+
+Most acquisition systems rely on a tether to transmit power and data between the
+headstage and the data acquisition controller. As the animal moves around during
+freely behaving experiments, the tether can get twisted and tangled which risks
+exerting torque on the animal. This can be is mitigated by using a commutator, a
+device that untwists the tether as the animal moves around while maintaining
+electrical continuity between the headstage on the animal and data acquisition
+controller. Our commutators don't require tether torque measurements to know in
+which direction to compensate for the twists. Instead, they use information from
+absolute orientation sensors on our 3D capable headstages. Torque-free automatic
+commutation relieves strain from the animal, encouraging more naturalistic
+behaviors and enabling long-term recordings.
+
+This tutorial demonstrates how to automate commutation using the Open Ephys
+GUI, a 3D capable headstage, and an Open Ephys commutator.
+
+Hardware Configuration
+#######################
+
+.. tab-set::
+ :sync-group: acquisition-hardware
+
+ .. tab-item:: Acquisition Board
+ :sync: acquisition-board
+
+ Make sure you have a `3D capable SPI headstage `__ which have an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU).
+
+ #. Follow the `Acquisition Board Quick Start Guide
+ `__
+ to establish the following necessary acquisition board connections:
+
+ - USB 3.0 connection between the acquisition board and the PC.
+
+ - +5V connection between the acquisition board and an AC power
+ source.
+
+ #. Follow the `SPI Commutator Connections section
+ `__
+ of the commutator hardware docs to establish the following necessary
+ commutator connections:
+
+ - SPI connection between the commutator's stator and the
+ `acquisition board `_.
+
+ - SPI connection between the commutator's rotor and the 3D capable
+ headstage.
+
+ - USB connection between the commutator and the PC.
+
+ .. tab-item:: ONIX
+ :sync: onix
+
+ Make sure you have a `3D capable ONIX headstage `__ which have an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), specifically, a BNO055 device.
+
+ #. Follow the `ONIX Hardware Guide
+ `__
+ to establish the following necessary ONIX connections:
+
+ - 2x (A & B) coaxial connections between the breakout board and
+ the PCIe host.
+
+ - SDR connection between the breakout board and the PCIe host.
+
+ #. Follow the `Coax Commutator Connections section
+ `__
+ of the commutator hardware docs to establish the following necessary
+ commutator connections:
+
+ - Coaxial connection(s) between the commutator's stator(s) and the
+ acquisition board.
+
+ - Coaxial connection(s) between the commutator's rotor(s) and the 3D
+ capable headstage.
+
+ - USB connection between the commutator and the PC.
+
+Software Configuration
+####################################
+
+#. In the Open Ephys GUI, download the source processor for your hardware
+ (:doc:`/User-Manual/Plugins/Acquisition-Board` or
+ :doc:`/User-Manual/Plugins/Onix-Source`) via “File > Plugin Installer”.
+
+#. Download the signal chain that corresponds to which hardware you are using.
+
+ .. tab-set::
+ :sync-group: acquisition-hardware
+
+ .. tab-item:: Acquisition Board
+ :sync: acquisition-board
+
+ :download:`Acquisition Board Commutator Signal Chain `
+
+ .. image:: /_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board.webp
+ :alt: Acquisition Board Signal Chain for commutation
+
+ .. tab-item:: ONIX
+ :sync: onix
+
+ :download:`ONIX Commutator Signal Chain `
+
+ .. image:: /_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source.webp
+ :alt: ONIX Signal Chain for commutation
+
+#. :ref:`Open ` the downloaded signal chain in the GUI.
+
+ .. tab-set::
+ :sync-group: acquisition-hardware
+
+ .. tab-item:: Acquisition Board
+ :sync: acquisition-board
+
+ Confirm that "IMU" occupies one of the slots in headstage port
+ indicator in the Acquisition Board processor after the
+ Acquisition Board is initialized and headstage ports are
+ scanned.
+
+ .. tab-item:: ONIX
+ :sync: onix
+
+ Confirm that one of the data devices on your headstage is a
+ "BNO055" and that it is enabled using the processor's
+ configuration canvas.
+
+#. Refer to the :doc:`/User-Manual/Plugins/Commutator-Control` page to
+ configure the Commutator Control processor.
+
+ - The selected Serial port should correspond to the COM port in which the commutator is connected.
+
+ - The selected Stream should correspond to a 3D data stream. If multiple
+ 3D capable headstages are used, dual commutators, multiple 3D data
+ streams could be available. Select the one you want to use.
