connect the OpenBCI Cyton 'official cable version' over USB to Linux?
I m looking for a mobile EEG data acquisition system based on the new Linux Pinephone. Is it possible to connect the OpenBCI V3 official cable version 8 or 16 Channels over USB and use it with Linux software?
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Peter, hi.
There is no "official cable version" of Cyton. Cyton uses a usb dongle, which contains an RFduino. There is a matching RFduino on the mainboard.
The recommended way to connect to a usb port on a mobile device, is to use what is called an "OTG adaptor". This turns the usb port into a "host port", which can accept the dongle. The Cyton then appears as a usb serial port device on the mobile.
William
If you are just using any other normal Linux with usb ports, the dongle plugs in directly. No OTG adaptor needed. The OpenBCI GUI should run fine with any Linux.
There are some old threads, regarding connecting Cyton via a usb cable, using an FTDI usb serial breakout, tacked onto the Cyton mainboard. But this is really NOT the way to go, provided the OTG adaptor cable works for you. Just use a mobile device such as a tablet that has a decent / large internal battery that does not mind the small load added by the Cyton dongle.
https://www.google.com/search?as_q=usb+wired&as_sitesearch=openbci.com
Rather than the phone, the Pinetab looks to be a better choice. My viewing of the Pinephone shows it is out of stock anyway.
https://www.pine64.org/pinetab/
https://www.pine64.org/devices/single-board-computers/pine-a64-lts/
Another Pine option, which is shipping.
Thank you, William. The PinePhone is out of stock, but it will be in stock again in a month or so. The Linux Pinephone is new and is currently sold as a device only for developers. A problem with the Linux Pinephone is the short battery life of about two hours, but this can be solved with a power bank.
Here is explained how to connect the Cyton over USB to Linux:
https://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/2689/connect-the-openbci-cyton-official-cable-version-over-usb-to-linux#latest
How can the Cyton board being connected over USB to the Matlab Toolbox EEGLAB in Windows 10?
@Peter_Gamma, hi. I merged your new thread into this existing one on the same subject area.
Again, as mentioned previously, usb wired connection is not recommended as it is difficult and there were also issues with increasing the bit rate over the cable. It's easiest and most supported to use the Cyton dongle in a usb host port.
See this section of the Brainflow documentation for Matlab programming.
https://brainflow.readthedocs.io/en/stable/BuildBrainFlow.html#matlab
In addition, the OpenBCI_GUI can use the Networking Widget to output LSL LabStreamingLayer. Matlab has LSL capability. However note that EEGLAB is generally not used for real-time programming. Instead it specializes in doing signal processing on recordings. The real-time / BCI version of EEGLAB is called BCILAB. And support / development for BCILAB, I believe, has ended. There are other real time signal processing platforms that may be more suitable: OpenViBE, MNE / C++, etc.
Regards, William
Thank you very much, William. Maybe the EEGLAB plugin BCILAB does not need support, since it is only a plugin which works or does not work, and is sufficient for my purpose. Good to have two options available with the Cyton board, OpenBCI GUI 5.0 based on BrainFlow and BCILAB/EEGLAB connected over LSL.
What is your application, what are you wanting to accomplish? EEGLAB works with recordings; BCILAB is for BCI applications which are real-time signal processing. If you only are working with recordings, then the OpenBCI_GUI can create those in either CSV or BDF formats. Then there is also no need for the real-time connection between Cyton and Matlab.
I m looking for a solution to analyse data of daily meditaton practise. I m currently importing daily .csv data from a training tracker, and it is very uncomfortable. I have to edit every single .csv file and merge it together with other data. An application which can do this controlled by scripts would be highly desirable, also for EEG data.