Question 1

How can I capture and manipulate live data from ActiveThree or ActiveTwo?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

We are often asked one of several different flavors of this question. The version of the question people ask tends to depend on their preferred code development platform. People want to capture live data, manipulate it in some way, and either act on the data as it comes in (closed loop applications, such as brain-computer interface or neurofeedback), or just display and/or store the data in some way that is unique to their intended use of the system. They ask:

Can I read an ActiveThree BDF data file as it is written without interfering with the performance of the data acquisition software?
- Yes, but the technique is not documented anywhere by Biosemi. Most important to know is that a BDF data files is closed after each block of data is written, so there is a window of time for reading the file between writes, and the length of that window depends on the speed of your computer processor, speed / efficiency of your storage medium, and your selected sampling rate (indirectly set by choosing a decimation ratio in ActiView).
Does the ActiView software have a built-in mechanism to stream full bandwidth live data over a network in a generic form that I can capture and manipulate with my own software in C#, Python, MATLAB, etc?
- Yes. See this forum thread for details.
Is there an SDK for ActiveThree?
- Yes, there is an SDK. See this page for SDK details. However, note that the SDK was written for ActiveTwo, and some special knowledge is needed to adapt it for use with ActiveThree. Biosemi has been willing to share additional details on a case-by-case basis.
Is LSL supported by ActiveThree? Or, is ActiveThree supported by LSL?
- ActiView 10.2 and above for use with ActiveThree has an LSL server built-in. There is no need for a third-party Biosemi plugin. However, for ActiView 9.X and earlier versions for ActiveTwo, a third-party plugin was distributed with the Lab Streaming Layer distribution on GitHub.
Is Biosemi's ActiView software open source?
- Earlier versions of ActiView (9 and below, for ActiveTwo) were offered with LabVIEW source code. As of this date, no announcement has been made about whether source code for ActiView 10 will be made available.

So, for the most part, the answers to the various formulations of this question are "YES".

Question 2

How to install EMSE Locator 2.0

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

Locator Software Installation

Locator is delivered either as a self-contained downloadable installation program or on a USB flash drive, depending on which type of license you purchase. In either case, you will receive an installation program called Locator_Installer.msi that you will need to run as administrator. When you run the installer, you will be presented with a Welcome Screen asking you to confirm that you want to proceed with installation. After you click Next to proceed, you will be asked to accept the Software License Agreement. Finally, on the Confirm Installation screen, you will be asked to reconfirm that you wish to install the software. After confirming, you will see the Installing Locator screen indicating that Locator is being installed.

After the process has completed, you will see an acknowledgement that installation has been completed.

If you want to uninstall Locator, you must use the Add or Remove Programs tool found in Windows Settings > Apps > Installed Apps.

The installation process will place an icon on the current user’s Windows desktop to access the program. If you click the Windows Start button or press the Windows key on your keyboard and then type Locator, you will see a link to launch the Locator app.

Locator launch button shown when you type Locator from Windows Start menu.

Folders Created by the Installation Procedure

Folders	Contents
C:\Program Files\Cortech Solutions\Digitizer	The Locator application (.exe) and its required DLLs and other resources
C:\ProgramData\Cortech Solutions\Locator\head_model	The New York Head in various 3D file formats
C:\ProgramData\Cortech Solutions\Locator\probe_template	A selection of pre-built electrode probe files that have been coregistered with the New York Head
C:\ProgramData\Cortech Solutions\Locator\sequence	A selection of pre-built electrode digitization sequences
C:\ProgramData\Cortech Solutions\Locator\Sound\female voice	Pre-recorded sound files in a female voice for each of the electrodes in the provided probe and sequence files
C:\ProgramData\Cortech Solutions\Locator\Sound\male voice	Pre-recorded sound files in a male voice for each of the electrodes in the provided probe and sequence files

License Activation

The Locator software license can be activated in one of two ways:

Activate USB License

Requirements:

Installed HASP USB driver (required before plugging in the USB dongle)
Plug in the HASP USB license key (with red LED illuminated)
Locator.hkey file (USB hardlock license activation file)

Steps:

Install the HASP USB driver.
- The HASP USB license key driver will be provided with the Locator installation media, whether you download the installer or we provide a USB flash drive containing the media. Double-click on the file install_HASP.bat to install the HASP driver. Running haspdinst.exe directly WILL NOT install the driver. The file Haspdinst.exe will be provided with the Locator installation media, whether you download the installer or we provide a USB flash drive containing the media.
- This must be done before plugging in the USB license key.
Insert the HASP USB license key into a USB port.
- If the driver is installed, the red LED on the USB key should illuminate.
Click “Activate USB License.”
A file dialog will open. Navigate to the location of your Locator.hkey file.
- If you purchased a perpetual EMSE Locator 2.0 license (model SA-EM-MOLO, dated after August 1, 2025): The file is on the USB flash drive included with your package.
- If you upgraded to Locator 2.0 from an earlier version: The file was sent via email. Save it to your computer before proceeding.
Select the Locator.hkey file → Click OK.
If successful, a notification will confirm activation. You can now use Locator.

Activate Machine License

The machine license binds the license to the computer where the software is installed (no dongle required).

If you purchased a one-year Machine License (model SA-EM-MOSLO), you will activate it using the 3-Step Machine License procedure. This process begins with the invoice (sales order) number from your purchase.

If you ordered online, you should have received an email with your invoice/sales order number and activation instructions.

Selecting this option in Locator 2.0 opens the 3-Step License Activation dialog.

In the 3-Step License Activation dialog:

Step 1: Enter the Order Code provided by Cortech Solutions in the first field and click Apply.

Step 2: A Machine Code will appear in the second field

Next, you will need to login at cortechsolutions.com using the same email address / account under which you purchased the software, and then visit the page cortechsolutions.com/emse-machine-license/ where you will see a link to the licensing page:

Clicking the Access Customer Care Portal link will take you to the Machine License activation page:

Enter the sales order / invoice number we provided, and the Machine Code that the 3-step licensing dialog displayed in the Machine Code field. The form will then provide you with an Activation code that you can paste into the Activation Code field in the 3-Step License Activation dialog in Locator.

Step 3: Paste the Activation code displayed on the form to the Activation Code field in the dialog, and then click Apply.

If all of the steps were completed correctly, the "Activated modules: Locator" message appears, click OK to start using the software.

If you encounter any problems with this procedure, please contact EMSEsupport@cortechsolutions.com with your sales order / invoice number, the email address of the purchaser, and a description of the problem or error message you are experiencing.

License Status

Selecting this menu item will display a dialog in which the current status of your license will be displayed. This will let you know whether your license is active or inactive and how long you have before it expires.

Help > About Locator

This option will display a dialog in which the version number and build number of the installed Locator software will be displayed. This information may be requested if you report a software bug or a licensing issue.

YouTube Video Covering Installation and License Activation

Question 3

Streaming Live Biosemi Data to Python

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

ActiveTwo users who are interested to stream live Biosemi data to Python should check out Ted Burke's blog post at:

https://batchloaf.wordpress.com/2014/01/17/real-time-analysis-of-data-from-biosemi-activetwo-via-tcpip-using-python/

This example shows how to use Python to capture live data streamed from ActiView using the built-in TCP server. His code was developed for ActiView for ActiveTwo, but ActiveThree also has a built-in TCP streaming function, so it should be possible to adapt Ted's example for use with ActiveThree as well.

Question 4

Streaming ActiveThree Data to Lab Streaming Layer

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

A new ActiView version 10.3 and AD-box firmware version 2.2 are available for ActiveThree systems.
The combination of this new acquisition software and firmware enables support for Lab Streaming Layer

ActiView 10.3 has native LSL support, and no extra plugins or further software is required. ActiView 10.3 functions as an LSL server, and all regular ActiView functions (display, saving to BDF file, etc.) remain operational during LSL streaming. All installed EEG channels as well as the connected sensor channels are streamed to LSL, with the sample rate selected in ActiView. The preprocessing for the auxiliary sensors is performed in ActiView.