+
+ - For typical usage of an off-the-shelf Open Ephys 3D capable headstage,
+ adjusting the rotation axis is not necessary. If you mount the headstage
+ in a non-conventional location, refer to the `IMU Data
+ `_ article and
+ `channel maps docs `_
+ for your particular hardware to figure out how to set the rotation axis.
+
+#. Make sure the GUI has connected to the acquisition system and click the ▶
+ play button in the top-right corner. The commutator now follows the rotation
+ of the headstage.
+
diff --git a/source/Tutorials/index.rst b/source/Tutorials/index.rst
index 6491079..f251604 100644
--- a/source/Tutorials/index.rst
+++ b/source/Tutorials/index.rst
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ The following tutorials are available for the Open Ephys GUI:
Closed-Loop-Latency
Data-Synchronization
+ Commutator
How-To-Make-Your-Own-Plugin
Making-Your-Own-Visualizer-Plugin
diff --git a/source/User-Manual/Exploring-the-user-interface.rst b/source/User-Manual/Exploring-the-user-interface.rst
index 772a2ef..88af888 100644
--- a/source/User-Manual/Exploring-the-user-interface.rst
+++ b/source/User-Manual/Exploring-the-user-interface.rst
@@ -87,6 +87,8 @@ Menu items
Below you'll find documentation for all of the commands available from the GUI's menu:
+.. _file:
+
File
-----
* **Open**: Browse for a previously saved signal chain XML file, and load it into the GUI.
diff --git a/source/User-Manual/Plugins/Commutator-Control.rst b/source/User-Manual/Plugins/Commutator-Control.rst
index d81ee31..98c495c 100644
--- a/source/User-Manual/Plugins/Commutator-Control.rst
+++ b/source/User-Manual/Plugins/Commutator-Control.rst
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ Commutator Control
.. image:: ../../_static/images/plugins/commutatorcontrol/oecommutator.png
:alt: Annotated settings interface for the Commutator Control plugin
-.. csv-table:: Prevents twist in the tether connecting a moving animal to a stationary `Open Ephys Acquisition Board Gen 3 `__.
+.. csv-table:: Prevents twist in the tether connecting a moving animal to a stationary `Open Ephys acquisition board Gen3 `__ using orientation data collected from a 3D-capable headstage.
:widths: 18, 80
"*Plugin Type*", "Sink"
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ Commutator Control
"*Key Developers*", "Brandon Parks, Aarón Cuevas López"
"*Source Code*", "https://github.com/open-ephys-plugins/oe-commutator-control"
-.. tip:: For more in-depth documentation on the commutator hardware, please refer to the `Open Ephys Commutators docs site `__.
+.. tip::
+ - For instructions and an example signal chain for using this plugin, visit the :doc:`/Tutorials/Commutator` tutorial.
+ - For additional documentation on the commutator hardware, please refer to the `Open Ephys Commutators docs site `__.
Installing and upgrading
==========================
diff --git a/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board b/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..8c4985c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board
@@ -0,0 +1,108 @@
+
+
+
+
+ 1.0.1
+ 10
+ 18 Sep 2025 14:52:36
+ Windows 11
+
+
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diff --git a/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source b/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0d0c977
--- /dev/null
+++ b/source/_static/downloads/tutorials/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source
@@ -0,0 +1,275 @@
+
+
+
+
+ 1.0.1
+ 10
+ 28 Sep 2025 17:48:59
+ Windows 10
+
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diff --git a/source/_static/images/SPI_commutator.mp4 b/source/_static/images/SPI_commutator.mp4
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..96fd7eb
Binary files /dev/null and b/source/_static/images/SPI_commutator.mp4 differ
diff --git a/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board.webp b/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..425ca82
Binary files /dev/null and b/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_acq-board.webp differ
diff --git a/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source.webp b/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source.webp
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..40d620a
Binary files /dev/null and b/source/_static/images/tutorials/commutator/commutator-signal-chain_onix-source.webp differ
diff --git a/source/conf.py b/source/conf.py
index 6de8fdf..d2961eb 100644
--- a/source/conf.py
+++ b/source/conf.py
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@
# extensions coming with Sphinx (named 'sphinx.ext.*') or your custom
# ones.
extensions = ["sphinx.ext.todo",
- "sphinx.ext.githubpages"]
+ "sphinx.ext.githubpages",
+ "sphinx_design"]
# Add any paths that contain templates here, relative to this directory.