Openephys-neuropixels: selecting sites from multiple banks

[haofanglee]

Hi there,

I am wondering if it is possible to select/view channels from different banks of a single neuropixel probe? Currently with the neuropixel plugin, if I enable bank1, all channels in bank 2 and 3 are automaticlaly disabled and cannot be viewed in the LFP viewer. Does that mean I can only select channels to view/record in a single bank? Thanks!

[medengineer]

Hello,

Neuropixels probes can record from up to 384 electrodes at a time due to the limited number of ADC/amplifier channels in the headstage. The probe’s ~1000 electrodes are divided into banks, with switches controlling which electrodes connect to the 384 available channels.

If you select all electrodes from Bank 1, the 384 connections are fully used, so electrodes from other banks cannot be enabled. However, you can distribute the 384 connections across multiple banks—for example, half from Bank 1 and half from Bank 2, or a third from each bank, etc.

The only rule is that no more than 384 electrodes can be active at once, and two electrodes cannot share the same channel connection (e.g., the same local position in different banks). The Neuropixels plugin ensures these constraints are met automatically as you select electrodes.