LSL streaming is handled by a separate software thread to prevent delay and jitter by the main display/saving-to-file thread. In addition, the instantaneous backlog value is transmitted for each streamed data package to allow LSL to compensate for computer processing delays. The backlog is the time between the moment that a sample is stored in the intermediate ring buffer by the USB driver and the moment that it is read from the ring buffer by the LSL streaming thread in ActiView. Latency and jitter values below 10 millisecond can be achieved this way.

Native LSL support in ActiView 10.3 greatly simplifies the synchronized acquisition from ActiveThree along with other measurement devices supported by LSL.

If you have an ActiveThree system and are interested in using LSL, contact us about whether your firmware version would need to be updated to support this functionality.

Question 5

What are the computer requirements for the Biosemi ActiveThree system?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

ActiveThree is provided with drivers and host data acquisition software for Windows computers only as of May 7, 2025. This could change in the future, but we are not aware of any plans to support additional operating systems.

Note that certain applications, such as event-related potentials, often require a separate computer to run experimental control / stimulus delivery software. The requirement for a separate computer for stimulus delivery is more a function of the experimental control software needing full control of computer resources to do its job.

In brief, the computer requirements for the ActiView data acquisition software and USB interface driver are:

Operating system:
- Windows 10 / 11
RAM: 16 GB or more
Hard Drive: recommend 1 TB SSD, but user should anticipate free space needed for data (file size in bytes is approximately = 3 X AD rate in Hz X number of channels X number of seconds recorded)
Display: 1920 x 1080 or higher resolution display
One free USB 2.0, USB 3.0 or USB C port
- SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT USB CHIPSETS: Small form factor computers without PCIe expansion slots should be avoided. The Intel W480 chipset found in many brands of small form factor desktop computer is not capable of keeping up with USB 2.0 High Speed data rates, and in the past this has caused problems with capturing data at the high data rates and channel counts supported by ActiveThree. If you opt for a small form factor computer, be sure to use a computer that has at least one free PCIe expansion slot that you can add a PCIe expansion card with one or more USB 2.0 or higher ports in case the onboard USB controller does not comply with the USB 2.o Hi-Speed standard.

Note: The ActiveThree computer DOES NOT NEED A PARALLEL PORT. A parallel port on the experimental control computer can be used to send stimuli to ActiveTwo, but we provide a USB virtual serial port trigger cable with every new system, so a parallel port is not needed for triggering.

In addition, the following are recommended for the ActiveThree host computer:

Network interface and remote storage for data backups
Accessories such as an extra monitor / keyboard / mouse, extension cables, etc to permit access to the EEG display from the separate room for the subject

Recommended arrangement of computers and cabling for ActiveThree

Question 6

What are the main differences between ActiveThree and its predecessor, ActiveTwo?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

ADC type - ActiveThree uses a 24 bit SAR ADC, while ActiveTwo uses a 24 bit Delta-Sigma ADC. This SAR ADC provides a cleaner frequency response without spurious tones that can occur with Delta-Sigma ADCs and may impact ones ability to distinguish signal from noise at certain frequencies in FFR paradigms.
Number of channels -- ActiveThree has a maximum of 136 biopotential channels plus six auxiliary sensors. ActiveTwo has a maximum of 264 biopotential channels plus four auxiliary sensors.
High frequency response - ActiveThree has a low-pass antialiasing filter at 5.4 kHz, while ActiveTwo has a low-pass antialiasing filter at 3.2 kHz.
Battery type - ActiveThree uses a single Li-ion battery cell, while ActiveTwo uses a multi-cell Lead-acid battery unit. This new battery type supports the use of modern low voltage components and greater power efficiency.
Auxiliary sensors for ActiveThree require no installation of new internal components -- all that is needed is already built-in. All you need to do is purchase the sensor and plug it in. The software automatically detects what is plugged in and displays/saves the sensors being used. ActiveTwo requires internal sensor couplers to be installed inside the AD box, and the user needs to select the desired sensors on the Sensors tab.
ActiveThree's CMS/DRL circuitry was redesigned for improved suppression of interference from a wide range of ubiquitous high-frequency interference sources.
Weight - ActiveThree's AD box weights 1.76 lbs with the battery, and ActiveTwo weights 2.4 lbs with the battery.
Size - ActiveThree's AD box measures about 6.4 X 5.9 X 2.4 in with battery, and ActiveTwo's AD box measures about 4.7 X 5.9 X 7.5 in with battery.

Question 7

Accessing ActiveTwo skin-conductance/GSR signals through the C++ SDK

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

As you will see in these posts at the Biosemi forum:

GSR data undergoes additional processing within ActiveView before storage in the BDF file. GSR signals are normally processed within ActiView to derive a meaningful signal from the original excitation / oscillator signal. Note: this discussion assumes your GSR unit is of the most current type, which uses a 16 Hz oscillator (units in ActiveView are nanoSiemens). The GSR waveform displayed in ActiView cannot be accessed directly through the SDK, so your software will have to perform the necessary arithmetic to derive a GSR waveform from raw signals on these channels:

GSR 1: chan 265 vs chan 266
GSR 2: chan 267 vs chan 268

The amplitude of the resultant 16 Hz filtered square wave is a measure of the impedance between a pair of GSR electrodes (voltage drop of the 16 Hz, 1 uA excitation current). Scaling of your GSR signal can be validated with a few test resistors between the GSR electrodes (with CMS+DRL connected to one of the GSR electrodes). Admittance (in Siemens) is then the inverse of the calculated impedance (in Ohm). Here is a summary of the steps you should take to derive a GSR signal from the raw data stream from the SDK:

Differential is calculated between the raw channels: Signal1 = CH266 – CH265
Signal1 is low passed filtered: Chebyshev 4th order, lowpass, 16hz cutoff, 1dB ripple. After the low-pass filter, the data are floating point values.
Signal1 is scaled (gain of 13.3): Signal1 = 13.3 * Signal1. This is a scaling factor determined by hardware components.
Collect a full 16 Hz wave, and then determine the min/max values in this wave at a rate of 32 Hz (after a new half wave is collected). Consequently, on 2048 Hz, the GSR value is determined in each group of 128 data points, after each new set of 64 samples (proportionally more on higher speedmodes with higher sample rates, and proportionally less on downsampled signals),
The difference in the maximum and minimum values of the buffered Signal1 is calculated: Signal2 = max(Signal1inbuffer)- min(Signal1inbuffer)
Signal2 is scaled: Signal2 = Signal2/8192. Original 24 bit data has LSB = 1/32 uV, extra byte is added in receiver to construct 32-bit integers, conversion to uV by dividing by 32*256. No data is lost by doing this since there is no information in the 4th byte.
Signal2 is inverted: Signal3 = 1/Signal2. Admittance (Siemens or Mho) is inverse of impedance (Ohm).
Signal3 is scaled to nanoSiemens: Signal3 = 1E+9 * Signal3
Signal3 is then what is stored in the BDF file (after some data type/endian operations).

The resultant GSR data stream is at 32 Hz sample rate. This signal is up-sampled to the original sample rate by copying values. This is only done to keep the eventual BDF file simple with the same sample rate for all channels (although BDF does support different sample rates for different channels).

Question 8

Do BioSemi active electrodes have a slew-rate problem?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

It was brought to our attention that a rumor is buzzing around among EEG researchers that there may be an inherent noise problem with active electrodes. The source of this rumor is a paper published by Sarah Laszlo et al. in 2014, see https://docksci.com/a-direct-comparison-of-active-and-passive-amplification-electrodes-in-the-same-a_5aa0d4a8d64ab26eb17f2006.html . In this paper, the authors compare the performance of one particular brand (not BioSemi) active electrodes with passive electrodes, both connected to a conventional EEG amplifier (also not BioSemi). Both active and passive electrodes setups were tested with low (2 kOhm) and high (50 kOhm) electrode-to-skin impedances.

The authors find that the total noise (250 Hz bandwidth) for passive electrodes is higher with high electrode impedance, whereas the total noise with the active electrodes is equal (and nearly as low as with passive electrodes with a low impedance) for both low and high electrode impedances. However, they also determine that the number of sweeps needed to achieve a reliable ERP result is higher with high electrode impedances for both the active and passive setups. Note though, that the number of required sweeps did not show significant differences between active and passive setups.

