
17: Electrode Usage and Checking for Bad Connections For professional medical purposes the electrodes should be replaced after each session. Bad connections can occur if the electrodes are not making firm contact with the skin, from a lack of adequate pressure or from hair between the electrode and the skin. Electrical environments, damaged cabling, damaged electrodes, and weakening battery power will also affect the integrity of the data. The receiver's LED will blip on and off if it is not receiving a good signal. To be sure that the data you are viewing is unaffected by bad connections, as well as identifying small noise disturbances, you should check for the following signs. From the FFT window, small noise disturbances are easy to identify. A band of peaks that occurs in the higher frequencies is usually a small noise disturbance. From the Raw Data window it is much easier to distinguish between noise disturbances and good data. When there is a good connection, the raw data waves will have no abrupt high peaks or clipping. When very large peaks occur together in the high frequency areas, they are most likely small noise disturbances and not brainwave data. If large peaks occur continuously throughout the wave, you should check for imperfect contact. If clipping occurs every so often, it is most likely from eye movement. If clipping occurs constantly, you should check for imperfect contact. When these types of disturbances occur constantly, you should check that the electrodes are not dirty or worn reset the headband on the head to assure the electrodes are pressing firmly and unobstructed try bringing the transmitter and receiver closer to each other. If the disturbances still occur, the battery may be dying. When the signals become consistently bad, the program will inform you that the battery is losing its power and recording will stop. If you have tried everything and the electrodes and battery are new, you may have a damaged headband or cable. Try directly connecting the transmitter to the receiver to eliminate the possibility of a bad electrical environment, and try to isolate the problem.

17: Electrode Usage and Checking for Bad Connections

For professional medical purposes the electrodes should be replaced after each session.

Bad connections can occur if the electrodes are not making firm contact with the skin, from a lack of adequate pressure or from hair between the electrode and the skin. Electrical environments, damaged cabling, damaged electrodes, and weakening battery power will also affect the integrity of the data. The receiver's LED will blip on and off if it is not receiving a good signal.

To be sure that the data you are viewing is unaffected by bad connections, as well as identifying small noise disturbances, you should check for the following signs.

From the FFT window, small noise disturbances are easy to identify. A band of peaks that occurs in the higher frequencies is usually a small noise disturbance.
From the Raw Data window it is much easier to distinguish between noise disturbances and good data. When there is a good connection, the raw data waves will have no abrupt high peaks or clipping. When very large peaks occur together in the high frequency areas, they are most likely small noise disturbances and not brainwave data.
If large peaks occur continuously throughout the wave, you should check for imperfect contact.
If clipping occurs every so often, it is most likely from eye movement.
If clipping occurs constantly, you should check for imperfect contact.
When these types of disturbances occur constantly, you should

check that the electrodes are not dirty or worn
reset the headband on the head to assure the electrodes are pressing firmly and unobstructed
try bringing the transmitter and receiver closer to each other.
If the disturbances still occur, the battery may be dying.

When the signals become consistently bad, the program will inform you that the battery is losing its power and recording will stop.
If you have tried everything and the electrodes and battery are new, you may have a damaged headband or cable.
Try directly connecting the transmitter to the receiver to eliminate the possibility of a bad electrical environment, and try to isolate the problem.