Supported hardware¶

Generated, not transcribed

This page is produced by testing/gen_hardware_docs.py from the installed BrainFlow. Regenerate it after a BrainFlow upgrade rather than editing it by hand.

EEG acquisition hardware¶

eeg-mcp acquires through BrainFlow, so it supports 66 board identifiers across the vendors below. Pass the board by name to start_stream — board="cyton", board="muse_2" — or by numeric id.

sfreq and channel counts come from BrainFlow's own board description. A blank means the board has no static description (usually because it needs a master_board).

OpenBCI¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`CYTON_BOARD`	0	250 Hz	8	`serial_port`
`GANGLION_BOARD`	1	200 Hz	4	`serial_port`
`CYTON_DAISY_BOARD`	2	125 Hz	16	`serial_port`
`GANGLION_WIFI_BOARD`	4	1600 Hz	4	`ip_address`, `ip_port`
`CYTON_WIFI_BOARD`	5	1000 Hz	8	`ip_address`, `ip_port`
`CYTON_DAISY_WIFI_BOARD`	6	1000 Hz	16	`ip_address`, `ip_port`
`GANGLION_NATIVE_BOARD`	46	200 Hz	4	`serial_port`

InteraXon Muse¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`MUSE_S_BLED_BOARD`	21	256 Hz	4	`serial_port` (BLED112)
`MUSE_2_BLED_BOARD`	22	256 Hz	4	`serial_port` (BLED112)
`MUSE_2_BOARD`	38	256 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`MUSE_S_BOARD`	39	256 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`MUSE_2016_BOARD`	41	256 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`MUSE_2016_BLED_BOARD`	42	256 Hz	4	`serial_port` (BLED112)
`MUSE_S_ATHENA_BOARD`	67	256 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

ANT Neuro¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`ANT_NEURO_EE_410_BOARD`	24	2000 Hz	—	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_411_BOARD`	25	2000 Hz	8	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_430_BOARD`	26	512 Hz	8	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_211_BOARD`	27	2000 Hz	64	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_212_BOARD`	28	2000 Hz	32	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_213_BOARD`	29	2000 Hz	16	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_214_BOARD`	30	2000 Hz	32	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_215_BOARD`	31	2000 Hz	64	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_221_BOARD`	32	16000 Hz	16	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_222_BOARD`	33	16000 Hz	32	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_223_BOARD`	34	16000 Hz	32	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_224_BOARD`	35	16000 Hz	64	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_225_BOARD`	36	16000 Hz	64	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`ANT_NEURO_EE_511_BOARD`	51	4096 Hz	24	`ip_address` or auto-discovery

Mentalab Explore¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`EXPLORE_4_CHAN_BOARD`	44	250 Hz	4	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`EXPLORE_8_CHAN_BOARD`	45	250 Hz	8	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`EXPLORE_PLUS_8_CHAN_BOARD`	54	250 Hz	8	`ip_address` or auto-discovery
`EXPLORE_PLUS_32_CHAN_BOARD`	55	250 Hz	32	`ip_address` or auto-discovery

BrainBit / Neurosity Callibri¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`BRAINBIT_BOARD`	7	250 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`CALLIBRI_EEG_BOARD`	9	250 Hz	1	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`CALLIBRI_EMG_BOARD`	10	1000 Hz	—	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`CALLIBRI_ECG_BOARD`	11	125 Hz	—	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`BRAINBIT_BLED_BOARD`	18	250 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

Neurosity¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`NOTION_1_BOARD`	13	250 Hz	8	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`NOTION_2_BOARD`	14	250 Hz	8	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`CROWN_BOARD`	23	256 Hz	8	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

Enophone¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`ENOPHONE_BOARD`	37	250 Hz	4	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

OYMotion gForce¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`GFORCE_PRO_BOARD`	16	500 Hz	—	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)
`GFORCE_DUAL_BOARD`	19	500 Hz	—	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

g.tec Unicorn¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`UNICORN_BOARD`	8	250 Hz	8	`ip_address` or auto-discovery

FreeEEG¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`FREEEEG32_BOARD`	17	512 Hz	32	`serial_port`
`FREEEEG128_BOARD`	52	256 Hz	128	`serial_port`

PiEEG¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`PIEEG_BOARD`	56	250 Hz	8	`serial_port`

Synchroni¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`SYNCHRONI_TRIO_3_CHANNELS_BOARD`	58	250 Hz	2	`serial_port`
`SYNCHRONI_OCTO_8_CHANNELS_BOARD`	59	250 Hz	7	`serial_port`
`SYNCHRONI_PENTO_8_CHANNELS_BOARD`	61	250 Hz	8	`serial_port`
`SYNCHRONI_UNO_1_CHANNELS_BOARD`	62	250 Hz	1	`serial_port`

OpenBCI OB-series¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`OB5000_8_CHANNELS_BOARD`	60	250 Hz	8	`serial_port`
`OB3000_24_CHANNELS_BOARD`	63	500 Hz	23	`serial_port`

NeuroPawn¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`NEUROPAWN_KNIGHT_BOARD`	57	125 Hz	8	`serial_port`
`NEUROPAWN_KNIGHT_BOARD_IMU`	66	125 Hz	8	`serial_port`