So far so good. The paper starts to derail when the authors attempt to explain why in the tests with high skin-to-electrode impedances, the number of sweeps required for reliable ERP is similar for active and passive setups, instead of a lower number of sweeps for the active case as they would expect on the basis of the better total noise results. So although the active electrodes do not perform any worse than passive electrodes, they basically wonder why the performance is not better than it is. The relevant paragraph is printed below:

A logical first step in analyzing the above discrepancy would have been to analyze the noise spectra (for example a relatively small band of extra noise with frequencies around the ERP waveform would explain that the total noise number is hardly influenced whereas the number of required sweeps would certainly be affected). Instead, the authors choose to introduce a hypothesis without any support by measurements or references. The authors suggest that the amplifier in the used active electrodes has a slew rate that is limited to such an extend that it causes distortion of the ERP wave, leading to a higher required number of sweeps than would be expected on the basis of the total noise figures.

It is certainly true that slew rate limitations can lead to signal distortion. The effect usually plays a role only with large (several volts) signals at high (several MHz) frequencies. Suggesting slew rate limitations as a problem for EEG signals (amplitudes in the hundreds of uV range and frequencies below a few hundred Hz) sounds far fetched.

How extreme the hypothesis actually is, can be illustrated by some numbers. The paper shows ERP results with a bandwidth of 250 Hz and an amplitude of 6 uV. The required slew rate to acquire this waveform without distortion is approx. 0.01 V/s (min SR = 2*pi*f*Vpk-pk, see for example https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slew_rate). Now consider the standard BioSemi ActiveTwo EEG system with active electrodes. At 16 kHz sample rate, this system can acquire a 3 kHz, 0.5 Vpk-pk wave without significant distortion. The complete system (active electrodes, post amplifier, analog-to-digital converter) therefore has a slew rate of at least 10,000 V/s (or 0.01 V/us in the more usual notation). The standard BioSemi active electrodes are also applied in a high frequency version of the ActiveTwo system with 262 kHz sample rate. The setup accurately acquires a maximal sine wave of 80 kHz, 0.5 Vpk-pk, leading to a slew rate estimate for the standard BioSemi active electrodes of at least 0.2 V/us. This is a factor of 20 million faster than in the Laszlo hypothesis. Refer to the following result for a 20 kHz, 40 mVpk-pk input signal acquired with standard BioSemi electrodes and a 262 kHz sample rate version of the ActiveTwo system (the dots indicate sample points at 3.8 us intervals). Note the fast rise and fall times of the square wave edges indicating good slew rate performance (the plot shows rise/fall times of approx 10 us, this is a limitation for step responses of the decimation filter in the ADC).

Designers of EEG systems, with or without active electrodes, all make use of a relatively small pool of quite similar Op-amps (building blocks for amplifier circuits) and ADCs provided by a handful of semiconductor manufacturers. These components all offer slew rates far beyond what is minimally required for EEG signals. I am therefore quite sure that our competitors can present results similar as found for the BioSemi setup. This is supported by the input range and bandwidth figures published by various manufacturers. While I would not hesitate to spread doubts about performance aspects of products by BioSemi's competitors, the limited slew rate argument is so unlikely for any currently available EEG system (with or without active electrodes) that I would never consider using it.

In other words: it is doubtful that the particular (non BioSemi) active electrode evaluated in the paper has a slew rate with a factor of 20 million slower than the BioSemi active electrode. Anyway, such an extremely slow slew rate would have been immediately apparent in the waveforms generated by relative large and fast artifacts in the EEG signal, such as eyeblinks. In addition, the phenomenon would have been straight forward to measure by connecting the active electrodes to a signal generator. The paper does not indicate that any attempt was made to verify the hypothesis with measurements. Given that the particular active electrodes as tested in the paper are quite widespread under EEG researchers, it is hard to imagine that a slew rate limitation of 0.01 V/s would have remained unnoticed for years among these researchers.

The authors make things worse by stating that slew rate limitations are more severe for amplifiers "at very low output impedance". They even refer to BioSemi to support this claim. In reality, BioSemi never has made such a statement and with good reason: it simply is not true. There are numerous amplifier designs with high slew rate and low output impedance, the BioSemi active electrode as presented above being just an example.

The last sentence of the paragraph is the most bizarre. While it is of course true that passive electrodes do not have the slew rate limitations associated with amplifier circuitry, the authors overlook that the input stage of an EEG amplifier for passive electrodes also has high input impedance, low output impedance and slew rate limitations. In terms of amplifier noise, input and output impedances and slew rate, the only principle difference between the active and the passive setup is the location of the first amplifier stage. The statement that "slew rate [..] is simply not an issue for passive electrodes" is therefore surprising. In reality, both active electrodes and input stages for passive electrodes have the same slew rate limitations, although as outlined above, it is unlikely that any EEG system (active or passive) using currently available electronic components will present a problem in this respect. Instead, the authors suggest that slew-rate limitation is an inherent problem encountered with all active electrodes (regardless of brand and design), whereas the effect is totally eliminated in all amplifiers for passive electrodes.

To summarize: the paper presents an unlikely hypothesis that is not verified and not supported by any valid reference. The authors fail to do the simple measurements or numerical evaluation that would have readily falsified the hypothesis. Nevertheless, they find themselves qualified to apply this questionable hypothesis not only to the particular active electrode evaluated in the paper, but to the active electrode design in general. In effect, they disqualify all active electrodes, including the successful BioSemi design, and confuse the scientific discussion about the merits of the active electrode principle. It is peculiar to see that such an unjustified accusation, that may affect legitimate manufactures who put a lot of effort in improving EEG acquisition systems, can make it through the review process of Journal of Neuroscience Methods.

Coen Metting van Rijn, PhD, director, BioSemi, 5-December 2019

Question 9

How can I send triggers using inline code in E-Prime to ActiveTwo using the Biosemi USB Virtual Serial Port cable?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

Biosemi delivers a USB virtual serial port trigger cable with each new Biosemi ActiveTwo system. Sending triggers via this cable involves sending a byte containing a value between 1 and 255 via the virtual serial port (COM port) that is setup by the driver installation. See this page at the Biosemi website: https://www.biosemi.com/faq/USB%20Trigger%20interface%20cable.htm for instructions on how to install and configure the cable. The linked page also explains the recommended method of sending events in E-Prime 2.X and 3.X, which is to use Task Events. If your E-Prime experiment contains legacy inline code for sending triggers via the parallel port, you can switch to sending triggers via the new USB virtual serial port cable by following these instructions:

Be sure that the USB virtual serial port driver is installed and the baud rate and other parameters are configured within Windows Device Manager. Baud rate MUST be set to 115200, data bits = 8, parity = none, stop bits = 1.
Note the COM port number assigned by Windows, because you need this to setup the port in E-Prime.
Add the Serial device to your experiment using the Devices tab of the Experiment Object's property pages.
Specify port settings for the Serial Device directly on the Experiment Object. Baud rate MUST be set to 115200, data bits = 8, parity = none, stop bits = 1, and the correct COM port number must be selected.
Use E-Basic script within an InLine for communication with the serial port.
Assuming you leave the device name as the default value "Serial", the inline code to write trigger code 255 to the virtual serial port would be:

Serial.WriteBytes 255

Of course, the value to be sent can also come from a field in an E-Prime List Object properly referenced in place of the value 255 in the above line of code.
It is unnecessary to reset the port to zero after a short delay with the USB Virtual Serial Port trigger cable, because the electronics in the cable automatically reset to zero after holding a non-zero code on the port fort eight milliseconds.

Question 10

Can I record high-density sEMG with the ActiveTwo system?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

High density surface EMG recording with the Biosemi ActiveTwo system is described in recent publications:

Bradford, J. C., Tweedell, A., & Leahy, L. (2023). High-density Surface and Intramuscular EMG Data from the Tibialis Anterior During Dynamic Contractions. Scientific Data, 10(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02114-1

it is possible to add this functionality to an existing ActiveTwo system with a few accessories and AD box modifications. The current sEMG electrode array design separates the electrode grid from the preamp as in:

Less dense sEMG can be accomplished with an elastic fabric with electrode holders like the EEG cap stretched over a muscle. This would need to be custom-made, but would not be expensive. Fine wire EMG would require either spring contact adapters or safety socket leads with inline active headstage. If your fine wire electrodes will be stripped but unterminated, you need spring contacts, and if your electrodes terminate in safety sockets, you need inline adapters.

