Light, small and compact
The compact (14 x 10.5 x 7mm) and lightweight design (1.2gr) of the BlueBerry along with its ease of implementation and open source nature make it an ideal candidate for optogenetic studies on small freely moving rodents such as mice.
Battery
The battery-powered approach in designing BlueBerry enabled its use in various large scale environments without the need to adjust the experimental arena for wireless power transmission. BlueBerry uses special small Li-Ion rechargeable coin batteries from VARTA.
BLE communication
The BlueBerry includes a dedicated stand-alone bluetooth module (RN4871) responsible for receiving all necessary optogenetic stimulation protocol/channels.
Dedicated PCB
All electrical components are interconnected and mounted through a standard 2-layer compact PCB design.
Electronic components
The design utilizes readily available electronic components. A microprocessor (ATtiny85), is responsible for decoding all Bluetooth packets and delivering high-power pulses to the output channels via a two-channel MOSFET. This setup ensures efficient and reliable processing and control, leveraging the capabilities of standard, commercially available parts.
Standard connector
LED pulses are routed through standard miniature connectors, offering flexibility in the design of brain implants.
Interfacing the brain
Output channels of the Blueberry are plugged into a connector interfacing with implants fixed beneath the animal's scalp targeting either cortical layers or deep brain structures through customizable implants.
Superficial stimulation
Targeting superficial cortical regions using miniature high-power LEDs (60mW) mounted on flexible PCBs.
Deep brain stimulation
Targeting deep-brain regions by coupling high power LED with an optical fiber.