As one of the most critical elements of an MRI system, the MR console is a versatile platform for running pulse sequences, driving radio frequency (RF) and gradient coils, and acquiring signals to create images. The current literature features several articles on homemade console designs, many of which have utilized one of the following three strategies: a) a classical strategy that uses a centralized architecture, where the console is tightly coupled to a personal computer (PC) (10—13). This approach features a central data bus and standard PC-based boards, such as peripheral component interconnect (PCI) cards or laboratory virtual instrumentation engineering workbench (Lab-VIEW; Austin, TX) modules, which facilitate interprocess communication and system control, although the approach is limited by the lack of scalability; b) a modern strategy that uses a decentralized architecture, where the console is self-contained hardware that only loosely interacts with a PC, thus facilitating the scale-up of multiple channels (14,15); and c) a modularized design concept (16) in which the major console components operate as autonomous devices under the control of parallel sequencers, allowing for time-critical events to be accurately coordinated and simultaneously implemented. In 2012, Stang et al. successfully used this approach to develop their own system, which is known as the Medusa console (17).
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