Question 11

How long do active electrodes last, and what is the process for repair if they get broken?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

We expect the new red-rubber reinforced ActiveTwo active electrodes to last more than 1000 uses, based on our experience so far, and based on automated repeated-strain testing. The way ActiveTwo electrode sets are built, they are not repairable by the end-user, but we can replace single electrodes for you. We can so this quickly (24 hours plus transit), efficiently, and at low cost (or free under warranty). Electrodes are warranted against material/manufacturing defects for one year, and we charge by the repair after that. We find that offering extended warranties motivates less careful handling, so we don't offer extended warranties. Follow the steps in the other FAQ linked here to identify the problem before contacting us to ask about the procedure and the cost of a repair. We do offer individual EXG pin-type electrodes that you can insert in the cap as substitutes for faulty ribbon cable leads. This would be a short term stop gap solution only. We strongly recommend having a backup set of electrodes on hand after a year or two so that if the first set needs repair, you can continue to run with the other set while the repair is undertaken. You would not need to buy the spare set right away -- just budget to have it once the electrodes have had enough use that they may begin experiencing problems. After you have made 200-300 recordings with your primary electrode set would be a good rule of thumb for when you should have a spare set of electrodes on hand.

Question 12

Can I install ActiView on a Windows 10 computer?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

You CAN install current versions of ActiView on Windows 10. But, before you do so, if the system was orignally delivered before January of 2017 you should update the firmware on the optical receiver / USB interface so that you do not have to go through the very long and arduous process of installing an unsigned driver on Windows 10.

You can update the firmware using any Windows 7 or 8 computer with the MSWinUSB2 driver installed, even if it is not the computer you have been using for ActiView. If you are just using a Windows 7 or 8 computer to update firmware on the optical receiver / USB interface, there is no need to install the LabVIEW Runtime Engine or ActiView on this computer. You WILL need the LabVIEW Runtime Engine and ActiView on the new Windows 10 computer, but you WILL NOT need to install a driver after the firmware update has been performed.

See the procedure outlined at biosemi.com/ faq/install_USB.htm for detailed instructions.  The section at the bottom marked IMPORTANT is the place to begin.

Question 13

Where can I find the coordinates of the 128 channel caps based on the 5% system defined by Oostenveld and Praamstra?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

The positions in these caps come from the Oostenveld and Praamstra 5% system. See http://robertoostenveld.nl/electrode/ for background and for links to electrode coordinates in a variety of formats. Depending on what software you are using for analysis, we might be able to provide another file format. The Biosemi channel assignments (relating electrode labels to electrode sites in the Oostenveld and Praamstra nomenclature) are below:

Chan1	A1	Fp1
Chan2	A2	AFp1
Chan3	A3	AF7
Chan4	A4	AF3
Chan5	A5	AFF5h
Chan6	A6	AFF1h
Chan7	A7	F9
Chan8	A8	F7
Chan9	A9	F5
Chan10	A10	F3
Chan11	A11	F1
Chan12	A12	FFT9h
Chan13	A13	FFT7h
Chan14	A14	FFC5h
Chan15	A15	FFC3h
Chan16	A16	FFC1h
Chan17	A17	FT9
Chan18	A18	FT7
Chan19	A19	FC5
Chan20	A20	FC3
Chan21	A21	FC1
Chan22	A22	FTT9h
Chan23	A23	FTT7h
Chan24	A24	FCC5h
Chan25	A25	FCC3h
Chan26	A26	FCC1h
Chan27	A27	T7
Chan28	A28	C5
Chan29	A29	C3
Chan30	A30	C1
Chan31	A31	TTP7h
Chan32	A32	CCP5h
Chan33	B1	CCP3h
Chan34	B2	CCP1h
Chan35	B3	TP9
Chan36	B4	TP7
Chan37	B5	CP5
Chan38	B6	CP3
Chan39	B7	CP1
Chan40	B8	CPz
Chan41	B9	TPP7h
Chan42	B10	CPP5h
Chan43	B11	CPP3h
Chan44	B12	CPP1h
Chan45	B13	P9
Chan46	B14	P7
Chan47	B15	P5
Chan48	B16	P3
Chan49	B17	P1
Chan50	B18	Pz
Chan51	B19	PPO9h
Chan52	B20	PPO5h
Chan53	B21	PPO1h
Chan54	B22	PO7
Chan55	B23	PO3
Chan56	B24	POz
Chan57	B25	PO9
Chan58	B26	POO9h
Chan59	B27	O1
Chan60	B28	POO1
Chan61	B29	I1
Chan62	B30	Ol1h
Chan63	B31	Oz
Chan64	B32	Iz
Chan65	C1	Fpz
Chan66	C2	Fp2
Chan67	C3	AFp2
Chan68	C4	AFz
Chan69	C5	AF4
Chan70	C6	AF8
Chan71	C7	AFF2h
Chan72	C8	AFF6h
Chan73	C9	Fz
Chan74	C10	F2
Chan75	C11	F4
Chan76	C12	F6
Chan77	C13	F8
Chan78	C14	F10
Chan79	C15	FFC2h
Chan80	C16	FFC4h
Chan81	C17	FFC6h
Chan82	C18	FFT8h
Chan83	C19	FFT10h
Chan84	C20	FCz
Chan85	C21	FC2
Chan86	C22	FC4
Chan87	C23	FC6
Chan88	C24	FT8
Chan89	C25	FT10
Chan90	C26	FCC2h
Chan91	C27	FCC4h
Chan92	C28	FCC6h
Chan93	C29	FTT8h
Chan94	C30	FTT10h
Chan95	C31	Cz
Chan96	C32	C2
Chan97	D1	C4
Chan98	D2	C6
Chan99	D3	T8
Chan100	D4	CCP2h
Chan101	D5	CCP4h
Chan102	D6	CCP6h
Chan103	D7	TPP8h
Chan104	D8	CP2
Chan105	D9	CP4
Chan106	D10	CP6
Chan107	D11	TP8
Chan108	D12	TP10
Chan109	D13	CPP2h
Chan110	D14	CPP4h
Chan111	D15	CPP6h
Chan112	D16	TPP8h
Chan113	D17	P2
Chan114	D18	P4
Chan115	D19	P6
Chan116	D20	P8
Chan117	D21	P10
Chan118	D22	PPO2h
Chan119	D23	PPO6h
Chan120	D24	PPO10h
Chan121	D25	PO4
Chan122	D26	PO8
Chan123	D27	PO10
Chan124	D28	POO2
Chan125	D29	O2
Chan126	D30	POO10h
Chan127	D31	Ol2h
Chan128	D32	I2

Question 14

How can I change the ActiView CFG file so that it displays and saves the correct channel labels for my system?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

In the ActiView software, select About ActiView > Load CFG.
Navigate to the folder called Configuring and select the CFG that matches your head caps. For example, if you have Biosemi standard 32 channel head-caps and want the 10-20 labels to be displayed, the file you want is "10-20system32+8.cfg".
Once this CFG is loaded, go back to the Monopolar display tab in ActiView, and check the Decimation Ratio. This indirectly controls the sampling rate, being a fraction by which the AD rate defined by the speedmode (AD rate on the AD box) is multiplied. If you are operating in speedmode 4 (2048 Hz on the AD box), then a decimation ratio of 1/4 could be used to arrive at 512 Hz sampling rate to file, for example.
After setting the Decimation Ratio, check the settings for the Filters and Reference on the left side of the Monopolar Display tab. We recommend un-checking (turning off) both of the display filters and setting the Reference to None (Raw). This gives the operator the truest picture of the saved data as data are being recorded.
Next, verify that any auxiliary sensors you will be using have been selected in the Auxiliary Sensors tab. It is best to select (highlight) only the sensors you will be using (or the superset of sensors you may use) so that unused sensor channels are not added to your data file.
Save a dummy data file in ActiView by selecting Start File, verifying that the right subset of EEG electrodes is selected (in the example case, A1-32), verifying that the EXG1-8 channels are being added if you want them, and selecting Add Displayed Sensors (the ones you selected before in the Auxiliary Sensors tab).
When ActiView asks for a path / file name (it may produce an error message about the default path not existing -- just click to close), navigate to the default folder for data to be saved in for this experiment (or if this CFG will serve several experiments, point to the parent folder that contains folders for various experiments) and enter a file name like this "CHANGE THIS FILE NAME AND PATH AS NEEDED".
Click Stop at the top left side of the ActiView screen to stop writing to the dummy data file.
Navigate to About ActiView > Save CFG and save the CFG file to the folder where the ActiView software executable is located. If you name this CFG as DEFAULT.CFG, it will be used automatically when ActiView opens. If you will have various CFG files for various experiments, then you should save the new CFG with a name that relates to the associated experiment, and be sure to rename the existing DEFAULT.CFG to _DEFAULT.CFG. By doing this, ActiView will force the operator to select a CFG file each time the ActiView software is opened. One important note - if the operator does not close ActiView at the end of a recording, the CFG file will still be loaded, and the next operator may not notice. For this reason, operators should be vigilant about closing ActiView at the end of a recording, and if they enter the lab to find ActiView open, they should close it, then reopen it so that it will remind them to load the correct CFG for their study.

