FAQ

What is ONIX?

Read this page for a high-level introduction to this hardware and how it differs from classic neuroscience acquisition systems.

What does ONIX stand for?

Open Neuro Interface X, the Open Ephys implementation of the Open Neuro Interface specification.

How is ONI different than ONIX?

Open Neuro Interface is a hardware and API specification designed to meet the needs of experimental neuroscientists. ONIX hardware and liboni are implementations of the ONI specification.

What is Open Ephys?

Open Ephys is a company and team of neuroscientists, engineers, and hackers who believe that neuroscience benefits greatly from advanced, well-documented, open-source hardware and software. Have a look at the Open Ephys Website for a comprehensive overview of our mission and projects.

Is ONIX hardware available for purchase?

The system is currently in a beta test phase and will be made available on the Open Ephys Store following that.

Where do I get help when using the system?

Have a look at the Contact page.

Can I use Headstage-64 with a silicon probe instead of tetrodes?

Yes. Have a look at Adapters & EIBs to see if an option exists for your probe. If not, get in touch because making an adapter is quite simple.

Can I use my older Intan headstages with the system?

No. ONIX headstages use serialization hardware to allow mixtures of devices to exist on the headstage. This is incompatible with older, SPI-based headstages. Have a look at Coaxial Data Serialization & Power for more information on why.

Why is there no Open Ephys GUI plugin for ONIX hardware?

Have a look at the Open Ephys GUI page.

I have existing acquisition hardware. Can I can use your API and software to acquire data from it?

Yes. We tried to design our API so that it decouples hardware details from software in a generic way. Have a look at the Driver Translators page for more information on how to use the ONIX API with your hardware. Depending on how your device communicates with the computer it may only take 10’s of lines of C.

I have existing acquisition software. Can I integrate support for ONIX hardware using your API?

Yes. Have a look at the ONI API Documentation to get started. Also let us know if you want help.