Smart Box vs OpenEphys

[Charles Latchoumane]

Hello,

   Just a quick note on the neuronexus SmartBox system. I was reading through their manual (available here : http://neuronexus.com/images/products/electrode-instrumentation/SmartBox/SmartBox%20Manual%20v1.5.pdf ) and as mentioned it was developpement with Intan as well and seems to have similar (if not exact same) fetures as the open ephys.

   Their GUI is not very pretty but seems to contain similar functions as well. Since both systems are from the same source (I presume) and recordings from same intan chips, can't this data be used to validate also how OpenEphys box is functional, and how it is even cheaper than the one provided there ? (including publications).

   Is there anything we can learn from their development to improve the current design (soft/hardware)?

   I hope it could be an interesting discussion.

[Jon Newman]

Did they put their code up anywhere? If not, then there is not too much to learn... (Actually asking.)

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Jonathan Newman

Postdoctoral Fellow, MIT

http://www.mit.edu/~jpnewman/

[Frederick Pothof]

It seems to be the original Intan software for their OpenSource Acq. board renamed to SmartBox.exe

The source code can be found at intantech.com

I would expect that the SmartBox would be able to run with the OpenEpyhs GUI.

[Frederick Pothof]

They didn't even rename the term "RHD2000 USB interface board" everywhere......

[Vincent Prevosto]

I've seen NeuroNexus' SmartBox at a conference's vendor row last year. In term of hardware, the one feature that I prefer on their acquisition board (vs. Open Ephys') is the connectors. They put HDMI ports on their box and modified Intan cables correspondingly. This makes the cable connection extremely robust. In contrast, on my Open Ephys acquistion board, I've already fatally damaged two of the Omnetics PZN-12 nano connectors, and a third one is also twisted (but still functional). The nano connectors are known to be very sensitive to pulling and tugging connected cables. Another feature that seemed better designed than mine is that there box was pretty much noiseless, whereas the fan I added to my box is quite loud (I guess I should just spend the time to hunt a less noisy fan, but there aren't so many options for fans this size). One option in that regard could be to add a temperature control, so that the fan would only be powered when needed. 

[Josh Siegle]

I don’t think the SmartBox has a fan, and the Open Ephys box doesn’t need one either. Putting a heatsink on the FPGA should be plenty for keeping things cool. You can unplug yours without having to worry about overheating.

As far as the connectors go, did they have epoxy on them you received the board? If they’re not glued, they are likely to break, but I haven’t had any problems after epoxying.

Josh

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[Jakob Voigts]

Hi!

How did the connectors break on your system? Did they come loose form the PCB or did the connector pins themselves get bent?

If this is an ongoing issue, there are a few solutions we could work on.

I really like the type of cable that we have now, because its interchangeable between systems, symmetric and daisy-chainable which makes many practical applications much easier and cheaper, but it should be fairly easy to design a cable guard that takes up accidental torque on the connectors on the acquisition system end.

Would you be interested in testing something like this?

As for the noise, i've now run a system with only a passive heat sink for ~a year without problems, so unless you're running a custom firmware you can probably just unplug the fan. For what it's worth the neuronexus system uses the same fpga and almost the same firmware and they don't seem to cool their system actively.

cheers,

jakob

[Vincent Prevosto]

Thanks guys for your feedback. As Josh mentioned, epoxying the nano connectors helps tremendously, and if I remember correctly this fix was indeed suggested in the assembly steps. I was just too enthusiastic and used the acquisition board right away without taking this precautionary step first. Since the board is so easily portable, I used it in three different rigs, sometimes in precarious conditions, with my laptop sitting on a swivel chair, etc, and the end-result was a few bent connectors (they are still attached to the PCB). A cable guard could be a good idea for careless users like me. I'd be happy to test a solution if you think this could help other users. 

As for the fan, I'll follow your advice and disconnect it, since the passive heat sink should provide enough cooling. 

Cheers,

Vincent