WHAT IS AN ACTIGRAPH? An actigraph is an electronic device that records levels of activity. It is about the size of a small beeper and can be worn on the waist, wrist or ankle throughout the day and night. In addition to activity, the ActiGraph can also record Skin Temperature, Ambient Light, and Step Counts. ****************************************************************** HOW LONG WILL THE ACTIGRAPHS COLLECT DATA? *Assuming a One-Minute CycleThe AM7164-2.2 will collect data for approximately 22 consecutive days while operating without the Pedometer Mode. If the Pedometer mode is in operation, the AM7164-2.2 will collect data for approximately 11 days. The ActiGraphs with extended memory are capable of collecting data for 91 days without Pedometer Mode or 45 days with Pedometer Mode. ****************************************************************** WHAT IS A CYCLE (AKA EPOCH)? A cycle is a user-specified time interval in which data is collected and then written to the ActiGraphs memory. ****************************************************************** WHAT MEASUREMENT DOES THE ACTIGRAPH USE TO REPORT ACTIVITY? The ActiGraph data is in Counts. One Count is equivalent to 16 milliG’s per second. ****************************************************************** WHAT REGIONAL SETTINGS IN WINDOWS DO YOU SUPPORT? Regional Settings for Windows must be English (US) or English (UK). Microsoft Office must be in English for the Anaylze functions to work properly. ****************************************************************** IS MY COMPUTER COMPATIBLE WITH THE SOFTWARE? The ActiGraph software is compatible with the following Operating Systems: Windows 98 Second EditionWindows 2000 Professional with Service Pack 3XP Home or Professional EditionBe sure to use English (US) or English (UK) Regional Settings.For older machines, we have a DOS version of the software available upon request. ****************************************************************** WHERE CAN I WEAR THE ACTIGRAPH? The ActiGraph can be worn can be worn comfortably on the wrist, waist, or ankle. However, the waist is the only location that has been validated for energy expenditure. ****************************************************************** HOW LONG IS THE BATTERY LIFE ON THE ACTIGRAPH? Battery life is typically in excess of 4000 hours. Actual battery life is dependent somewhat on the frequency of data downloads and the capacity of the particular manufacturer's battery. The battery life remaining as reported by the software is an estimate of battery life remaining and should be interpreted as such. ****************************************************************** CAN I CHOOSE THE START TIME ON THE ACTIGRAPH? Yes. The ActiGraph is programmable to delay the start of data collection to facilitate synchronization of multiple ActiGraphs. ****************************************************************** HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO INITIALIZE THE ACTIGRAPH FOR DATA COLLECTION? It takes less than one minute to initialize the ActiGraph to collect data. ****************************************************************** HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO DOWNLOAD THE DATA? A week of data (10,080 one-minute cycles) takes only one minute to download. ****************************************************************** WHAT ARE THE DIMENSIONS OF THE ACTIGRAPH? The ActiGraph is 2" x 1.5" x 0.6". It weighs 1½ oz. ****************************************************************** CAN I USE THE READER ON DIFFERENT COMPUTERS? Yes and No. It is possible but we do not recommend it. We recommend that you download data from the ActiGraph on the same computer that you initialized the ActiGraph on. When the ActiGraph is initialized to collect data, the software creates a file called an "INI" file. This file contains the serial number, start time, start date, battery life, and mode of the ActiGraph. ****************************************************************** CAN I INITIALIZE AND DOWNLOAD THE ACTIGRAPH AS MANY TIMES I WANT OR ARE THERE RESTRICTIONS AS TO HOW MANY TIMES PER WEEK/DAY CAN I INITIALIZE IT? There are no restrictions on how often you can initialize and download. ****************************************************************** HOW IS THE DATA STORED IN THE ACTIGRAPH? The data is stored in nonvolatile RAM so even if the battery is removed, the data will not be lost. ****************************************************************** CAN I PROGRAM THE ACTIGRAPH SO THAT IT STOPS ACQUIRING DATA BY A CERTAIN DATE? No. You can only program the start time and date of the ActiGraph. However, the ActiGraph will stop collecting data once the memory is full or the Users stops collecting via Actisoft Analysis Software. When you download the data and transfer it to excel, the data will be time stamped so you can alleviate the data you don’t want. ****************************************************************** HOW DO I TELL IF THE ACTIGRAPH IS COLLECTING DATA? 1. An internal flashing LED is visible through the ActiGraphs translucent case when a small "field test" magnet is placed along one side of the case. -or-2. Place the ActiGraph in the Reader and the LED will flash with a coded cadence to indicate the operating mode, which are as follows:One flash per second - Not collecting data.Three flashes then pause - Waiting start time.Continuous flash rate - Collecting Data. ****************************************************************** I JUST RECEIVED THE NEW WINDOWS SOFTWARE AND I STILL HAVE THE OLD DOS SOFTWARE. CAN I INITIALIZE MY ACTIGRAPH IN DOS AND DOWNLOAD IN THE WINDOWS VERSION? No. The data files created using DOS and Actisoft Analysis Software are not cross compatible. If you have initialized the ActiGraph in the DOS software, please ensure that you download the data in DOS. Also the "Analyze" functions in the Actisoft Analysis Software may not work with data files created using DOS. If you have any questions please contact MTI Health Services for more information. ****************************************************************** LINKS This site is extracted from the Internet Archive