Question 15

How can I send triggers from MATLAB via the USB virtual serial port trigger cable provided with my ActiveTwo System?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Since mid-2016, Biosemi has included a black USB virtual serial port trigger cable with each new ActiveTwo system. The device is depicted below.

Inside the shell of the 37 pin connector is a microchip that appears to the stimulus computer as a virtual serial port but provides 8 bit parallel TTL output to the ActiveTwo trigger input port. Because it appears as a virtual serial port on the stimulus computer, this cable is a relatively universal solution for triggering ActiveTwo from virtually any software on any platform. There are a few simple parameters you need to know to send triggers via this device. For details, see:

https://www.biosemi.com/faq/USB%20Trigger%20interface%20cable.htm

To use this trigger cable with MATLAB, Roee Gilron at UCSF (thanks, Roee!) provides a code sample at Github:

https://github.com/roeegilron/BioSemiUSBtrigger

Question 16

What are the computer requirements for ActiveTwo?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

ActiveTwo is provided with drivers and host data acquisition software for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

Note that certain applications, such as event-related potentials, often require a separate computer to run experimental control / stimulus delivery software. The requirement for a separate computer for stimulus delivery is more a function of the experimental control software needing full control of computer resources to do its job.

In brief, the computer requirements for the ActiView data acquisition software are:

Operating system:
- Windows 10 / 11
- MacOS 11 Big Sur, Monterey
- Linux 64 bit or Linux X86 with library GNU-C V2.2.4 or later
RAM: 8 GB or more
Hard Drive: recommend 500 GB, but user should anticipate free space needed for data (file size in bytes is approximately = 3 X AD rate in Hz X number of channels X number of seconds recorded)
Display: 1440 X 900 or higher resolution display
One free USB port
- SPECIAL NOTE ABOUT USB CHIPSETS: Small form factor computers without PCIe expansion slots should be avoided. The Intel W480 chipset found in many brands of small form factor desktop computer is not capable of keeping up with USB 2.0 High Speed data rates, which prevents operation in speed modes 2 and 3 for AD boxes that have high speed firmware installed. This is of particular importance in systems used in settings where ABR and cortical ERP will be measured concurrently or alternately. If you opt for a small form factor computer, be sure to use a computer that has at least one free PCIe expansion slot that you can add a PCIe expansion card with one or more USB 2.0 or higher ports.

Note: The ActiveTwo computer DOES NOT NEED A PARALLEL PORT. A parallel port on the experimental control computer can be used to send stimuli to ActiveTwo, but we provide a USB virtual serial port trigger cable with every new system, so a parallel port is not needed for triggering.

In addition, the following are recommended for the ActiView computer:

Network interface and remote storage for data backups
Accessories such as KVMA switch box, extra monitor / keyboard / mouse, extension cables, etc to permit access to the EEG display from the separate room for the subject

Recommended arrangement of computers and cabling for ActiveTwo

Question 17

How do I perform the one-bucket test to identify faulty electrodes? Or, why does the blue CM in Range flicker and the signals pulsate once every half second?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

The blue CM in Range light reflects two things: 1) whether the CMS and DRL electrodes are adequately connected to the participant's body, and 2) whether all of the other active electrodes, cables and connectors are intact. If any of these are NOT true, then the blue CM in Range light will flicker and the signals and offsets will pulsate once every half second until the problem is rectified. We call this state CM Out of Range (CMOR). The blue LED labeled CM in Range on the front panel of the AD box is reflected on the top right of the ActiView software display. This makes it easy to recognize there is a problem. To identify which electrodes are involved, use the one-bucket test.

One bucket test to identify which electrodes are causing the blue CM in Range light to go OFF:

Fill a plastic or glass container with about 1/2 gallon of tap water with roughly a teaspoon of Na/Cl (non-iodized table salt): this represents a virtual patient
Connect CMS/DRL to the system, turn power on and submerge only those two electrodes in water. If the CM in range light (blue LED) does not come on, then CMS/DRL is faulty or something inside the box is broken. Stop the test. If the blue LED light does come on, continue to the next step.
Connect the questionable electrode set to the system and submerge all electrode contacts in water and observe the electrode offsets in ActiView>Electrode Offsets tab. If the CM in range light goes out, then remove half of the electrodes in that set from the water. If the CM in range light comes on, then there is a problem in one of the electrodes that was removed from the water. In that case, switch the two sets of electrodes (take out those that are in the water and replace them with those that were out of the water).
Repeat this step of removing half the electrodes until one or more faulty electrodes have been identified.

One bucket test to identify problems when the blue CM in Range light remains ON:

Connect only CMS/DRL to the AD box and submerge those electrodes first in a bucket of water.
If the blue CM in Range light comes on, then connect the other electrodes you want to test into the AD box, and submerge them in the same bucket of water.
If the blue light remains on, then click to the Electrode Offset tab and make sure the offsets for the channels to which the suspect electrodes are connected are at a stable offset level less than +-40 mV.
If you see any connected channels with offset greater than +-40 mV but less than +0-262 mV, they may have contaminated electrode pellets.
If you see any connected channels with offset at -262 mV, most likely the electrode on that channel has two broken wires or connector pins.
If all offsets are less than +-40 mV, then there are no catastrophic problems with the electrode electronics, electrode cables, connectors or AD box.
To diagnose further, check the signal in the monopolar display page with a scale of 100 uV/div while showing between 8 and 64 channels (use Channels selector at left). At this scale, it is perfectly normal for the signals to be drifting slightly across the screen in the first few minutes following placement in water.
Normally functioning electrodes will yield a time-varying voltage that is less than a few mV in amplitude.
Abnormal / malfunctioning electrodes may show a flat line, a high-frequency / broadband interference, or a low-frequency (1/f) interference due to a variety of possible causes.
A truly flat-line would only appear if the electrode also has an offset at -262 mV.
A high frequency / broadband signal may result from ionic contamination of the electrode pellet or loss of Chloride from the electrode pellet.
A low-frequency (wandering) signal can result from more than one cause having to do with a compromised electrode pellet.
For the last two situations, brushing lightly with a soft toothbrush, rinsing in water, and soaking in non-Iodized NaCl solution for a few minutes may correct the problem.
Otherwise, the electrodes may need to be replaced.

Once you identify the faulty electrodes, contact us at via the Request Info form and let us know the serial number of the electrode, and if it is a set of electrodes on a ribbon cable let us know which electrode is (or electrodes are) causing the problem. On occasion, this type of problem may be caused by a loose or damaged connector on the ribbon cable, but this is rare. Most often, the problem is caused by a single broken wire on an electrode. If both wires on an electrode are broken, then the CM in range light will not go off, but the offset on that channel will read -262 mV (the negative extent of the input range).

See this video on YouTube for a video demonstration of the one-bucket test.

