Users in the www.openbci.com forum made progress to using Multiple Ganglion boards at the same time

Last Updated on October 9, 2024 by pg@petergamma.org

A user in the OpenBCI forum found a solution to sample data from multiple Ganglion boards:

https://openbci.com/forum/index.php?p=/discussion/2505/multiple-ganglion-boards#latest

www.openbci.com moderator William Croft about this topic:

«In general, for example with EEG, you cannot really using multiple boards on the same person. Because the sample times are not synchronized. Realize that with Cyton, when used with a Daisy expansion, all 16 channels are sampled at the same instant.»

Peter Gamma from www.petergamma.org about this topic:

  • For a professional solution all channels of all Ganglion boards needed to be sampled at exaclty the same time.
  • This is not possible with the current architecture of OpenBCI.
  • It could by solved by:
  • daisy chain algorithms for the ADS1299 chip.
  • or by an external clock for the ADS1299 which synchronizes the chips.
  • Both of these solutions would require a fimware modification of OpenBCI
  • And I do not know if would also require a hardware modification, a direct connection between the Cyton boards for transmitting the clock signal as fast as possible.

The effort for such a solution seems to be big. If it would be worth doing, I suppose someone would already have done it. I think it is easier at that point to start a new project based on InfluxDB:

  • devices from mBrainTrain offer EEG devices from 24 channels up to 64 channels, but they are expensive and not open source soft- and hardware.
  • The Meditation Research Institute Switzerland (MRIS) found out that heart rate and breath rate are sufficient for meditators who want to practice with a technology assisted device.
  • A Fenix 6 offers these parameters, but unfortunately is basically not suitable for scientific applications.
  • To build up a new device with a 3 channel ECG device, respiration rate estimation and a spirometer would be a good solution for us personally.
  • This requires only 4 channels.
  • This could be solved with OpenBCI Ganglion.
  • But meditation research without brainwaves is according to our own little experience not very satisfying.
  • For us personally to start a new project based on InfluxDB seems currently more interesting than based on the ADS1299.