Assembly Guide (with Eco-HAB)

The Eco-HAB version of the Training Village is very similar to the standard version — refer to the standard assembly guide for the shared steps. The key differences are listed below.

The Eco-HAB is a system of interconnected home cages with RFID antennas placed in the connecting tubes, enabling detailed tracking of social behavior and movement patterns between cages.

Differences from the Standard Version

  • Frame size: The frame dimensions increase from 74×45 cm to 82×65 cm.

  • RFID antenna slot: When assembling the base, place an Eco-HAB antenna between the two glued pieces before bonding them together.

  • No corridor RFID module: The standard RFID module mounted beneath the corridor is not installed in this version.

  • Four home cages: The setup uses 4 home cages instead of 2, with wider spacing between them to capture richer data about animal movement through the connecting tubes.

  • Tube antennas: Two Eco-HAB antennas are installed in each tube connecting the home cages. All these antennas, along with the corridor antenna, connect to the Eco-HAB RFID reader.

  • USB connection: The Eco-HAB RFID reader connects to the Raspberry Pi via USB.

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