Actical Guide
Actical is a non-invasive, omni-directional accelerometer that accurately measures a subject’s energy expenditure and step count. lightweight, waterproof, and durable, Actical offers real-time ambulatory monitoring to meet your research needs.
Setting Up
1. Connect ActiReader to COM port on your computer
ActiReader
COM port
Data cable connected to COM port
2. Plug in the reader, switch it on and put ActiCal device on ActiReader as shown below
ActiCal on ActiReader
3. Open ActiCal software by double clicking on the icon shown below
ActiCal icon
4. Wait until main window of the software appears (see below)
ActiCal software
5. From Reader menu, select COM Port and then select COM1
COM Port
6. Select Configure Actical from Reader menu to configure ActiCal device
Configuring ActiCal
7. A confirmation is requested to comment configuring process
Confirmation
8. In case of misplaced ActiCal device on ActiReader, the following error message will appear (see below); otherwise, a preparation message will pop up
Error message
Preparation message
9. Configuration process starts and a progress bar on status bar shows the progress
Configuration progress
10. If the configuration process is successful, the following message will be shown
Successful configuration
Retrieve Data
1. To retrieve data from ActiCal, follow steps one to five in the Setting Up section, and then click on Reader and then Retrieve Data From Actical. A preparation message will pop up
Retrieve data from ActiCal
Retrieval preparation
2. Retrieving data commence and a progress bar appears in status bar
Retrieving process
3. If the retrieval process is successful, the following message will be shown asking if the user wants to save the retrieved data
Successful retrieval
4. Select Z:\Research\dfuller\Walkabilly\studies\{StudyName}\ActiCal\AWC_files as path and {StudyName}_{DeviceID}_{Date} {Time}.bin as name and click Save
Location to save extracted data