Headware — OpenBCI Forum

Screws, springs and end sleeves (Europe)

mikelo — Thu, 27 May 2021 22:31:22 +0000

Hi all,
I would like to buy screws, springs and end sleevers for the dry sensors. If possible, I would like to find a European supplier (delivery point Spain). Could you send me interesting links to make the purchase?
Thanks a lot for your help,
Best,
Mikelo

broken Ultracortex electrode wire / how to repair ?

ht_steve1976 — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 14:24:24 +0000

The cord of the electrode was torn off as shown below. So I'm going to solder it back together and repair it, but I'm sure this repair method won't be a problem Ugh.
If you have any other good repair options, please let me know.

Choosing a headset with these goals

Portable7411 — Sat, 31 May 2025 10:39:57 +0000

My goals:
1) Ego dissolution. Practice death so not to be afraid of it when it happens. Are consumer level products good enough for this?
2) Improve social processing / reduce ASD / ADHD
I want to consider 2 budgets:
A) Money is no object. I see this project as important.
$1500. Perhaps the reality of neurofeedback doesn't match the idealism of it.
My values:
1) Access to data. Open access to the hardware. Even glued-in batteries annoy me. Needing to send data to the cloud would be unacceptable.
2) Mac compatibility. I don't think there is anything out there for Mac, but I thought I'd ask. As an alternative, the ability to train with a phone (Android, iPhone) would be fine, just for training.
I'm OK with getting a map done by someone else here in Hong Kong and then just training with their guidance.
3) After mapping, ease of daily use.

I asked a provider this question before. They sent me to a guy in the UK, but I'm never going to go there to get a map done the other side of the world.

SSVEP and Acceptable Ranges for Railing Percent

dcgaines — Wed, 15 Jan 2025 19:51:51 +0000

Hello,
I recently purchased an OpenBCI system and am currently trying to start with using SSVEP. So far I have been unable to see a consistent spike in the FFT plot in response to stimuli. I tried looking through past forum posts but most pointed to the MindAffect GitHub repo which does not appear to be active anymore. I've begun to suspect signal quality - we are sometimes able to see the alpha wave at 10Hz but I'm not sure how prominent it should be. Most channels are showing a railing % of 30%-50% after adjusting the electrodes (dry combs). Is this in the acceptable range, or is there a problem we still need to fix? I see a lot of threads on how to fix railing, but not many mentions of what ranges I should be looking to get these to.

Thanks!
Apologies if this is in the wrong category, I can't find a way to change/delete it

Ultracortex signals keep saying 'railed' [resolved]

vspuzzler — Tue, 03 Dec 2024 14:46:11 +0000

I have had this issue for a few months now, and after I put the headset on, the signals say that they are railed. I did the recommended things to fix this (check connections, make the electrode tight on the head, etc.), but none seem to work. When I put on the ear clips, the signals seem to worsen, and all become railed. When I don't use the ear clips, at least some go into and out of being railed.

How do I fix this issue?

Blue Electrode disconnected from the wire

Haleem — Tue, 07 May 2024 19:06:19 +0000

Hi, I have a problem while adjusting/twisting a blue electrode mount. I didn't disconnect it from the coloured cable, and now two of the electrodes are disconnected from its body. How can I fix this problem? I have attached an image of it as well.!

3D model of ultracortex with 61 locations for 3d printing?

zavesones — Thu, 28 Mar 2024 23:28:06 +0000

Hello everyone,

where can I get the file of the ultracortex with 61 sampling locations like in the photo?

the normal range of impedance

Beefburger — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 05:11:08 +0000

When using the HYDRO-LINK wet electrodes for acquisition, what is the normal range of impedance?

Problem regarding the EEG signals captured

hansamali_paul — Tue, 13 Feb 2024 06:52:07 +0000

recently, I brought an OpenBCI headband kit with 8 electrodes. when I record the EEG signals and plot it it with mne the signal showed an uptrend as in the image EEG_raw_signal. the signal was saved in the format of .bdf. same problem goes when I save the file with OpenBCI txt form.
I tried to plot the Power Spectral density plot too and in the plot it shows that the power is gone below 0 as shown in the image EEG_raw PSD.
This is the hardware set up of the device (hardware setup).
please give me a solution to this problem.

Size question about headset

byhand — Fri, 05 Jan 2024 23:09:03 +0000

Hello,
I want to buy a headset. The circumference of my head (measured from about 1 inch above my ears
) is roughly 57.5 cm (22.5”). Will the Med headset (48-58cm) be a good fit? Thanks!

Limited Warranty?

bwins — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 02:48:06 +0000

I understand there is no warranty that the equipment is suitable for any type of use. However, is there a manufacturer's warranty on the hardware that it will not break down within 12 months after receiving? There is a 30-day refund period. But is there anything that says OpenBCI stands behind the boards they manufacture?

