Buyer's Guide
[Miniscope V4 Wiki] [Miniscope DAQ Software Wiki] [Miniscope DAQ Firmware Wiki]
In this repository we have included everything you need to source, fabricate, and assembled V4 Miniscope however you choose. The Buyer's Guide below focuses on options available through open-source distribution groups (currently OEPS and LabMaker) for purchasing fully assembled V4 Miniscopes, V4 Assembly Kits, assembled and tested DAQs, and other Miniscope accessories. The vast majority of labs should follow the options discussed in this guide for obtaining and setting up Miniscopes in your lab. If however, you want to procure V4 Miniscope components individually you should follow our Part Procurement guide.
A Note on the Open-Source Nature of the Miniscope Project: With the Miniscope project being an open-source project, any person, group, or company has the option of putting together and selling any part of this system. While this has generally resulted in mostly well put together parts and system for previous Miniscopes released, there is always the risk that some groups/companies will supply less-than-adequate components/systems. We try to work with open-source distribution groups and commercial companies interested in distributing parts of our system to make sure the work/support/systems they provide are up to the standards the neuroscience community expects. In the procurement guide below, we try to list as many avenues as possible of getting quality components for Miniscopes. If you know of, or have questions about, other sources of components/systems feel free to ask us about them on the Miniscope Discussion Forum.
This guide is broken up into 3 sections: Miniscope DAQs, Miniscope Assembly Kits and fully assembled Miniscopes, and other Miniscope Accessories. We will provide details and opinions on what is currently available to purchase through online stores.
Note: Currently, we suggest researchers use OEPS to purchase everything they need for Miniscope experiments. The Miniscope team has worked closely with Open Ephys Production Site (OEPS) since 2019 to develop a road-map for what we think will be the future of open-source tool development, dissemination, and distribution. OEPS is strongly committed to advancing open-source tools and helping the global neuroscience community. Additionally, OEPS stands behind all the items on their site with warranties and support. Below, we provide all purchasing options currently known to us but if you are interested in supporting the Miniscope project and, more broadly, continued open-source tool development/distribution we highly suggest you consider the OEPS purchasing options.
If you need just some of the individual machined components (housings, baseplates) you should also check out MiniscopeParts.com. The Miniscope Team has worked closely with the machinist that runs the site since the beginning of the Miniscope Project and everything sold on the site has been validated by us and is compatible with OEPS devices. The machinist does a lot of pro bono prototyping work for the Miniscope project, so purchasing items from this site also supports the Miniscope project.
You will need a Miniscope Data Acquisition (DAQ) Box to connect your Miniscope to your computer. The V4 Miniscope will work seamlessly with all previous generations of Miniscope DAQs. So if your lab has already been using Miniscopes there is no need to purchase new DAQ's unless you need more of them.
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OEPS's Miniscope DAQ v3.3 [Validated by the Miniscope and NINscope Projects]: This Miniscope DAQ supports the previous generation Miniscope (V3.x), the current generation Minsicope (V4), and the open-source NINscope developed by the Hoogland Lab. OEPS's DAQ includes a programmed and tested DAQ PCB along with a housing for it. This is our preferred Miniscope DAQ if you need one.
OEPS has updated the Minsicope DAQ design (from version 3.2 to version 3.3) to include the following additional features:
- Doubled, future-proof internal memory
- Access to one additional IO
- 5V tolerant digital inputs, which means that you can connect directly to an Arduino or a 5V TTL signal
- Layout re-design that makes it directly compatible with NINscope
OEPS also carries some Miniscope DAQ Accessories but these are not required for the Miniscope system to be functional.
- LabMaker's Miniscope V4 -DAQ PCB [Validated by the Miniscope Project] All of the Miniscope DAQ PCBs listed on the LabMaker site should be functionally equivalent but the "Miniscope V4 - DAQ PCB" comes pre-programmed to run the V4 Miniscope. This DAQ PCB is based off the Miniscope DAQ v3.2. If you want a housing for it you can 3D print one yourself or get one printed here.
The V4 Miniscope can now be purchased as a fully assembled system or as an Assembly Kit. We do prefer the v4 Miniscope Assembly Kit option over fully assembled options as we feel the process of building a Miniscope yourself is extremely valuable. It helps you understand what goes into the Miniscope, gives your confidence that it won't break (and if it does you can fix it), and might even spur on some ideas for modifying your Miniscope to best fit your experiments.
- OEPS's Miniscope V4 Assembly Kit [Validated by the Miniscope Project]: This kit includes everything you need to assembly a fully functional V4 Miniscope. It is important to note that you will still need to order the coax cable, baseplates, and a DAQ separately. This Assembly Kit is our preferred mention for labs to get up and running with the V4 Miniscope. While it will take time for you to build a V4 Miniscope yourself (should just under a day for your first time and under an hour once you know what you are doing) we feel the experience and knowledge you gain more than makes up for the time you will need to put in.
- LabMaker's Miniscope V4 Assembly Kit: This kit should include everything you need to assembly a fully functional V4 Miniscope. It has not been validated or tested by the Miniscope Team.
- OEPS's Assembled V4 Miniscope [Validated by the Miniscope Project]:
- LabMaker's Assembled V4 Miniscope:
All the Miniscope V4 Baseplates listed below are the variant 2 version of the Baseplate. If you are getting Miniscope parts from any of the links above then you will always be using the variant 2 Baseplate. This version is compatible with V4 Miniscopes that have an aluminum sleeve around the bottom portion of the Miniscope.
- OEPS's Miniscope V4 Baseplates [Validated by the Miniscope Project]:
- Miniscopeparts.com Miniscope V4 Baseplates [Validated by the Miniscope Project]: All items sold by this website have been fully validated by the Miniscope Team and the machinist that runs the site has worked with us since the beginning of the Miniscope project.
- LabMaker's Miniscope V4 Baseplates: There is a chance these are not fully compatible with Miniscopes/baseplates from OEPS or Miniscopeparts.com
- OEPS's Coax Cable Assembly Kit and Fully Assembled Cable [Validated by the Miniscope Project]:
- LabMaker's Coax Cable Assembly Kit and Fully Assembled Cable: