7 min read
Updated October 9, 2025
NeuroNexus acquisition has three parts: a headstage at the animal, a DAQ on the bench, and Radiens on the workstation. This overview covers what separates the systems, so you can pick one without reading four datasheets.
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.
How the pieces fit#
The headstage digitizes at the probe. The DAQ collects the digital streams, applies the timebase, and passes them to software. Data downstream of the headstage is digital. Cable movement stops being a noise source once the signal has been converted.
Two selection questions follow, and they are independent:
- Which headstage does my probe connector need, and how much weight can the subject carry.
- What else has to be synchronized with the recording — stimulation, video, optical outputs.
The XDAQ family#
Three XDAQ systems share one architecture and differ in what they synchronize. XDAQ is engineered and manufactured by Kontex and commercialized by NeuroNexus; Allego provides instrument control for all three.
| XDAQ CORE2 | XDAQ ONE+ | XDAQ ALL-IN-ONE | SmartBox | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power | USB-C | DC | DC | DC |
| Record-only channels | 512 | 1,024+ | 1,024+ | 1,024+ |
| Stim-record channels | 16 or 32 | 128 | 128 | — |
| Throughput units | 8 | 16 | 16 | 4 |
| Record | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Record + stimulate | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Neuropixels | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | — |
| Synchronized video | — | — | ✅ | — |
| Optical stimulation outputs | — | — | 4 | — |
| Probe front end | X-Series headstages | X-Series headstages | X-Series headstages | SiNAPS probes, X-Series headstages |
Read the table by column, because the escalations are not the same escalation.
Read the stim-record row before the record row. Every XDAQ records far more channels than it stimulates across, and the gap is largest where it is least expected: CORE2 records 512 channels and delivers current on 16 or 32. A protocol that stimulates through the array it records from is sized by that second number, not the headline one.
CORE2 → ONE+ doubles both. Record capacity goes 512 → 1,024+ and stim-record 16/32 → 128, along with the throughput to sustain more simultaneous headstages. CORE2 draws power over USB-C and weighs 900 g against ONE+'s 2,810 g, which is what makes it the practical choice for a crowded bench or a rig that moves between rooms.
ALL-IN-ONE is bought for what it synchronizes, not for its channel count. It matches ONE+ on both record and stim-record capacity; what it adds is what neither other member has — synchronized video capture and four dedicated optical stimulation outputs. A protocol pairing recording with behaviour video or optogenetics buys it for that, and removes a synchronization box from the rig.
All three drive X-Series headstages over uHDMI and run under Radiens.
SmartBox#
SmartBox is the acquisition path for SiNAPS active probes, and it also accepts X-Series headstages. It is a recording system: it does not deliver stimulation. Where a protocol needs both high site counts and current delivery, system and probe are chosen together. An application scientist is a faster route there than a specification sheet.
Headstages#
Headstage choice is set by three things: the probe's connector, the weight the subject can carry, and whether you need head-mounted motion data.
| Headstage | Channels | Weight | Probe connector | Stimulation | Accelerometer | Sealed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X6R-128 | 128 | 0.9 g | HDMI | — | 3-axis | ✅ |
| X3R-32 | 32 | 1.1 g | HDMI, Omnetics | — | 3-axis | ✅ |
| X3R-64 | 64 | 1.1 g | HDMI, Omnetics | — | 3-axis | ✅ |
| X3SR-32 | 32 | 1.1 g | HDMI | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| X3SR-64 | 64 | 1.5 g | HDMI | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| XeSR-16 | 16 | 1.18 g | HDMI | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| XeSR-32 | 32 | 1.18 g | HDMI | ✅ | — | ✅ |
| XeR-64 | 64 | 1.37 g | HDMI | — | 3-axis | ✅ |
| SmartLink-16 | 16 | 2.0 g | DIP-16, Omnetics 16, Hirose | — | — | — |
| SmartLink-32 | 32 | 2.0 g | Samtec 40-pin, Omnetics 32 | — | — | — |
| SmartLink-64 | 64 | 2.0 g | Samtec 40-pin, Omnetics 64 | — | — | — |
Three things the table decides for you.
The SR in a part number is the stimulation. X3SR, XeSR carry a stimulation-capable amplifier;
X3R, XeR, X6R and every SmartLink do not. Ordering the recording variant for a protocol that later
adds microstimulation means a new headstage, not a firmware setting.
"Sealed" is a chronic-work column. X-Series headstages are sealed against moisture and cleaning chemicals; SmartLink headstages are not. In chronic work the headstage lives on the animal for weeks, and that column is usually the decision.
The accelerometer and the stimulator are alternatives, not options. The record-only models (X3R, XeR, X6R) carry a 3-axis accelerometer, so head motion is on the same clock as the neural data; the stim-record models (X3SR, XeSR) do not. If a protocol needs motion on the neural clock and stimulation through the recording array, no single X-Series headstage does both.
Connector support is narrower than the family name suggests. Only X3R-32 and X3R-64 have an Omnetics (OM) variant alongside the HDMI one. The rest of the X-Series, X6R-128 included, is HDMI-only. SmartLink is the path for packages built on the Samtec 40-pin connector.
The lighter headstage is not automatically the right one. A headstage that does not fit your probe connector needs an adapter, and every adapter is a mechanical failure point.
Expansion and synchronization#
The X-Series IO Expander adds auxiliary inputs and outputs, and distributes a shared timebase across components. Use it when the rig includes equipment NeuroNexus did not supply — a treadmill encoder, a reward pump, a third-party stimulator. Those events have to share a clock with the neural data.
Synchronize in hardware where you can. Aligning two independently clocked recordings after the fact is possible, and it costs you the precision you bought the system for.
Software#
Radiens runs acquisition, live visualization and analysis across these systems, and data stays in the lab's own storage. Radiens documentation is the authority on what it does; see Welcome to Radiens.
Choosing a configuration#
Channel capacities, port counts, headstage compatibility and pricing are catalog data and change with the release. Read them from the product catalog rather than from a document. Confirm the combination before ordering: probe package, headstage connector, DAQ port and Radiens edition all have to agree.