Changing screw on Ultracortex

Salman — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 08:18:49 +0000

Hi,
Is the screw on Ultracortex also coated with Ag-AgCl? Can I replace it with a regular stainless steel screw?
Thank you.

Experience with OpenBCI Gel-Free Electrodes and VR

srikrbha — Mon, 04 Sep 2023 03:16:40 +0000

Hello Everyone,
I am a PhD student working on passive BCIs and VR. Wanted to get one of these gel-free electrode bundles: https://shop.openbci.com/products/all-in-one-gelfree-electrode-cap-bundle from OpenBCI for my VR project since their specifications perfectly match our requirement. I have tested prior electrodes like Emotiv with VR headsets like HTC Vive and the Meta Quest but those are quite uncomfortable for the user unlike the gelled counterparts. Wanted to know if anyone had the experience of using the gel-free electrodes with the VR HMDs before taking a decision.

Any info on their experience with VR is helpful. Alternatively, any suggestions on alternative EEG headsets would also be welcome
Thank You!

Which EEG headset

bthomas999 — Fri, 03 Feb 2023 18:34:25 +0000

Hello, I want to get and EEG kit. What is everyone's recommendations? Also, I would rather have the cap but the 3d printed headset is cheaper. Is there more artifact in one or the other? Any recommendations of the headset or the board?

Setup for data acquisition during instrumental performance

brainmusicguy — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 21:29:31 +0000

Hello,

I would like to make real-time EEG measurements during live music performances. The biggest challenge seems to be gathering data from wind instrumentalists. As far as I can tell, the specific challenges are:

Heavy involvement of the facial muscles while playing wind instruments leads to artifacts that overpower usable data.
The while the performer is on stage, they often are in the vicinity of badly shielded electrical equipment, which interferes with the measurements.

Are there any EEG setups that are particularly well suited for these setups? Are some kinds of electrodes better for this than others? Which placement would work best?

I tried using a Muse S (mostly because of it’s low cost), but that one is not very well suited for the task, since all it’s electrodes are very close to the face. I thought maybe the cEEGrid system might work (I heard they might be available soon through OpenBCI)?

I would also be grateful for any hints towards any literature that might me helpful.

Thank you for your help!

Edit: I hope I have put this in the right category. Please move the thread, if that is not the case.

Ultracortex, managing longer hair

Shyamal — Fri, 17 Mar 2023 20:36:56 +0000

Hello,
we are having some trouble getting the correct impedance levels in those with long hair and was wondering if anyone has any tips for getting good readings when they have longer or thicker hair. We also tried using the 5 mm Comb Reusable Dry EEG Electrode. We are using Cyton Daisy hardware.
thanks

3d print enclosure for dongle

skiria8 — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 22:44:20 +0000

Are there any files to 3d print an enclosure for the dongle?
I remember printing one in the past but all links seem broken. I wonder if it's been removed.

Gelfree electrode cap: impedance fluctuation

Poulami_Mandal — Mon, 06 Feb 2023 06:18:35 +0000

How did you measure sculp impedance in openBCI with gelfree electrode ? I mean when we press test button and release it shows some impedance around 15 kohm and when we go to another test button the impedance always increases to 60 to 70 kohm. I mean it fluctuates a lot.

When we press check all channel then the impedance updates in 5 seconds as in task bar it is set for 5 seconds but last impedance increases to 60 to 80 kohm always.I do not understand why it is happening?

in Ultracortex design, are the blue electrode mounts printed?

FiveFunnyThree — Sun, 11 Dec 2022 21:56:30 +0000

From my understanding, the blue electrode mounts are not parts that are 3D-printed. Is that correct? In that case how can they be purchased? I know I can get them from the OpenBCI shop, but I'm thinking more into the future, like in case the OpenBCI shop ceased to exists or for people in regions where its particularly difficult to obtain deliveries from the US.

Washing OpenBCI sintered Cap

E_motion — Thu, 22 Aug 2019 14:10:36 +0000

Hi,
I just bought an EEG sintered cap, which requiers gel to record brainwaves.
https://shop.openbci.com/products/openbci-eeg-electrocap This cap looks nice but there are few informations about it, it looks like no one is using it.

Anyway, it is mentioned that washing the cap could substantially increase its longevity. I was thus wondering how to wash it. Have some of you already used it ? How do you process to wash it ? The electrodes should be removed from the headset ?

I have read there gtec.at/Support-Offer/FAQ/Electrodes and there tsgdoc.socsci.ru.nl/images/0/01/Cleaningprocedure_EEG_June2017.pdf that electrodes the washing should be proceeded using distillated water, Sekusept plus®.