Question 18

What is the purpose of amplifier/converter modules in the ActiveTwo system?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

The ActiveTwo Base System has no channels. The Base System consists of the parts that every ActiveTwo system needs to have, but excludes the parts that are used to custom configure ActiveTwo for various purposes, like amplifier/converter (AC modules).  The AC modules give the system the capacity to record from active electrodes. With four of the eight channel modules, the base system will have the capacity for 32 channels. If you want 32 electrodes on the scalp, then you need four modules, but if you also want to use four individual flat-type electrodes, you need another eight-channel module (four modules for EEG and one module for EXG1-8). The modules have eight channels, so you can only expand the system in increments of eight channels. You don't have to buy the electrodes to use with EXG5-8, but you need the eight channel module.

Question 19

Is every TMS system EEG compatible?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

Maybe. There is no way the EEG system can harm the TMS system, but there are some TMS systems that are essentially useless with some EEG systems. You need a a suitable combination of features in each to be successful at all in using TMS with EEG.

Desirable attributes:

Coils designed specifically for use with EEG will have a cable that exits the coil tangential to the head surface so that the coil does not pass close by EEG electrodes and cables.
A coil to be used with EEG should be passively cooled, since active cooling by means of a fan will induce electromagnetic interference in the EEG.
The TMS recharge mechanism should be designed to avoid inducing electromagnetic artifacts in the EEG.
The TMS system should be shielded so that no more than 3 milligauss of electromagnetic interference from the TMS system's power supply reaches the electrodes and cables.
The TMS system should be able to produce a TMS pulse in response to an input trigger with a low and predictable latency. Long, but especially unpredictable latency in responding to an input trigger will result in TMS artifacts that are difficult to impossible to remove from the EEG.

Aside from attributes of the TMS system, there are also important considerations regarding the EEG system in this relationship. See the other FAQ entry on that topic.

Question 20

Is every EEG system TMS compatible?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

No. There are a few special attributes that are required and others that are desirable.

Required attributes:

Inputs should be protected so that they are not damaged by the TMS pulse
Frequency response on all channels should be from DC on the low end, since AC coupled inputs will "ring" when presented with a large voltage transient like the TMS artifact

Desirable attributes:

Electrodes should have a low-profile so that the TMS coil can be placed as near the head as possible, maximizing penetration depth and current delivery
It is important for the EEG system to be able to trigger the TMS system at precisely the same phase with respect to the EEG samples each time a stimulus is delivered. This will improve the performance of artifact removal algorithms

Aside from these attributes of the EEG system, there are also important considerations regarding the TMS system in this relationship. See the other FAQ entry on that topic.

Question 21

What is the difference between 1020 and ABC electrode / cap labels?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

Electrodes and head caps can have positions derived from systems based on the International 1020 System.  When the positions are based on 1020, the labels on the caps and electrodes can either be the actual 1020 position names (such as Fp1, Cz, etc) or they can be what is called ABC, which actually means A1, A2, ...A32, B1, B2,...B32, etc  Another way to refer to the ABC labeling is arbitrary alphanumeric.  The 1020 system is not arbitrary because the names are based on anatomical landmarks and the odd=left and even=right numbering is predictable and interpretable.  When you have only one type of cap in your lab, it makes sense to use 1020 labels for caps with positions based on the 1020 system.  However, if you have 32 channel caps AND 64 channel caps, then you might find it useful to be able to use the A1-32 labels for the A cable and the B1-32 labels for the B cable and complementary A1-32 labels on the 32 channel caps and A1-B32 labels on the 64 channel caps.  This way, the A cable can be used for the whole head in 32 channel studies of for just the left side of the head in 64 channel studies.  This does provide a short term savings if you don't want to have two A cables on-hand, but using 1020 labels on everything is more convenient and at the limit it will not cost any more (because cables that are used less frequently will last longer).

Question 22

Can I ship multiple work orders in one box?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

If you have more than one item to be repaired, we will normally issue a separate work order number for each item. In that case, it is not necessary to ship the items to us separately. They can be packed together, assuming you pack carefully and include the documentation we request when we send you the work order number:

Include the "work order number" on the package and on any documentation in the package. If a repair is undertaken, the work order number will become the "invoice number" if the repair results in a bill for parts or services.
Write a note describing the problem you are having with the part and include it in the package with the part you are returning. We need to be sure that we are focusing on the same problem that you have been experiencing to do the best job of reporting back to you on the status of the product.
Be sure that the note you include with the shipment references as many of the following as possible: the date of purchase, name of purchaser or customer account number.
Let us know the address to which repaired parts should be shipped (must be a physical address with a phone number and person's name).

Question 23

Are there any restrictions to carrying BioSemi ActiveTwo equipment on commercial aircraft -- particularly the battery?

Cortech Admin · Accepted Answer

The system does not use Lithium Ion batteries that are the focus of a lot of recent concern, but our shippers and airlines may ask questions about the battery. ActiveTwo is safe to be put in checked luggage or carried on board aircraft. It uses sealed, non-spillable lead-acid batteries that are safe to fly. On the outside of any container in which you ship the batteries (may also be relevant for air travel) include the label "Nonspillable Battery".

Question 24

What are the terms of the warranty on your products?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Warranty

Hardware

All of our hardware products are delivered with at least a one-year warranty. This warranty covers materials and manufacturing defects. If you find that a product is not functioning as it should, please contact us immediately. We will work with the manufacturer to resolve the problem for you. There are a few exceptions to the one-year warranty rule:

BioSemi ActiveTwo systems are provided with a three-year warranty on the AD box, optical receiver / USB interface, battery charger and AC adapter for the charger. (Electrodes, head caps and batteries are warranted for one year.)
Passive electrodes are provided with a 90 day warranty on materials and workmanship.

Software

All software products are provided with one year of free technical support and upgrades. Front line support is provided by Cortech Solutions, and our suppliers provide higher-level technical support for advanced features and applications. Future upgrades and ongoing support are managed under a support agreement or subscription renewal, depending on the product.

BESA: All bundles and modules are provided with free upgrades and support for a year. Software upgrades after one year are priced at 20% of the current effective price of the license (depends on included modules and whether first, second or additional license). You also have the option to purchase additional years of coverage with BESA:
- 1 additional year (total 2 years) pre-purchased with software: 15%, purchased later: 20% of license price
- 2 additional years (total 3 years) pre-purchased with software: 30%, purchased later: 40% of license price
- 3 additional years (total 4 years) pre-purchased with software: 45%, purchased later: 60% of license price
EMSE Suite: All bundles and modules are provided with free upgrades and support for a year. Software upgrades after one year are priced at 20% of the current effective price of the license (depends on included modules and whether first, second or additional license).
Presentation: Since Presentation is licensed on a subscription basis, you have access to the latest software version and technical support for as long as you have a valid license. Subscriptions are offered with code activations (a license that is tied to a specific computer but can be moved to another computer with some effort) or key activations (using a physical dongle or hardlock), and software upgrades are downloadable when logged into your account at the Neurobs.com website.

Consumable Supplies

Consumable supplies are warranted for 30 days.

Question 25

What is a Service Level Agreement (SLA)?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

We know that nothing makes a laboratory more productive than well-maintained equipment and a staff that is well-trained in its use. Take advantage of our service options to safeguard the investment you have made in our products. Support above-and-beyond warranty related issues is offered in the form of Service Level Agreements. If there are no specific problems with the product, then the type of support you are looking for would be covered under a Service Level Agreement (SLA). As implied by the name, differing "levels" of service are offered, and you can choose the level of support that best suits you. SLAs offer technical support coverage over-and-above the basic product warranty, and they are priced accordingly. SLAs are offered on most products, so this is an important option to consider at the point of purchase. Although it is usually better to purchase the SLA up-front, if you realize after you have received a product that you will need a higher level of support, it is possible to purchase an SLA after-the-fact. Two SLA options are available:

Level 1 / Distance Support - This SLA offers support for up to 10 incidents with a specific product by telephone, fax or e-mail. An incident is classified as a question concerning a specific function of a given product. We expect most of these incidents to be of the "how do I use this product to achieve the following" ilk. A Level 1 SLA also includes parts, labor and one-way shipping for repairs on covered products.
Level 2 / On-Site Support - This SLA offers unlimited distance support incidents plus on-site support for up to 2 incidents. A Level 2 SLA also includes parts, labor and one-way shipping for repairs on covered products. As a further safeguard, a Level 2 SLA also includes an annual on-site preventative maintenance visit.

