Kapanaiah SK, Kätzel D. Open-MAC: A low-cost open-source motorized commutator for electro- and opto-physiological recordings in freely moving rodents.
HardwareX 2023;
14:e00429. [PMID:
37250189 PMCID:
PMC10209885 DOI:
10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00429]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 04/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
In vivo electro- and optophysiology experiments in rodents reveal the neural mechanisms underlying behavior and brain disorders but mostly involve a cable connection between an implant in the animal and an external recording device. Standard tethers with thin cables or non-motorized commutators require constant monitoring and often manual interference to untwist the cable. Motorized commutators offer a solution, but those few that are commercially available are expensive and often not adapted to widely used connector standards of the open-source community like 12-channel SPI. Here we introduce an open-source motorized all-in-one commutator (Open-MAC): a low-cost (240-390 EUR), low-torque motorized commutator that can operate with minimal audible noise in a torque-based mode relying on dual magnetic Hall sensors. It further includes electronics to operate in a torque-free, online pose-estimation-based mode, with future developments. Operation is controlled by an onboard microcontroller (XIAO SAMD21) powered by a USB-C cable or DC power supply. The body and movable parts are 3D-printed. Different Open-MAC versions can support electrophysiology with up to 64 recording channels using the Open-Ephys / IntanTM recording systems as well as miniature endoscope (miniscope) recordings using the UCLA Miniscope v3/4, and can host a fibre for optogenetic modulation.
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