It is also specified on the Gel recommended by OpenBCI https://shop.openbci.com/products/electrodegel?variant=28056992776264 to use Ivory® to remove it. But these sources are not specific to this cap and do not say the same thing (Use the brush, do not use the brush, use distilled water, use running water). I thus want to know how do you wash this cap ?

Thank you for your feedback
Augustin

electrode cap railed / all channels display the same data

rainegu — Sat, 12 Nov 2022 11:23:45 +0000

Hello, complete beginner researchers to EEG here using the Cyton Daisy boards. Currently only testing with the 8 Cyton channels, not using 4 and 8, and the data we get is completely incomprehensible.

Data when not railed: Seems to all be the same even though they are connected to different sensors?

Data when all railed: Unsure why this is happening spontaneously.

Our impedance values look great and strangely enough the channels with worse impedance values seem to produce differing results?

We have checked previous forum questions on background noise cancelling, Notch is 50 + 60 Hz, Smoothing is On, our black wire is connected to the bottom BIAS pin. Is our data interference from background noise? Room is relatively quiet apart from pc which dongle is connected to, the fan noise is unavoidable. Otherwise lights have been turned off and other devices moved away. We have tried the blink test to no avail.

We are also unsure about: single end of white Y-split cable is currently connected to the small square receptor of one of the spare coloured wires, and that wire is connected to the REF of the cap. Is this interpretation correct?
Current setup:

Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

Using the Ultracortex Mark IV with a Brainmaster Discovery 24 amp

garlorco — Sat, 08 May 2021 20:07:21 +0000

I am hoping for input. I love the open bci concept!!!
I am using a discovery 24 amp from brainmaster and want to get a headset with 16 channels. As far as I understand, I will be limited to 16 sites and want to do 19 site whole head training in slorretta. Is there a way to get the Mark IV to record/train at 19 sites?

Specific info about "Non 3D-Printed Parts" for Ultra Cortex Mark 4

Bolek — Sun, 12 Jan 2020 01:20:47 +0000

Hi,
we’re currently in the process of building a device (Cython + Ultra Cortex Mark 4) for some experiments with a few friends. And we decided to build it all ourselves as a learning experience. We figured that should be doable also based on this forum discussion - http://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/921/ultracortex-mark-iv-electrodes-units
There are a few things that we weren't able to really figure out from the documentation (or perhaps I am just bad at searching).

Here's the table with all the parts needed taken from the shop page

Question 1)
We can obtain the screws and ribbon cables, however, I can see some springs in this picture as well?

The springs are not mentioned in the “What parts come in the box” table, so my question is whether the springs used are following the same rationale and specifications as those in M3, mentioned here? https://docs.openbci.com/docs/04AddOns/01-Headwear/MarkIII

Question 2)
Ear clips are sourced directly from the Fri-Fl shop, right? Or is it necessary to get some special connector or wiring with them?
https://www.fri-fl-shop.com/product/td-430-silver-disc-electrode-ear-clip/

Question 3)
I'm fairly certain that the spikey units are these ones. https://www.fri-fl-shop.com/product/new-longer-5mm-spike-disposable-reusable-dry-eeg-electrode-tde-210/
The question is what kind of wiring? Is it the one suggested on the website? https://www.fri-fl-shop.com/product/tde-207xx-1-5-mm-safety-jack-for-eeg-electrodes-specify-color-and-length/

Question 4)
Do you have any special dry electrodes or are those still from Fri-Fl as well? The link to the dry electrodes being used with M3 is now being redirected to TDE-201. https://www.fri-fl-shop.com/product/tde-201/

Question 5)
Comfort units were 3D printed or injection molded I presume. Is this STL from Ultra Cortex M3 still relevant or were there any changes for M4? If so, where could I get the STL for that? Or is a comfort unit only the electrode holder without anything in it?
https://github.com/OpenBCI/Ultracortex/blob/master/Mark_III_Nova/STLs/MECH_PARTS/Comfy_Insert.stl

Thanks for your great work and for your help!

Search for the Ultracortex Mark IV comfort units .STL

Manaker — Sun, 15 May 2022 15:50:34 +0000

Hi, I have printed all the Ultracortex Mark IV of the 3D print part, But I can not find the comfort units .STL .Could anyone send me these files, thinks.

Brainsense compatibility ?

karthiksg — Tue, 10 May 2022 04:20:10 +0000

need to know if the brainsense band is compatible with this software
https://pix.cobrasoftwares.org/image/xtjk

electrodes used in Ultracortex ?

System — Tue, 26 Apr 2022 15:46:23 +0000

This discussion was created from comments split from: READ THIS for tips on using the OpenBCI forum and resources.

Electro-Gel expiration date / can it be used with Electro Cap?

rmib200 — Thu, 14 Apr 2022 19:40:59 +0000

Hi, my electrode cap arrived yesterday. But the Electro-Gel arrived with the date already expired in February. Can it still be used with the electrodes?

