Devang Panchal

D18- 41

STUDY OF OPEN EEG

If you choose to use the Open EEG project hardware and/or software to do neurofeedback
training or experimentation on yourself or others, you do so ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN
RISK.
The most important aspect of device safety is to maintain an electrical isolation barrier
between a user connected to an EEG device, and the device (typically a computer) to which
the EEG device is connected. All of the open EEG devices have been designed with the
intention of providing this isolation barrier.
However, if there is an isolation failure in the EEG unit due to an accident, or faulty design,
or faulty parts, or faulty construction, and the EEG subject touches a live mains voltage in
their environment, the mains voltage will take the shortest route to earth, which is through the
subject's body. If the isolation in your EEG device has failed, these objects will deliver an
incredibly dangerous shock through your brain if they are carrying a mains voltage at the
time they are touched. So, as a precaution for your own safety, it is best to avoid touching
these objects even if you are sure that the isolation in your EEG device is good.
Potentially dangerous objects to touch while connected to an EEG device include, but are not
limited to: Electric shock can also be caused by the EEG device itself if the electrode
connections somehow become connected to the internal power rails. If you are aware of any
other unpleasant side effects of using EEG equipment or doing neurofeedback training,
please let us know through our mailing list, and we will update this WARNING file.

Hardware:
Modular EEG: The Modular EEG device is made up of two or more EEG amplifiers, and a
6-channel signal capture board that connects to a PC via a standard serial cable. The standard
setup has two EEG channels. The modular EEG is currently the most popular of the EEG
hardware designs created by the Open EEG hardware developers. The modular EEG is also
good for people wishing to experiment with newer ideas as it has bi-directional serial
communication, microcontroller firmware that can be modified and updated, and spare
analogue inputs and digital I/O pins available for custom applications.
Electrodes:

The active electrodes described here work by putting a unity-gain amplifier right next to the
electrode up on the scalp. This greatly improves the signal quality received by the modular
EEG and avoids the skin preparation and conductive paste required by normal passive
electrodes.

Soundcard EEG (scEEG) prototype:

Everyone has a sound input to their computer these days. If we used it to record EEG signals,
the EEG hardware itself would be simpler and cost less. Most audio systems filter out
frequencies below 20 Hz. The signals we want to capture are mostly below this frequency so
we can not just plug in EEG amps and go.When the modulated signal has been captured by
the sound card, it is demodulated to its original form, in software. The whole signal chain
looks something like this:

Brain => EEG amplifier => hardware modulator => sound card => software demodulator

EEG Calibrator:

The EEG Calibrator is intended for the performance measurement, confirmation and evaluation of
various EEG Neurofeedback devices and solutions. It could also be used toevaluate
neurofeedback treatment protocol design behaviour as designed in software packages such as
BioExplorer, BioEra or similar. The EEG Calibrator can produce 1 to 64Hz sinewaves of known,
fixed amplitude. It allows for frequency sweeps and pulse generation. The latter is a square wave
pulse that can be used to measure things like settling time, digital filter response, phase delay, etc.

Softwares:
Neuroserver
BioEra
BrainBay
Brainathlon
ABI BCI
BWView
EEGMIR
ElectricGuru
BioExplorer