Stoelting ANY-maze : Computer

Introduction

Mazes and test apparatus

Cameras

Computers

Connecting external devices

Equipment wizard

Computer

ANY-maze has been designed to work with modern computers running Windows Vista. However, that doesn't mean you can't use it with older equipment or other versions of Windows - check out the details below.

Running ANY-maze on a desktop computer

ANY-maze will track well on most computers built in the last five years and will work excellently with any new machine you purchase today.
For example, the Dell Inspiron shown here is equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor and 4GB of RAM and would be an excellent choice for ANY-maze.

Running ANY-maze on a portable computer

Running ANY-maze on a portable computer creates an elegant solution, particularly as you can take the computer back to your desk when an experiment is finished.

Recommended specification for a new computer

Windows 7 - ANY-maze works with all variants of Windows 7
Intel Core i3 processor - ANY-maze makes full use of all available processor cores
4GB RAM
1440 x 900 display - ANY-maze benefits from widescreen displays.
500GB hard disk - If you choose to record videos of experiments a large disk is useful
DVD-R - useful for backups
Full size PCI or PCIe expansion slot - necessary if you want to use a video capture card

Recommended specification for an existing computer

Windows Vista - ANY-maze works with all variants of Windows Vista
Intel Core 2 1.8GHz or above
2GB RAM
1280 x 800 display
CD-ROM - required to install the software which comes with capture cards
10GB hard disk space. ANY-maze needs 45MB to install but you will need additional space for experiment files

Minimum specification for ANY-maze to run

Windows XP
Pentium III 800GHz or above*
512MB RAM - exact amount will depend on the operating system
SVGA display (800 x 600) 16 bit colour
CD-ROM - required to install the software which comes with capture cards
45MB hard disk space, ANY-maze requires this to install

*To detect freezing, ANY-maze requires at least a Pentium 4 or an AMD Athlon 64 processor. Freezing detection is not available on AMD Athlon-XP processors.

The easiest way to get the exact specifications for a computer to automate your apparatus is to use the ANY-maze Equipment Wizard - it can even check the specification of an existing computer and recommend any upgrades which might be necessary.