Please contact us if you would like to purchase an SLA.

Question 26

How can I arrange for a repair?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Before you send anything to us for repair, please contact us so we can assess the situation and be sure that is the best course of action. Once you have exhausted all available options, we may authorize you to return an item for repair. At that point, see the steps below under "How to arrange for a repair". Many potential questions and problems are covered under the manufacturers' warranties for the products we sell. As a general rule, if the item you are trying to use is not broken, then support for that item would either be provided as a part of the original purchase agreement or under an extended service level agreement. See the Service Level Agreements page and the Warranties page for details. If you feel that you need additional training in the use of the equipment or software that you purchased from us. Please review the upcoming training opportunities under Workshops/Seminars on our Events page and let us know if you do not see a workshop or seminar that covers the topic in which you are interested.

How to arrange for a repair:

Question 27

Installation and training

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

When you purchase a new laboratory instrument, you want to get started using it and producing results as quickly as possible, and nothing helps you accomplish this goal faster than having a trained technician visit your lab to install the system and configure it optimally for your purposes. From our perspective, you will have the best possible experience with our products when the equipment is setup and configured properly and you are properly trained from the beginning. Installation visits are not included in the pricing on our standard price list, but we do generally include an optional installation fee on quotations. We find that customers who receive assistance from the beginning have fewer questions later and have more success using the equipment. We encourage you to invest in this valuable service.  If you would like to arrange an installation and training visit, please contact us!

Question 28

What sort of protocols are possible with the PowerMAG?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

You may perform a wide variety of protocols using the PowerMAG system; ppTMS, rTMS, TBS, and even Quattro pulse. Please refer to the following chart to determine which platform is most appropriate for your research.

Stimulators	PowerMAG lab 30	PowerMAG lab 100	PowerMAG EEG 30	PowerMAG EEG 100	PowerMAG ppTMS	PowerMAG QPS
Characteristic	Economic research	Basic research with TBS	EEG research	Advanced real-time EEG	All in one	qTBS stimulation
Stimulation frequency (Hz)	30	100	30	100	100	100 (666 in bursts)
Waveforms	half/full	half/full	half/full	half/full	full	full
rTMS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
TBS		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Long interval ppTMS		Yes		Yes	Yes	Yes
Short interval ppTMS					Yes
QPS						Yes
Coil current invertable	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Trigger in/out	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
EEG compatible			Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
EMG compatible	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Analog/digital control	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Question 29

What are the advantages/disadvantages of passively cooled coils?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

The coils used with the PowerMAG system are in fact passively cooled, they utilize quality copper windings with excellent heat dispersion properties. The coils are then placed within a wax like medium that further enhances heat dissipation, as the coil heats up the internal medium changes to a liquid state effectively “absorbing” much of the heat. This is often desired over coils that require additional components for cooling (e.g. fans, pumps, and plumbing), and are considered more robust from an engineering perspective. Additionally there is no maintenance required for our passively cooled coils, nor is there any pre-defined factory set limit to the life of the coil in terms of number of pulses, nor age.

Question 30

How deep can you stimulate using the PowerMAG?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

This really comes down to the properties of the coil utilized. The two main style of stim coils used within the TMS field are figure 8 and round, with figure 8 often being preferred for focal targeting. Typically with the figure 8 coil you would get greatest stimulation at a depth of roughly 2- 2.5cm, with a round style you may achieve a bit more penetration ~2.5-3cm.

Question 31

Can I use the PowerMAG to perform clinical research on PTSD and depression?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Excellent question! PowerMAG is strictly for research purposes, meaning there is no FDA approval on the device, thus it may not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of any pathology. Clinical research is still possible, however must follow the strict adherence to the current guidelines imposed. Chances are, if you have an IRB protocol, then you can use the PowerMAG system for your research. For an FDA approved TMS solution for use in treatment protocols, you may find the Mag and More Apollo TMS Therapy System of interest.

Question 32

Will you be able to modify/drill my penetration panel to allow for the two BNC connectors to mount during installation of the equipment?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

No. We are not equipped to perform this as it requires facilities approval. You should consult the manufacturer of the penetration panel as well as your facilities department for proper guidance.

Question 33

Can I route headphone cabling overhead through a cable trough or conduit?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Typically it is not suggested to run the cabling overhead towards the MR scanner as there is potential of coupling with the RF cables of the scanner. If the aim is to reduce stray cabling along the floor it is suggested that the headphones are stored/hung with excess fiber cabling “looped” as to keep it out of the way.

Question 34

I noticed that the standard setup does not include a patient microphone; is there one available for bi-directional communication?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Yes! While not included as standard there is an option for an Optoaccoustics patient microphone available in both basic and noise canceling models. Please request pricing if interested!

Question 35

Are there headphones available for infants and small children?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Yes! There are headphones that span the full range of infants through adults. Additionally there are insert (air-tube) earphones that can be used for all ages, and for all headcoils.

Question 36

How are the audio cables routed into the MR scan room?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Shielded BNC cables are routed through a filter box/transformer. The supplied BNC connectors will need to be mounted within your penetration panel, this will require two 11mm holes for this purpose, the supplied RF filters will be connected on the MR side with 9 meters of cabling to connect to the headphones. Typically cables run from the penetration panel located between the control room and scan room, however extending the BNC cabling may also be possible to route it from the equipment room.

Question 37

What is the typical configuration for the MR Confon/BOLDfonic system?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

The BOLDfonic system is comprised of the MR Confon main console, an operator microphone, a set of patient/participant insert earphones, control room monitoring speakers, along with all audio cables, connectors, and filters necessary for full installation -- just supply the audio output from your PC or alternative source via a ⅛  in. audio cable or SPDIF output. Keep in mind that the BOLDfonic system includes the AudioFile unit which can function as an external USB audio card.

Question 38

Can I put the BOLDScreen at the end of the bore if the scanner has a bed with a track protruding from the rear of the bore?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

As with some scanners you may be left with a protruding rail or track. For appropriate positioning of the BOLDScreen it is suggested that you purchase a trolley with articulating arm, which will allow for offset fixation and easy adjustment for optimal monitor placement. Please see our trolley/stand options.

Question 39

How do you view the monitor while in the scanner?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Traditionally the BOLDScreen is placed at the rear of the scanner at the end of the bore. The monitor can be viewed with an OEM “viewing mirror” that mounts to the headcoil, these are usually included from the manufacturer of the headcoil.  Depending on the size of your scanner’s bore (e.g. 60, 70cm), you may need to offset the BOLDScreen for full field of view. For a 60cm bore scanner, you may have to displace the position roughly one foot.

Question 40

Can my standard PC “drive” the BOLDScreen 32?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Most “standard” PC’s are adequately suited for driving the BOLDScreen 32 if  they offer a dual-link DVI output. For laptops this can often be achieved by the use of a DisplayPort to Dual-Link DVI adapter. It is important to determine in advance whether your laptop offers a DisplayPort output for this purpose. If you are using a desktop PC then be certain that you have a video card with dual-link DVI, I only repeat this as it is rather important. If you are going through the process of setting up a new PC, I would suggest going with an NVIDEA video card as these are best suited for full functionality (e.g. dithering schemes) of the BOLDScreen 32.

Question 41

Do I need to have an electrical outlet in the MR scan room for the BOLDScreen 32?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

No, the power supply is meant to be powered from outside the MR scan room. A voltage converter unit (VCU) with RF filter is supplied which is to be mounted within the penetration panel, most often between the equipment room and scan room. An 11mm hole (BNC sized) is required for the mounting of the VCU.

Question 42

How long is the video cabling for the BOLDScreen 32?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

The BOLDScreen 32 comes standard with 30 meters of fiber optic cabling (duplex LC/SC), other lengths are possible as this fiber optic cable is available online through various sources. Some choose to run this around the periphery of the scan room, while others prefer to run it through conduit or channeling in the ceiling and have it dropped at the rear of the bore.

