GromPack.
Operator Manual.

Surgical deployment, ethical guidelines, and recording interface documentation.

GromPack is currently in Beta. This documentation reflects the work-in-progress hardware. V1 coming soon.

1. Setup & Tools Preparation

Before handling the specimen, ensure all surgical tools and wiring are prepared. The silver wires require precise stripping to ensure a clean signal without damaging the delicate antennae. These are then soldered onto jumper wires for ease of connection with the GromPack later on.

Ice prepared for the bath
Ice prepared for the bath
Silver wire that is stripped
Built connectors for the system

2. Ethical Anesthesia

Ethical Notice: The Madagascar Hissing Cockroach must be treated with care and respect. Proceeding with the surgery before the roach is completely numb is strictly prohibited.
  1. Initial Bath: Place the specimen in the prepared ice water bath.
    Roach resting in the ice
  2. Monitoring: Leave the roach submerged for 10 to 15 minutes. You must wait until the roach is completely numb, totally immobile, and visibly less reactive to gentle touch stimuli.
    Roach completely submerged under ice

3. Surgical Procedure

Once the roach is fully anesthetized, you have a limited window to perform the surgery carefully.

  1. Magnetic Base Placement: Gently dry the pronotum (the shield behind the head). Apply a tiny amount of cyanoacrylate (super glue) and attach the magnetic strip. Ensure it is perfectly centered.
    Magnetic Strip
  2. Thorax Reference Hole: Using a sterile precision needle, carefully pierce a shallow hole into the thorax. This will serve as the connection point for the reference electrode.
    Hole in the thorax
  3. Antenna Prep & Electrode Insertion: Using sterile micro-scissors, carefully snip the tips of the antennae to expose the hollow inner tubes. Next, gently insert the stripped silver wires into both antennae, and place the reference wire into the thorax hole. Apply an absolute minimal drop of glue to secure each wire.
    Microscope view of antenna cross section and thread insertion
  4. Final Verification: Ensure all three cables are secure and properly insulated from one another before proceeding.
    Roach with all 3 cables attached

4. Connection & Data Logging

⏱️ Operational Setup Time: < 5 Minutes
  1. Mounting: Snap the GromPack Compact module onto the magnetic strip on the roach's back. Connect the three jumper cables to their respective points: Left Antenna, Right Antenna, and Thorax Reference.

    Note: Photographic documentation of the final GromPack Compact mounted on the specimen is currently pending our final manufacturing run.

  2. Software Launch: Open the GromPack Control GUI.
    Start Screen of the GUI
  3. Connect via ID: Ensure the GromPack Compact is powered on. In the GUI's connection field, type the GromPack name followed by its unique ID (e.g., Grompack-1A2B) and click the Connect button.
  4. Operation: Use the built-in GUI buttons to begin your neuro-recording session.
    • Start/Stop Recording: Toggles the data collection pipeline and streams the neural data to the real-time dashboard.
    • Save: Export your incoming data streams to .wav files for downstream signal processing and behavioral correlation analysis.