Ratphones: An Affordable Tool for Highly Controlled Sound Presentation in Freely Moving Rats

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Figure 1.
Ratphones 3D design and 3D-printed resin pieces. A, Set of 3D-printable parts. B, Set of resin-printed parts. C, D, Front view of all the parts assembled to form the final structure that holds the speakers, in the 3D model and printed, respectively.
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Figure 2.
A, Skull base 3D printed in resin, without and with the magnet in place. B, C, Front and rear view of a skull base chronically implanted.
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Figure 3.
A, B, Front and rear view of a set of Ratphones adjusted under anesthesia. C, Set of Ratphones assembled and glued together, including the speakers, cables, and connector.

Table 1

List of parts needed to build a set of Ratphones

Parts	Description
3D-printed pieces (stls files provided)	Implantable skull base
	Central piece
	Lateral bar (×2)
	Speaker box, front (×2)
	Speaker box, back (×2)
	Lateral bar to speaker box connector (×2)
Magnets	B222 (K&J Magnets, Inc.) one-eighth × one-eighth × one-eighth inch thickness; grade N42, nickel-plated magnetized through thickness
	B3301 (K&J Magnets, Inc.) three-sixteenth × three-sixteenth × one-thirty-second inch thickness; grade N42, nickel-plated magnetized thru thickness
Speakers	Knowles active receiver (MOD 2403260 00031; “Petra”)
Connector	Connector header through hole 3 position 0.100 inch (2.54 mm)