ANALOG VS DIGITAL
Which Tethered Acquisition System is Right for You?
Neuralynx offers three acquisition systems for tethered analog or digital neural signal recording to fit your experiment goals, your lab hardware needs and your budgetary requirements. Each configurable acquisition system provides you with high performance recording hardware and software components.
The primary difference between these systems is the use of digital headstages and analog (referencing) headstages.
Digital Lynx SX (DLSX)
The DLSX uses analog headstages along with our 24-bit A/D converters and hardware reference selectable Combo Boards, providing an industry leading input range of +/- 132mV, plus the ability to DC couple on a per channel basis. DC coupling allows the system to record extremely low frequency brain waves, below the typical .1 Hz of other systems. Additionally, the DLSX allows for variable sampling rates between 16 kHz and 40 kHz on all channels, up to 512 channels. The DLSX also has the ability to perform closed loop applications with our Hardware Processing Platform (HPP).
Digital Lynx SX-M (DLSX-M) & LabLynx
Our DLSX-M and LabLynx both utilize digital headstages, which sample at a fixed rate of 30 kHz with a 16-bit A/D conversion directly on the headstage. The input range is smaller than the standard DLSX at +/- 5mV, which is still perfect for most neuroscience applications. Both of these systems offer high channel capacity with less wires from the subject. Each 32 or 64 channel headstage requires only one 12 wire tether, thus reducing the number of channels needed for commutators, when applicable. Reference selection is not a feature of digital headstages, since only 1 is available for each bank of 32 channels.
The DLSX-M utilizes digital multiplexing (MUX) headstages with a maximum channel capacity of 128, while the LabLynx supports up to 256 channels. The DLSX-M has full access to HPP functionality for closed loop requirements, while LabLynx does not support closed loop applications. However, the compact, portable LabLynx wirelessly transmits data to your PC using the full feature set of Cheetah DAS - giving you greater flexibility in smaller lab conditions.
Each of these tethered acquisition systems provides its own unique advantages:
Tethered Acquisition Systems - Which System is Right for You?
| Specification | Digital Headstage | Analog Headstage | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noise - RMS | 2.4 µV | 1.3 µV | High / low noise |
| Noise - Peak | 10 µV | 5 µV | High / low noise |
| A/D Resolution | 16-bit | 24-bit | Low / high resolution |
| A/D Effective Resolution | 11-bit | 19-bit | Low / high effective resolution |
| Dynamic Range | 10 mV | 262 mV | Artifact saturation |
| Electrode Offset | 400 mV | 1100 mV | Options in electrode metals |
| Coupling | AC Only | AC & DC | Frequency response range |
| Input Leakage at +/-400 mV | <20 nA | <0.1 nA | High / low leakage |
| References per 32 Channels | 1, fixed local | 8, selectable local/global | Artifact & noise rejection options |
| Headstage Mass (32 Channels) | 2.5 grams | 2.4 grams | Similar headstage size |
| Tether Diameter | 3 mm | 2 mm | Similar tether size |
| Max Sampling Rate (32 Channels) | 30 kHz | 40 kHz | Low / high sample rate |
| Input Impedance at 10 Hz | 1.3 GΩ | >100 GΩ | Low / high common mode rejection |
| Input Impedance at 1 kHz | 13 MΩ | >73 MΩ | Spike sensitivity |
| Frequency Response, 1 MΩ Electrode (-6dB, 50%) | 1.5 kHz | 8 kHz | Spike amplitude signal to noise ratio |
| Reference Input Capacitance | 325 pF | 2 pF | Broad input impedance range, optimal frequency response |
| Reference Input Impedance at 1 kHz |
0.5 MΩ | 73 MΩ | Noise & artifact rejection |
Contact sales@neuralynx.com
We will direct you to the best solution for your tethered experiments.
Comments
0 comments
Please sign in to leave a comment.