5 min read
Updated October 9, 2025
Most recording systems fail at a junction, not at a component. Adapters, microdrives and training kits exist to make those junctions predictable. This guide says which problem each item solves and what it costs you to get it wrong.
Research use only. NeuroNexus products and the procedures described here are for non-clinical research use, and must not be used in human or veterinary medical procedures.
Headstage adapters#
An adapter is needed when the probe package and the headstage do not share a connector. That happens with legacy probe packages, with mixed-vendor rigs, and whenever a probe outlives the acquisition system it was bought for.
Site 1 on the probe is rarely channel 1 at the headstage once an adapter is in the path. Three consequences follow, and each fails in its own way:
| Consequence | How it shows up in the data | Plan for it by |
|---|---|---|
| The adapter carries a channel map | A depth profile that is wrong in a way that looks plausible | Folding the adapter map into the site map before recording, and storing both with the experiment |
| Every adapter is a mechanical joint | Intermittent channels, then a dead channel, on a freely moving animal | Strain-relieving the joint and inspecting it between sessions |
| A reducing adapter drops channels | Half the sites simply absent — a 32-channel probe on a 16-channel headstage records 16 | Knowing which half before surgery, not after |
Adapter availability tracks the connector families in the catalog. Legacy part numbers retire with the packages they served. Confirm the current part against the catalog or with an application scientist rather than against an older document.
Where no standard adapter exists, NeuroNexus fabricates custom adapters. The deliverable includes the channel map; ask for it in writing and store it with the experiment.
Microdrives#
Microdrives advance an electrode after implantation. They serve two purposes, and the second is the one that changes an experiment:
- Reaching the target. Depth profiling through a structure, one controlled step at a time.
- Recovering a lost unit. In chronic work the tissue moves and units disappear. A drive lets you advance a few tens of micrometres and resume, instead of ending the animal's participation.
The catalog carries six NeuroNexus drives — dDrive, nDrive, oDrive, pDrive, rDrive and sDrive — plus the IST micropositioner, and they mount on standard stereotactic equipment. Which one suits a preparation is a catalog question; what decides it is the same three constraints every time: weight on the subject, headcap volume, and whether the drive body clears the chamber. Check all three against your preparation before ordering.
Training kits#
Training kits are practice probes and practice hardware. They exist so that a first implantation is not performed on a research probe in a funded animal.
Use them for new personnel, for a technique new to an established lab, and to rehearse a protocol before the first real subject. The cost comparison is not kit versus probe; it is kit versus one lost animal and one lost cohort slot.
Technical services#
| Service | Use it when | What you get back |
|---|---|---|
| Custom design | No catalog geometry matches the target — the dimensions, a two-structure trajectory, or a shank of the wrong length | A probe built to specification (site layout, shank geometry, materials, packaging), plus the channel map and mechanical drawings as deliverables. Runs from requirements consultation through design review, fabrication and delivery |
| Z-Coat site coating | Small units, microstimulation on small sites, optical stimulation, or many sessions | Lower site impedance at unchanged geometric area. Ordered as a per-channel service against a supported design — see Z-Coat |
| Repair and refurbishment | Connector or cable damage — before discarding the probe | An assessment that depends on the package, not the probe. Many packages are repairable; ask first |
| Training and application support | The problem is the preparation, not the part number | Work on surgical approach, reference and ground strategy, and acquisition configuration |
Selecting an accessory#
Work in this order:
- Probe package — the connector on the probe is fixed once the probe is chosen.
- Headstage — set by that connector, by the weight the subject can carry, and by the DAQ.
- Adapter — only if steps 1 and 2 do not meet, and always with its channel map.
- Positioning hardware — drive or holder, checked against headcap volume and chamber clearance.
Confirm the full chain before ordering. A compatibility problem found on surgery day is a lost surgery day.