Ultracortex Mark IV vs Gelfree Electrode Cap?

Dustin — Tue, 09 Nov 2021 22:31:05 +0000

I have some grant money (€2400) that will expire at the end of the month and I want to buy an EEG system to test some research ideas. I have searched many different distributors, and it seems that I can get the most channels with OpenBCI. I also like open source projects in general, so I want to support their ideals.

However, I cannot decide on whether to get the Ultracortex Mark IV or the Gelfree Electrode Cap. I would get the 16 channel variant of either that includes the CythonDaisy board. What are the pros and cons of each? I lean towards the Gelfree Electrode cap because it looks nicer, but the Mark IV has more electrode position possibilities. Would both work during VR? What about during navigation outside? Since both connect to the same board, I would think they are the same in this regard.

Could I measure ERPs with either of them or is the dry cap technology not sufficient? I saw one study where ERPs could be measured from Muse, so I would assume both of these would be sufficient.

Would either of them work with the ThinkPulse Active Electrodes if I decide to upgrade?

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Wires Color on Pre-Assembled Ultracortex

lei — Sat, 06 Nov 2021 06:36:44 +0000

Hi, we ordered a Pre-Assembled All-in-One Biosensing R&D Bundle recently. However, the wiring that came with the pre-assemble Ultracortex Mark IV Cyton+Daisy did not match the wire colors on listed on https://docs.openbci.com/AddOns/Headwear/MarkIV/
Electrode--Wire Color--Cyton Board Pin
Ear Clip--Black--Bottom SRB pin (SRB2)
FP1--Grey--Bottom N1P pin
FP2--Purple--Bottom N2P pin
C3--Blue--Bottom N3P pin
C4--Green--Bottom N4P pin
etc...

instead we are seeing this on the pre-assemble set sent to us
Electrode--Wire Color--Cyton Board Pin
Ear Clip--Black--Bottom SRB pin (SRB2)
FP1--Purple--Bottom N1P pin
FP2--Grey--Bottom N2P pin
C3--Green--Bottom N3P pin
C4--Blue--Bottom N4P pin
etc..

should we swap out the wires so that they matched the colors stated?
or should we just ignore the color mistakes?
will it give us problems further down the road?

many thanks!

questions on Ultracortex M4: 3D-Print / Mechanics [resolved]

Alexander_Zuest — Mon, 17 Feb 2020 12:12:46 +0000

Hi
I work with the Ultracortex M4 Headset which my university purchased within the Neurotechnologist Starter kit URL: shop.openbci.com/collections/frontpage/products/d-i-y-neurotechnologists-starter-kit?variant=13043169493064. We purchased the "Print it yourself" version of the kit.

As soon as I received the package, I started printing the parts according to the settings specified in the assembly guide. I used multiple different PLA printers. Jet the results in terms of part quality were quite insufficient. There are two main issues. Firstly, the cover part for the CYTON has multiple solid-state joints, those were printed incredibly bad and broke of very easily. The second problem was encountered while printing the first half of the headset grid. Some parts broke up during the printing process.
I then discussed the results with a professor who is specialised in additive manufacturing and I had a closer look at the part geometry. We came to two conclusions.

The headset should be printed as one part with ABS and with the inserts in place. The flat and vertical connecting surfaces of the two-part-assembly are not suited for mechanical loads. If possible, the part should be printed as a whole and else the surfaces should be angled for better mechanical connection with glue. The ABS printer should have high enough precision to print the inserts as part of the grid part. (ABS printing remains significantly more expensive than PLA but should be safe to deliver the desirable result.)
The cover part for the Cyton is extremely thin, further the solid-state joints have sharp edges which should be avoided when constructing solid state joints. Those edges also were, where all our parts broke off. I then started a mechanical simulation of the robust case from the development kit. (I wanted to simulate the standard part, which I printed, jet the simulation program had a problem with .stl file during mesh generation because of bad part quality and I could not find a .stp of the same part.) The simulation showed a minimal safety factor of only 0.143 (See Figure below). A safety factor of around 1.1 is desirable.

The simulation is of course slightly simplified and only meant to identify the location of the problem(s). The biggest simplification is that the mechanical properties of the part are currently set as solid PLA (100% infill). Even so, this should show that there is a not negligible problem with the solid-state joints in this part.
I searched the forum for similar problems, but I did not find an answer which would solve my problems.

Based on the above described situation I have the following Questions/ Requests:

Is there a file with the complete headset (front and back) and the inserts in place?
(So we could use it for ABS print)
Does someone have experiences with printing the part with ABS?
Did someone else experience problems with the printing of the cover part? Especially the solid-state joints breaking off?

Thank You for your support!

Alex