BrainAlive¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`BRAINALIVE_BOARD`	40	250 Hz	8	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

AAVAA¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`AAVAA_V3_BOARD`	53	50 Hz	8	`mac_address` or `serial_number` (BLE)

OpenBCI Galea¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`GALEA_BOARD`	3	250 Hz	16	`ip_address` or auto-discovery

IronBCI¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`IRONBCI_32_BOARD`	65	512 Hz	32	`serial_port`

NTL¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`NTL_WIFI_BOARD`	50	250 Hz	8	`ip_address`, `ip_port`

BioListener¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`BIOLISTENER_BOARD`	64	500 Hz	8	`serial_port`

EmotiBit¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`EMOTIBIT_BOARD`	47	25 Hz	—	`ip_address` or auto-discovery

No hardware required¶

Board name	id	Sampling rate	EEG ch	Connection via
`NO_BOARD`	-100	—	—	none
`PLAYBACK_FILE_BOARD`	-3	—	—	`file`, `master_board`
`STREAMING_BOARD`	-2	—	—	`ip_address`, `ip_port`, `master_board`
`SYNTHETIC_BOARD`	-1	250 Hz	16	none

Boards that need no hardware¶

Three entries above are worth calling out, because they are how you develop and test without a rig:

SYNTHETIC_BOARD (id -1) — generates a signal immediately. The default for start_stream.
PLAYBACK_FILE_BOARD (id -3) — replays a BrainFlow CSV at true rate. Set file and master_board. For other formats, or if you need speed control and seeking, use start_replay instead.
STREAMING_BOARD (id -2) — attaches to another BrainFlow process streaming over the network.

Recording formats for replay¶

start_replay reads more than BrainFlow's own CSV, because MNE does the file handling:

Format	Extension	Events source
European Data Format	`.edf`	annotations + trigger channel
BioSemi	`.bdf`	annotations + trigger channel
General Data Format	`.gdf`	annotations + trigger channel
EEGLAB	`.set`	annotations
MNE / Elekta / Neuromag	`.fif`	annotations + STI channels
BrainVision	`.vhdr`	marker file
Nihon Kohden	`.eeg`	annotations
Persyst	`.lay`	annotations
BrainFlow CSV	`.csv`	marker channel (needs `board=`)

Anything else MNE can read will also load; the table lists what is routinely exercised.

Stimulation hardware¶

Read this before connecting a stimulator

The hardware backends are generic transports driven by command templates you supply from your device's manual — not vendor drivers, and none has been validated against a specific commercial stimulator. Shipping a plausible-looking driver that had never been tested against the real device would be worse than shipping none, because it would fail silently while connected to something pointed at a person's head.

Use only under a protocol approved by your ethics board, on a rig whose device-level interlocks are intact, with a trained operator present. This is not a medical device.

What each backend can talk to¶

Backend	Hardware?	Transport	Typically used for
`log`	no	none	Dry runs. Accepts everything, emits nothing.
`lsl`	no	LSL marker outlet	PsychoPy, OpenViBE, LabRecorder, any LSL consumer
`brainflow_marker`	no	board marker channel	Sample-aligned marking inside the recording itself
`serial_ttl`	yes	serial byte	Trigger boxes, stimulator trigger inputs, TTL adapters
`template_serial`	yes	ASCII serial	Any device with a documented text protocol
`tms`	yes	ASCII serial + trigger	TMS stimulators; intensity in %MSO
`tes`	yes	ASCII serial	tDCS/tACS/tRNS; intensity in mA, default ceiling 4 mA

Devices these transports are designed to reach¶

Listed as transport compatibility, not certified support. If your device accepts TTL triggers on a serial line or exposes an ASCII command protocol, it fits one of the backends above.

Class	Examples	Backend	How it is driven
TMS stimulators	Magstim, MagVenture, Deymed, Nexstim	`tms`	Intensity set over serial (device protocol), pulse fired by trigger
tES stimulators	neuroConn DC-Stimulator, Soterix, Neuroelectrics Starstim, BrainStim	`tes`	Current and ramp over serial; many also accept a TTL start
Trigger boxes	BrainProducts TriggerBox, Cedrus StimTracker, LabJack, custom Arduino	`serial_ttl`	One byte per event code
Presentation software	PsychoPy, OpenViBE, E-Prime, Presentation	`lsl`	Marker stream over the network

Vendor names identify the device class the transport targets. They do not indicate testing, endorsement, or any relationship with those manufacturers. You supply the command strings from your manual:

attach_stim_backend(session_id="s1", backend="tms", options={
    "port": "COM3",
    "templates": {
        "fire": "TRIG\r\n",
        "set_intensity": "AMP {intensity:.0f}\r\n",
    },
})

Safety gates on every hardware backend¶

Config — refuses to open unless the server was started with EEG_MCP_ALLOW_HARDWARE_STIM=1.
Arming — arm_stim grants a bounded window that expires, so a stalled agent cannot resume and fire minutes later.
Limits — intensity, duration and inter-stimulus interval are clamped against configured ceilings; violations raise rather than saturate.

None of this replaces the interlocks on the device itself.