OpenBCI and Bioexplorer / alternatives

SirLouenSirLouen
edited June 2019 in Software
After some years after I bought my OpenBCI, I've been waiting for this to happen (nearly 4 years now!!)
I've been using my board for a very limited set of things, Ive though a ton of times about of selling it, but I still have some faith: my exponential use could happen if I could leave behind my OpenEEG cranky sets and start using the OpenBCI with Bioexplorer

The big problem with other software like BioEra and Neuromore, that are technically great, is that NFB professional have not been specially drawn by these software, therefore, the specific protocols are extremely limited, and a lot of knowledge is needed in order to adapt them 

Two years ago I contacted the BioExplorer owner to ask if they were planning to introduce a driver for OpenBCI and they told me that in 6 month it may happen. But it didn't, from that point til now I've completely disconnected from OpenBCI and it has been put away in a drawer :(

So at this point I'm asking myself Something new around? Or is still unsupported?

Comments

  • wjcroftwjcroft Mount Shasta, CA
    edited June 2018
    Hi SirLouen,

    There are a number of threads here that mention our ongoing effort to get an OpenBCI Cyton driver (and possibly Ganglion driver), from Larry Janow, the Bioexplorer dev. Larry actually HAS a working beta Cyton driver, according to our correspondence with him last fall.


    As recently as early June 2018 we tried to get Pete Van Deusen (Brain-Trainer.com) to influence Larry in our favor. Pete sells many of the Bioexplorer licenses (dongles) through his website store. Both Pete and I wrote (I thought) compelling emails to Larry asking for his cooperation. No response came back from Larry. This is not unusual, but I had high hopes last year that it was close. Maybe that is not the case.

    I use BioEra regularly with my OpenBCI gear, and Jarek Foltynski, the developer, gives outstanding tech support, often responding within hours.

    Best regards,

    William

  • wjcroftwjcroft Mount Shasta, CA
    edited July 2018
    I made the comment below on another thread asking about possible ways to get Pete's Brain-Trainer neurofeedback going on OpenBCI.

    ----

    Here is a wild idea if you want to try some kind of workaround, and want to get into the firmware. It's possible to have Cyton emulate OpenEEG. That is a format that Bioexplorer already understands and is public domain.


    It's only 6 channels, not 8. And very small samples, 10 bits, not 24 like OpenBCI. AND, worst of all, it has sample rate of 256 hz, not 250 hz like Cyton. So the level of effort required to do this would be significant. The sample rate being the most problematic. You 'could' just do some trick like inserting 6 extra samples per second. But that would introduce some error in the statistics / signal processing done on that data. 6/256 = ~ 2%, so maybe not that bad. A better way to go would be to 'oversample' at say 500 or 1000 hz, then downsample to 256 (in the firmware). With that approach I believe the PIC32 has enough horsepower to do this but not certain.

    Chip Audette did an (very old by now) version of this OpenEEG emulation for the V1 firmware. I'm not sure he addressed the sample rate issue. Unfortunately it would be unwise to try installing this on Cyton's that have the newer V3.x firmware. So would have to be retrofit. Also, there is the issue of being able to easily switch back and forth between firmware emulations. I don't believe you would want to ONLY do OpenEEG. That would be incompatible with the OpenBCI GUI and all our other mating software. So perhaps on Cyton bootup, you would check a configuration jumper or switch to determine if you are in the optional OpenEEG mode, or the default OpenBCI mode.
  • joeMjoeM
    Hi, Willian

    Can you tell me if anything was developed (since july-2018) to emulate OpenEGG from Cyton? or was it just a suggestion that did not thrive?

    Thank you!
  • wjcroftwjcroft Mount Shasta, CA
    edited June 2019
    Joe, hi.

    The latest development is that Pete Van Deusen, who owns Brain-Trainer.com, is porting his neurofeedback protocols to BioEra from Bioexplorer. Of course all the previous owners with Bioexplorer will still be supported. But I think his plan is to move new users to BioEra, which has excellent support from the developer Jarek Foltynski. The Bioexplorer dev (Larry Janow) has stopped responding to emails, sometimes for years. We had hopes that he would finish his Cyton driver and release it, but he got hung up on Ganglion, and abandoned his essentially completed Cyton driver; much to our disappointment. I honestly don't get it. Pete expressed his consternation as well.

    BioEra supports both Cyton and Ganglion, and LabStreamingLayer as well. 

    Not sure the timeframe for Pete's BioEra protocols. You could check with him.

    Regards,

    William
  • ElliotMElliotM United States
    In a recent email exchange with Pete he said July is the estimated release of some essential designs and later the full suite. 

  • SirLouenSirLouen
    I should have bought and learnt bioera like 5 yr ago
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