Last Updated on September 30, 2024 by pg@petergamma.org
Are the OpenBCI modules sold on eBay & Aliexpress only a collection of modules with issues? We have discussed this topic previously.
Stellarpower tested a 16 channel OpenBCI module with Wifi shield he bought not from www.openbci.com in the OpenBCI forum.
- He had issues with the WIFI shield
- These issues can in principle be repaired by a soft- and hardware modification
- Chinese seller offer also a version with a WIFI shield which has not the issue of the original version.
- But this seemed to be only a temporarily offer
- Eventually the Chinese sellers want to sell their stocks with issues.
Jenelson has issues with Chinese board with communication between Cyton and WIFI
- Stellarpower had not these issues.
So in total we have reports of issues with the WIFI shield and with the connectors. And if the modules without issues are sold, then only modules with issues remain from the Chinese sellers.
It should in principle also be possible to let manufacture OpenBCI modules by PBCway:
But would not someone have done this a long time ago, if it would be possible and cheaper than products from www.openbci.com? Also PiEEG was announces as affordable ADS1299 module alternatives, as well as HackEEG. But none these products where a sucess up to this date.
We found somewhere the information in the web that it is not possible to manufacture OpenBCI modules below the price they are sold from www.openbci.com. Altough we are investigating this topic since several years, we did not find a solution either, or would know of someone who whould have found a solution.
A module which cannot be bought from www.openbci.com is the OpenBCI WIFI shield. It is available on eBay and Aliexpress. Some of them might have issues. But there are instructions available how to repair it. You can find those on www.petergamma.org:
https://petergamma.org/tag/openbci_wifi_shield
Developments based on InfluxDB are more affordable than based on OpenBCI, but currently also more difficult to build. And it is used mainly by developers at the university level. But if you are one of those, and even if you are only a hobbist, it might be worth to get your information in a university library like this one:
https://infozentrum.ethz.ch/en
To avoid frustrations with products based on the ADS1299, for instance to look for affordable alternatives to products from www.openbci.com. and finding only alternatives with issues.
What we write here are arguments to choose other platforms than OpenBCI as soon as possible. We suggest not to invest too much time anymore in developments based on OpenBCI modules and the ADS1299, and turn towards alternative architectures as this one: