Safety Housing for Cyton [resolved]
@wjcroft Hi! Is there any safety, purpose-built, housing available for the Cyton to prevent bare electrical wires from accidentally coming into contact with the Cyton Biopotential Input Chennels or the ends of electrode wires/leads connected to the Cyton? If not, could such a housing not be fabricated using wood, allowing sufficient air-flow around the Cyton for adequate ventilation?
Presumably, the ends of cables/wires connected--via electrodes and conduction paste/cream (EC2 Grass)--to the scalp of a patient undergoing EEG monitoring/PSG would be touch-proof to prevent accidental conduction of voltage or current into the patient's brain from stray electrical sources?
Comments
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=cyton+enclosure&as_sitesearch=openbci.com
You don't actually need a plastic enclosure. If you come across a small stiff paper or cardboard box that is slightly larger than the board, that could work just fine. Use some type of small clip to fasten it to the shirt of the subject. Making something out of wood could be heavy and bulky.
https://www.amazon.com/slp/small-cardboard-boxes/63ragcjzakvc5ar
https://www.amazon.com/Aviditi-Corrugated-Mailer-Length-Height/dp/B00BT54XJO
https://www.ebay.com/itm/SMALL-POSTAL-CARDBOARD-MAILING-BOXES-PACK-OF-10-STRONG-BOXES-MULTILISTING/171997738643
DIY cut cardboard,
http://brainwaves.io/wp/blog/2017/04/27/openbci-ganglion-container/
3x3x1 box
https://www.ebay.com/itm/50-3x3x1-Small-White-Corrugated-Cardboard-Packaging-Shipping-Mailing-Box-Boxes/272566550048
@wjcroft Thanks. I did not actually mention a plastic enclosure, but will carefully consider the suggestions which you made. One of these was:- "Use some type of small clip to fasten it to the shirt of the subject."
Would the clip not be a cumbersome thing to have on one's clothing for 9 to 12 hours or even during sleep?
My idea was to have 72" lead wires from the electrodes on the scalp to the Cyton to enable it to be placed on the floor next to the skirting board and out of harm's way. And since the Cyton would be in a wooden enclosure placed on the floor, the weight of the wooden enclosure would not matter and may only lend itself to the stability of the Cyton and the feet that come with it.
The reason I mentioned plastic, was that the first link I gave, showed different types of DIY plastic enclosures. Either 3D printed, or made of plexiglas / acrylic / polycarbonate. Plastic sheeting material is thin and strong and easy to cut and shape.
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=cyton+enclosure&as_sitesearch=openbci.com
The DIY cardboard link above shows a type of clip and neck loop. I forgot in your case you are doing sleep EEG. I think in most sleep labs they have the electrode leads coming off the head and going up to a 'headbox' near the headboard of the hospital bed. You can see lots of photos here,
https://www.google.com/search?q=eeg+sleep+lab&rlz=1C5CHFA_enUS577US577&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X
Although there are a couple photos showing the EEG leads attaching to amplifiers worn on the body. I would say that placing the Cyton on the floor would be causing more friction on the leads as the person rolls back and forth during the night. Best to have the leads attach closer to the subject. Within a couple feet of them. 72 inch leads are six feet long. My impression from the photos. is that the sleep labs are using much shorter leads, attached to the amp near the head.
Since the Cyton is so light, even in a cardboard or plastic enclosure, it could also be taped to the headboard. Several of the photos show the amp sitting near the headboard on top of the mattress. Taping it to the actual headboard would be easy. At least one of the photos shows the headbox mounted above the headboard. But in that photo I think they have screws in the wall that it hooks to. The taping idea sounds like a good compromise.
@wjcroft Would the Bluetooth dongle at the end of my repeater/USB extension cable attached to the USB port of my laptop then be inserted into its own housing provided on the Cyton (within the cardboard enclosure) or would it be taped separately to the headboard of the hospital bed as close as possible to (say, 6 inches away from) the Cyton to receive the streamed EEG signals via Bluetooth?
If you are using a usb extension cable / dongle, to reach the other room on the other side of the hospital concrete wall -- then just having the dongle in the same room with the Cyton should be sufficient. Should not be necessary to position right next to the Cyton.
You can also try an experiment first to see if the Cyton can talk with the dongle THROUGH the concrete wall. Then you don't have the hassle of stringing the extension cable between rooms. This might be the case if the straight line distance between Cyton and dongle is say less than 10 feet. (Including wall.) Bluetooth can go through some walls, depending on the thickness and materials. Some concrete / concrete blocks / brick / wall, contains steel 'rebar' reinforcement. This would tend to block radio waves.
@wjcroft Would the Bluetooth dongle at the end of my repeater/USB extension cable attached to the USB port of my laptop then be inserted into its own housing provided on the Cyton (within the cardboard enclosure) or would it be taped separately to the headboard of the hospital bed as close as possible to (possibly 6 inches away from) the Cyton to receive the streamed EEG signals via Bluetooth?
Please, remember that another related safety concern is that my Netbook would be plugged to a mains outlet in an adjoining hospital room. Hopefully, this would not pose as a safety issue as far as the EEG electrodes and Cyton are concerned?
Hi, I thought I answered this already. (1) first try to see if you can avoid the usb extension cable for the dongle. It might actually reach through the wall separating you from your subject's hospital room.
(2) if you do have to use the dongle on usb extension to get the radio signal over to the other room -- then location of the dongle in the other room should be not very relevant. You could probably just have the dongle a few feet inside the doorway of the room. I suggest not placing it on the floor, but perhaps taping it on the wall, say a few feet off the floor. Or tape it to a convenient surface / table near the door. You DO NOT need to have the dongle right next to the Cyton. It is already designed to reach across most distances inside rooms. Whether the radio signals can reach through your hospital walls is yet to be determined. First try suggestion in #1 to see if you can just abandon all the hassle of running the extension cable.
Generally the best tape for fastening material (cables, boxes) to walls or headboard, etc. -- is Scotch Blue Painter's tape. It has a strong bond, yet is easily removable. Leaving no residue, nor harming painted surfaces.
https://www.amazon.com/ScotchBlue-Sharp-Multi-Surface-Painters-Tape/dp/B004CZPL4E/
@wjcroft Sorry for repeating my question above. It appeared not to have been dispatched to you until your answer showed it to have been sent twice. Thanks for replying twice to the same question, nonetheless.
Did you see the related concern which I raised:-
"Please, remember that another related safety concern is that my Netbook would be plugged to a mains outlet in an adjoining hospital room. Hopefully, this would not pose as a safety issue as far as the EEG electrodes and Cyton are concerned?"
Sorry for any inconvenience.
Yes, the dongle has an electrical connection to the usb port (power and data), on your laptop / netbook. But, the only connection between the dongle and the Cyton mainboard, is via Bluetooth radio. The Cyton is battery powered, so no possibility of contamination with mains issues. It does NOT matter how close the dongle is to the Cyton, as long as they are not touching electrically.