MENTALAB Explore Arrived User Guide

: June 12, 2024
: MENTALAB

Table of Contents

Explore Arrived
Getting started
Instructions
Contact
References
Read User Manual Online (PDF format)
Download This Manual (PDF format)

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. MENTALAB Explore Arrived - fig 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

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. MENTALAB Explore Arrived - fig 1 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