MENTALAB Explore Arrived User Guide
- June 12, 2024
- MENTALAB
Table of Contents
Explore Arrived
User Guide Mentalab Explore+
Quick Start Guide
Explore Arrived
Thank you for purchasing Mentalab Explore+
Building upon years of experience designing ExG systems, Mentalab Explore+
represents the height of mobile EEG design.
Providing exceptional data quality, fast set-up times, remote updates,
internal memory, opensource
APIs, and much more, Explore+ was designed from the ground up to meet the
needs of researchers.
It’s Explore
Plus
32 channels
1kHz streaming
2kHz offline recording
μS precision
Triggers via USB-C
Remote updates
Internal memory
Getting started
This guide contains basic information to help you start streaming and
recording data with your Mentalab Explore+ amplifier.
For more extensive information regarding safety and usage, please refer to the
user manual. Further guidelines and instructional videos can be found at
wiki.mentalab.com.
Typical package contents
- Mentalab Explore+ amplifier
- Electrodes of your choice
- Cap of your choice
- Shockproof case
- USB-C cable
- Elastic cap
- Electrode gel
- Bluetooth dongle
- Cleaning set
Bluetooth ID
To locate your amplifier’s MAC address – its Bluetooth ID – look at the label
on the back of the amplifier. The last four digits on the label are the
amplifier’s Bluetooth ID.
For example, the label below corresponds to an amplifier whose Bluetooth ID
(MAC address) is Explore_1438:
F C C I D : T 7 V P A N 1 0
| | Explore+ 8| Explore+ 16| Explore+ 32
---|---|---|---|---
No. channels| 8| 16| 32
SPS (Hz)| Offline| Up to 2k| Up to lk
Online| Up to lk| 250
Weight (g)| 27| 36
Battery life (hrs)| 4 – 10
Diff. input range (mVPP)| 800 (±400 mV)
Input impedance (GO)| 1
Resolution (bits)| 24
RMS noise (NV)| <1
Interface| USB-C
Flash memory (MB)| 512| 4000
Bluetooth range (m)| **** 10
Start-up and data collection
- Charge your amplifier via USB. A green LED indicates sufficient battery. Disconnect from the power source prior to use.
- Position the electrodes in the cap, attach cables to dry electrodes, and connect the cable set to the amplifier. Each channel records against a unipolar reference electrode. Use Velcro to secure your amplifier to an EEG cap.
- Push the power button to start the amplifier. It will now record data to internal memory.
- Two blue blinks per second indicate that the amplifier is advertising via Bluetooth, MAC address Explore_XXXX.
- Once a Bluetooth connection to the host machine has been established (see Section: API), your Explore+ amplifier will start transferring data via Bluetooth. Use Explore’s opensource APIs to access impedance values, visualize the signal stream, change device settings, and more.
- Press the amplifier’s button once to set an event marker. A pink LED signal indicates that a marker has been set.
- Turn off the amplifier after use. To do this, hold down the amplifier’s button for three seconds until the LED blinks red three times. Always shut down your Explore+ amplifier before connecting it to a host machine via USB.
Instructions
The following table describes Explore+’s LED light codes.
| LED color | Blinking pattern | Indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow Green Red | Solid at start-up | Start-up in progress. Color indicates |
battery level.
(green: > 60%, yellow: > 30%)
Blue| Solid at start-up| Start-up in progress.
Blue| Blinking 2x / sec| Bluetooth visible and advertising.
Blue| Blinking 1x / sec| Bluetooth visible and connected to host machine.
Online mode in progress.
Green| Blinking 1x / 3 sec| Bluetooth is inactive. Offline mode in progress.
Pink| Blinking 1x / sec| Not enough space in memory. Press the button three
times to free up space.
Light pink| One-time flash| Button pressed. Marker with timestamp
corresponding to buttonevent stored and transmitted
Red| Flash 3x| Amplifier shut down.
Connection
To pair your Explore+ amplifier with a mobile or computer, use your host
machine’s standard Bluetooth menu. Explore+ transfers data online as soon as a
Bluetooth connection is established.
If the connection is lost, Explore+ will revert to advertising mode, ready to
reconnect. Explore+ will remain in this mode for four minutes before moving to
offline mode.
Data
Explore+ samples ExG data at 250 Hz (default) with a 24-bit resolution. The
amplifier also records and transmits temperature, battery voltage,
accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer data. This means you can derive the
absolute orientation and status of your amplifier at all times.
Explore+ stores data in binary files (.BIN suffix). To retrieve your data,
connect your amplifier to a computer via USB. To delete files, format the
memory using our open-source APIs. Please refer to the user manual or website
for more details.
Software
Capture and visualize data using Explore’s APIs written in Python, Java, and
MATLAB. Everything is open-source.
explorepy, written in Python, is our most mature API. It provides an extensive
set of tools that allow you to build customized biosignal applications.
For detailed instructions on how to install and use explorepy, see:
https://explorepy.readthedocs.io.
Explore Desktop provides a user-friendly graphical interface for explorepy. It
allows you to measure impedances, visualize data, push to LSL, and set event
markers.
Event triggers
Explore+ supports three kinds of event triggers.
- Amplifier button press.
- TTL pulse: Requires a USB TTL pulse generator (Mentalab trigger stick), a trigger isolator, and a USB to USB-C cable. Generates minimal latency event markers.
- Software markers: Use Mentalab APIs or external software like LSL and OpenViBE to generate programmatic markers.
Contact
Mentalab is a biomedical technology company from Munich, Germany. Mentalab
Explore+ is a high-end, mobile measurement device for biosignal applications.
Mentalab Explore+ is used by researchers and scientists around the world in
applications ranging from brain-computer interfaces to sleep and
neuropsychology research.
Mentalab Explore+ is not designed for medical use. It should not be used for
diagnosis or treatment in a medical context.
Our team is always happy to support you in developing your own innovative
solutions.
contact@mentalab.com
https://mentalab.com
https://github.com/Mentalab-hub
https://explorepy.readthedocs.io
Mentalab GmbH, Weinstr,. 4, 80333 Munich
Mentalab US LLC, 2670 Worden St #19, San Diego, CA 92110