chosen as the First Boot Device.
- 10884 and 11103 – Select Advanced BIOS Features
- 13107 – Select Boot Menu and look under Boot Option Priorities
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS.
- Download the xPC migration tool 5.4 & 6.2 image from the downloads section of this page.
- Burn the image to a CD (see instructions below for “Follow these steps to burn an ISO image to CD/DVD”.
- Insert CD into the robot computer.
- Double-tap the scroll-lock key to switch the KVM to the robot computer (i.e., to be able to watch the boot process for this first time).
- Re-start the computer.
- If the computer fails to boot to the CD/DVD, check the BIOS settings on the computer to ensure that the CD/DVD drive is in the boot order.
- Re-boot the computer. Press DEL to enter Setup mode for the BIOS.
- Ensure that CDROM is chosen as the First Boot Device.
- PN 10884 and 11103 – Select Advanced BIOS Features
- PN 13107 – Select Boot Menu and look under Boot Option Priorities
- Save the changes and exit the BIOS.
In order to create a bootable CD/DVD for xPC Target/SLRT, the following are needed:
- The correct ISO image downloaded from this page
- Blank CD or DVD
- CD/DVD drive that can burn CDs/DVDs
- CD/DVD burning utility that can burn images – BKIN Recommends Free ISO Burner, we have experienced problems burning with other programs like Roxio.
NOTE: You CANNOT use Windows File Manager for this image-burning process. Burning an image to disc is not the same as copying a file to CD/DVD or backing up a CD/DVD nor is it the same as “drag ‘n drop”.
Follow these steps to burn the ISO image to a CD/DVD:
- Once you have downloaded the correct ISO image, it must be unzipped and burned to a CD or DVD as an ISO image.
- Open/start the CD/DVD burning utility and determine how the CD/DVD burning utility burns images to disc (you may need to search the utility’s help file to determine where this feature is implemented). Burning an image to disc is NOT the same as copying files to disc or backing up files.
- Sometimes the feature may be its own function called “Burn image to Disc”
- Sometimes the feature may be part of the “Copy Disc” function in which the “source” option can be an image file.
- Other possibilities exist.
- Choose the ISO file as the source for burning the image to disc.
- Make sure “verify disc after burning” is selected (or some equivalent option that will verify that the burn process completed correctly).
Contact Support
If you are experiencing an issue with your Kinarm Lab, kindly complete the form below. Your issue will be entered into our Support management system. Please include a Log (Help -> Generate log) to accelerate troubleshooting. We endeavour to respond within 24 hours during the business week, Monday – Friday. If your need is urgent, please don’t hesitate to call 1-888-533-4393 X2 to speak with our support team.
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