Question 43

How close to the scanner can the BOLDScreen 32 be placed?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

The CRS BOLDScreen units have been specifically designed to be directly placed at the rear of the bore of the scanner, without any distance constraints. The BOLDScreen 32 is compatible with scanners with a field strength up to 7T, while the BOLDScreen 23 and 24 are compatible with those up to 3T.

Question 44

What comes standard with the BOLDScreen 32?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

BOLDScreen 32 setup, this consist of: monitor, fiber optic cabling (30 meters), DVI/fiber optic converter, adjustable height aluminum tripod/stand, and power supply and MR friendly converter unit. Often users will opt to purchase a trolley for portability and versatility in setup.

Question 45

What is the ideal interoptode spacing?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

This is really dependent on the signal quality. Typically for normal cortical penetration you will want anywhere from 3cm up, the larger the distance the deeper the penetration however at the sake of a reduced signal-to-noise ratio. Typically for normal adults we employ a 3.5cm interoptode distance, for those with darker skin or dark/dense hair you may need to reduce this to achieve an ideal SNR. For younger children and infants often times 2.5cm is more common.

Question 46

What are the advantages of LED over laser?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Lasers often require greater consideration in application. There are certainly constraints with regard to motility with a laser based setup that may not be of any concern with LED. Preparation times are often greater with laser than LED, as lasers are often added to a headcap one by one, whereas LED sources could sometimes be “pre-populated”.

Question 47

What are the advantages of laser over LED?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Lasers naturally provide a very focal output and are excellent with narrow band frequency emission, thus the ability to discretely “tune” the light output is perhaps of some value, as you might imagine when studying the dispersion of light. Additionally modulation of lasers can take place many times fast than that of LED, as there are some capacitive “left-overs” with LED

Question 48

Is fNIRS comparable to fMRI?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

fNIRS is of course a completely different modality than fMRI, however while the mechanics may differ there is overlap in the resulting measurements, ultimately cerebral blood flow and metabolic measurements may be obtained, and neuronal activation often assumed. fNIRS is specific to oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin measurement and quantification due to light back reflection, while fMRI aligns the orientation of the hemoglobin depending on the presence of oxygen. fNIRS offers a much better temporal resolution often 100x or more, while spatially fMRI has the upper hand by roughly 10x.

Question 49

Is fNIRS safe?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Very good, and important, question. Clearly fNIRS is employing frequencies of light that are purposely used to traverse the skull without much restraint, and this is in fact introducing exogenous stimuli. Well don’t fret, the amount of signal power using fNIRS can be comparable to sunlight. Further, of recent, several studies suggest there are various health benefits to infrared light stimulation at the cellular/metabolic level- even still these studies primarily employ chronic use.

Question 50

Do I need to exclude participants with certain hair styles for fNIRS studies?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

This is a tough one, inherently hair is the nemesis of any fNIRS device on the market and while we all would like to say we have this completely figured out it ultimately comes down to proper preparation, part of which is also a skill in performing. I would use the same criteria with regard screening as you may normally do with EEG.

Question 51

What operating systems does the OxySoft software support?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

OxySoft is developed for use with Windows 7 or 10, both are supported however Windows 7 is still preferred. We also offer a free Android application for the PortaLite and PortaMon units for streaming and data logging.

Question 52

What other things can I measure with my OxyMon?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Depending on your interest, quite a bit. We are able to “tune” the frequencies of the lasers to different wavelengths, thereby offering the possibility to measure things such as Cytohrome C Oxidase (COX), and Indocyanine Green (ICG) tracer. Just let us know if you have anything particular in mind!

Question 53

What is the range of the Bluetooth antenna on the PortaMon, PortaLite, and Brite23 units?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Both PortaLite and PortaMon units use a bluetooth connection with a long range antenna up to 150 meters is possible. The Brite 23 system offers a range of 30 meters.

Question 54

Can I perform measurements with more than one device simultaneously?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Yes, you may stream up to 7 devices, both wired (OxyMon), and wireless devices (Brite 23, PortaMon/PortaLite) to the same acquisition PC in real time.

Question 55

Where is EMSE development heading?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

EMSE’s Development Plan emerges from three main streams.  First, we listen to your needs and requests (e.g., you might show us what you want during a remote technical/scientific support session).  Second, we periodically update and upgrade existing features (e.g., update of boundary element head models; upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit code).  Third, we’re envisioning an integrative role for EMSE in the larger field of human neurophysiology and neuroimaging, so that: (a) EMSE shall perform live analysis and automatic archiving during data acquisition; and (b) EMSE shall cooperate with other tools in an ecosystem based on FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles.

Question 56

Who develops EMSE?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

EMSE is developed by Cortech Solutions.  We are an agile team with more than 50 years combined experience in the field.  Principal developers are Mark Pflieger and Li Gao, who have worked on the EMSE project for 17+ years and 21+ years, respectively.  Richard Greenblatt initiated the EMSE project in the early 1990s with roots from the MEG community.

Question 57

Does EMSE only read Biosemi data files?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

EMSE reads all major research EEG and MEG data formats.

Question 58

Does EMSE require MATLAB or other programming experience or a MATLAB license?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

No.  EMSE is a self-contained graphical program written in C++ “under the hood” for efficiency.  To optimize the speed of standard matrix and math operations, EMSE leverages the Intel® Math Kernel Library.

Question 59

Do I need to buy the whole EMSE package?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

No, EMSE is modular. The ERP Bundle (Data Editor plus Visualizer) is a powerful and affordable package for discovering and confirming space-time-frequency phenomena at the scalp level, with integrated nonparametric statistics.  The Basic Source Estimation Bundle adds the Source Estimator module for brain level modeling.  The Locator module digitizes electrode locations, which may be co-registered with MRI using MR Viewer.  The Image Processor module can segment head tissues for constructing individual cortex and volume conductor models.

Question 60

Who needs EMSE?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

If EEG/ERP is a new addition to your lab, you can use EMSE to rapidly master all of the steps that can lead you to discover and visualize new phenomena in your experimental data.  Have you already identified phenomena at the scalp?  Then you can use source reconstruction and source signal estimation tools in EMSE to understand where and when these phenomena arise in the cortex.  Going further, if you have participant MRIs, then you can use EMSE to sort out meaningful individual differences from incidental differences that derive from personal cortical folding patterns.  In all cases, we can remotely assist with the steps.

Question 61

What makes EMSE great?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

EMSE is great for helping you, first, to identify robust space-time-frequency phenomena in your EEG or MEG data, and then to interpret those phenomena in brain space by constructing source models, by estimating regional activity, and by deriving inter-regional connectivities.  EMSE can use MRI data to construct realistic volume conductor models of the head.  Importantly, EMSE reproducibly automates and documents your analysis workflows, including: (a) signal processing pipelines; (b) experimental event logic pipelines; (c) event-related component measurements; and (d) nonparametric statistical hypothesis testing.  EMSE is a professionally supported Windows application.  We can remotely assist your data analysis process.

Question 62

What does the name EMSE mean (and how do you say it)?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

EMSE stands for ElectroMagnetic Source Estimation (and we say “MC”).

Question 63

Is quick turnaround available on new purchases or repairs?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

We will always do our best to respond quickly when you need something urgently.  It helps us immensely if you plan ahead and give us a little advance warning if you foresee a deadline approaching by which you need parts, supplies or repairs to be complete.

For new purchases, we can often pre-order goods for established customers, even before the official institutional PO has been received.  Give us a heads-up as soon as you know that you intend to order items we have quoted you, and if you expect to have the official PO within 30 days, and you agree to let us know if anything changes, we will pre-order the goods for you based on your word.

For repairs, we know how vital our equipment is to your work, so we always do our best to respond quickly to urgent repair requests.  One important point -- the earlier we know the date by which a repaired item must be received back, the sooner we can let you know whether we will or will not be able to meet that deadline.  Ultimately, the most valuable thing you can do to ensure we meet your deadlines is to notify us of those deadlines as early as possible!

Question 64

Is Cortech Solutions the sole source, or exclusive, reseller?

Lloyd Smith · Accepted Answer

Cortech Solutions is the exclusive reseller in the USA and Canada for these product lines:

Artinis
Biosemi
Bittium (formerly MEGA)
Cambridge Research Systems
Mag and More
NeuroImaging Solutions (NIS)

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