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Getting Started

Start here if you are setting up a WILD device for the first time or reproducing the public WILD workflow associated with the manuscript under review.

Hardware setup

Prepare device

Data acquisition

Record and export

Data analysis

Convert outputs

Before You Begin

  • Windows 10 or later for WILD Console.
  • Bluetooth 4.0 or later for BLE control.
  • A tested microSD card installed in the WILD device. Use Samsung EVO series or tested Lexar cards for first recordings; some SanDisk cards may be unreliable in specific WILD operating modes.
  • A battery that can boot the WILD device and sustain the planned recording mode.
  • The correct release image for the hardware revision and experiment mode.
  • Windows clock preparation before timing-sensitive recordings: disable automatic time setting and automatic time-zone changes, run TimeCalibrator, and keep the calibration record for post-export offset and drift correction.

Recording prerequisite: Windows clock preparation

WILD logger time and PC system time are independent clocks. Windows automatic time correction can create an abrupt PC-clock step during a session, so timing-sensitive recordings should not begin until Windows automatic time adjustment is disabled and TimeCalibrator has been run.

Repository Assets

Asset Location
Prebuilt device images Latest GitHub release
WILD Console installers Latest GitHub release
Fabrication guide Fabrication
Board source files PCB
3D-print files 3Dprint
MATLAB and Python analysis scripts Code

Recommended first path

Start with Hardware Setup, then Data Acquisition, then Data Analysis. The SD card, battery, release image, and boot state provide the baseline for troubleshooting.

First Successful Dry Run

Goal: complete a short bench recording and confirm that the public export and analysis path works before changing advanced settings.

Minimum output folder:

  • amplifier.dat
  • analogin.dat
  • time.dat
  • info.rhd
  • CE_params.bin

Optional outputs, depending on mode:

  • adc.dat for audio workflows.
  • misc.dat for camera workflows.
  • device_event.*.evt files after MATLAB preprocessing.
  • IMU.mat after IMU processing.

Success criteria:

  1. The WILD device is discovered and connected in WILD Console.
  2. A short recording starts and stops cleanly.
  3. SD-card export completes without missing-core-file errors.
  4. The exported folder contains the expected files for the recording mode.
  5. MATLAB or Python post-processing runs without manual file repair.