The Open Ephys headstage uses an Intan amplifier chip to filter, amplify, and multiplex 32 channels of neural data. An analog-to-digital converter inside the chip digitizes each signal with 16-bit resolution. Instead of one wire per channel, as is required for analog headstages, our headstage can send 32 channels over a cable with only 12 wires. And the signal is purely digital, so there are no tether artifacts.
Key figures:
30kHz sample rate, Lowpass 0.1-500Hz, HIghpass 100Hz-20kHz, 2.4uV RMS noise, 16bit resolution
The open ephys system is 100% compatible with commercially available Intan headstages.
Currently all of our Omnetics-based headstages follow the same reference/ground pin standard as Plexon, Blackrock, and TBSI headstages, though the ordering of the data channels is different. See channel mapping page for details.
TODO: link to SPI and tether standards
Currently documented headstage designs: