X-Series Headstages
An X-Series headstage digitizes every channel at the head and sends the data to an XDAQ over one micro-HDMI cable, at 0.9 to 1.5 g; engineered and manufactured by Kontex and commercialized by NeuroNexus, it is the headstage of the X-Series platform, in record-only and record-and-stimulate models from 16 to 128 channels.
The record-only models — XeR 32 and 64, X3R 32 and 64, X6R 128 — run on Intan RHD2132 and RHD2164 chips and have a 3-axis accelerometer, so head motion is sampled with the neural data on one clock. The stim-record models — XeSR 16 and 32, X3SR 32 and 64 — run on the Intan RHS2116 and pass current through the recording array; they have no accelerometer. A sixth model, the NP headstage, takes a Neuropixels probe into XDAQ.
The series trades on mass and cable. Digitizing at the head means one serial cable at any channel count, and the housings are small — 14.6 × 11.3 × 6.7 mm on the X3 models, 10 × 10 mm on the X6R 128 at 0.9 g — and resistant to moisture and chemicals, which is what chronic cage work needs. The probe side is HDMI, so a package ending in Omnetics, ZIF or Samtec needs an adapter between them; the X-Series package exists so the headstage mates directly. Every model streams to an XDAQ and is monitored live in Radiens.
Typical values
| Models | XeR 32/64 · X3R 32/64 · X6R 128 (record); XeSR 16/32 · X3SR 32/64 (stim-record); NP |
|---|---|
| Chip | Intan RHD2132/RHD2164 (record); RHS2116 (stim-record) |
| Mass | 0.9 to 1.5 g |
| Cable | one micro-HDMI to XDAQ, any channel count |
| Accelerometer | 3-axis on record-only models |
| Made by | engineered and manufactured by Kontex; commercialized by NeuroNexus |