testing ADS1298ECG Front End Performance Demonstration Kit

**TI EDIT February 20th 2019; FOR GENERAL ADS129x ASSISTANCE, PLEASE SEE NEW BIOPOTENTIAL FAQ LOCATED HERE**

Hi Vignesh,

I'm happy to hear that you have decided to look into using the ADS1298!  The circuit found on the evaluation module could concievably be built onto a flexible PCB.  Josh Wojnas has done a lot of work on his ADS1298 project as well - he might be a valuable source for details and 'lessons learned'.  You can see some of his project details from this posting:

http://e2e.ti.com/support/data_converters/precision_data_converters/f/73/p/55907/152963.aspx#152963

You can also download the ADS1298ECGFE-PDK Users Guide and read through the warnings and restrictions on the use of the hardware.  This EVM was not designed to be 'end equipment' so you might look into procuring an ECG simulator.  The Cardiosim II is a nice product made by Biometric Cables located there in Chennai as well.  They have a wide range of cables and contacts which you might find useful as you progress with your hardware.

Hi,

Sir also i would want my evaluation kit built on flexible PCB for my project while buying could i specify i need it in flexible PCB and can u guys build on Flexible and deliver to me?  IS shipping free to chennai?also are there any customs?

Vignesh,

I am sorry to say that I cannot provide you a flex PCB for the ADS1298.  You would need to design that on your own.  When placing an order through the eStore, there should be an explaination of shipping charges and the notice of Value Added Tax (if any).  I am not familiar with this end of the process so I cannot say for sure what charges you might incure.  For that detail you might try sending an e-mail to support@ti.com and ask about shipping and VAT charges.

I woud like to ask how one gets the signal data out of the circuit to the computer what cable is to be used will it be also along with kit?

A standard USB A/B type cable is all that is required.

sir i am happy to say my TI kit finnaly arrived today after a month anyways as i have started testing i again have some doubts in testing!

1) How many micro Amp current leak through the ecg electrodes?

2)What should one do the circuit to make it usable directly without any risk of current shock?

3)Are we allowed to create a  flexible pcb with same components?(is there any rules)

4)Can a person use the circuit with electrodes in his body when power source is a small battery and it is connected to a laptop??

Hi Vignesh,

I am happy to hear that the ADS1298 package arrived!  For the typical input leakage current, please refer to the graphs on page 14 and 56 of the ADS1298 datasheet. 

To the best of my knowledge, you can create a flex circuit with most of the circuits found on the EVM.  You might try consulting a packaging expert on the limitations.  Regarding the protection circuits, for that you would need to consult the various literatures available for patient protection requirements.  There are different rules and regulations depending on how circuits are implemented in the overall system.  I cannot assist you on your end product/equipment requirements and the safety standards which you might need to follow.

Hi Tom

Happy to report my EVM board arrived today.

Here a question right at the start: Do you publish the command interface somewhere? I do not want to use the LabView GUI

but rather Matlab. Is this possible? I see you use USB Styx, did you ever use Matlab to talk to this interface?

Thanks

Wendelin

Hi Wendelin,

You are correct in that we use USB Styx to act as the intermediary between the DSP firmware and the host PC using a LabVIEW GUI.  However, we do not have code avialable to communicate via MatLab to the TMS320VC5509 located on the MMB0 that the ADS1298 is plugged into.  I'll see what I can do to get the protocol published here so that you can try to implement this on your end.

Hi Tom,

Thanks for fast reply. Would be great if you find a way to share the protocol.

I just tried the LabView GUI...I cant scroll it on my monitor. Strange. So I either buy a 60" monitor or 

find out whats wrong with the GUI and my graphic driver. Using a rather old XP machine, so there is room for improvment.

W7 would be good, I know you are working on it.

Wendelin

Hi Wendelin,

Before you go off and buy a new monitor, try downloading and installing the latest software - you can find it here:

ftp://ftp.ti.com/pub/data_acquisition/ADS1298EVM/ads1298ecg-fe-0.7.2.exe

The updated code has scroll bars...

I am also very interested in either getting the protocol or at least seeing a small non-Labview demo application (C, C++, Python, ...) that would at least show initialization, firmware download, and acquiring a few samples of data.

Hi Tom,

I am also trying to talk through MATLAB with the ADS1298ECGFE evaluation board via MMB0. Is it possible to get the communication protocol used between the LabView program and the MMB0 board?

The alternative we have thought about is to use another devboard which communicates using a COM-port interface to bridge directly to the ADS1298 SPI-interface. Is this a better solution you think or is there other ways of communicating with the ADS1298 evalboard via Matlab?

Any help is appreciated! Thank you.

Gustav

Hi Gustav,

The code for that communication is done using libusb and a modified version of the Styxprotocol, which is done using DLLs (you'll find a lot of that stuff in the libmmb0directory under your ADS1298ECG-FE installation location). The Styx protocol makes everything on the EVM look like a file, so in the LabView source for the ADS1298 you'll see writes and reads of files - for example, the data file holds all the data that's been collected on the motherboard - reading it brings that data into the PC.  The details of this and the USB stack used on the MMB0 are not well documented by us as we never intended the MMB0 hardware to be used as a 'development' tool.  

Short term, you can collect data from the hardware and store it off as a text file which you can pull into MatLab.  It may be easier in the long run to develop or use an existing USB to SPI communication bridge to talk directly to the EVM.  Unfortunately, I don't have any 'easy button' for this at the moment.

Hello Gustav

I'm facing the same scenario as you. Can you please guide me as to which approach I should go for?

An SPI-based solution or direct Matlab/Styx.

Also, where can I find details on the implemented Styx protocol?

Regards

Zubair

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