System Architecture

In PhenoMaster, all data from sensors at the cage level are digitized on-board in the sensor housing and collected by the cage controller. The cage controller is the smart brain of every cage and powers all sensors. Sensors use a modern bus architecture that allows them to be removed and added without interfering with other sensors’ data collection ability. From the cage controller, a single Ethernet connection cable that also carries the cage power (POE = power over Ethernet) submits the data to the computer/server. Cages and Computers must be on the same intranet/subnet. Theoretically, all cages can be plugged into a single Ethernet hub on the back wall of the chamber and the computer located elsewhere in the building outside the animal facility. The result in the animal room is a clean, clutter-free laboratory environment with very few parts and a small footprint. When climate chambers are used, the cages are “plugged-in” into an Ethernet patch panel in the wall of the chamber.

Modularity gives flexibility at an affordable price

The number of options can be overwhelming. However, the greatly simplified “cage-based architecture” using industry-standard (Ethernet) combined with cage-based controllers makes changes, expansion of the number of cages, and upgrades very affordable and easy. Simply order the modules or number of cages that you want and ”plug and play.” In most cases, this can be done by the user. Rest assured that no matter where your research leads you, your investment is secure, and we are here to help you. Additionally, we can provide remote access to help guide you through the setup and measurement settings.

The Phenomaster phenotyping platform is built around modules that can be added and expanded as flexible as the research questions or direction changes.