Emotiv EPOC+ Series, EPOC v1.0, EPOC+ v1.1, EPOC+ V1.1A User Manual

EPOC+

User Manual

Last updated: January 10, 2018

Copyright EMOTIV, Inc.

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Table of Contents

EPOC+ 1

User Manual 1

Table of Contents 2

Introduction 4

Safety Precautions 4

Technical Specifications 5

Compliance Accreditation 6

Package Contents 7

Assembly - Quick Start 8

EPOC+ Headset Details 9

LED Indicators 11

Charging 12

Universal USB Receiver (Dongle) 13

Troubleshooting 14

Contact quality 14

Electrode Assembly 15

Broken sensor lock 15

Reattaching sensor frame 16

Electrode Arms 17

Storage 18

Firmware 19

Software 19

Revisions 19

Updating Firmware 20

Revision History 20

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Introduction

This document is intended to help you get started using the EPOC+ and includes common tips

for using it. The EMOTIV EPOC+ is a portable, high resolution, 14-channel, EEG system. It was

designed to be quick and easy to fit and take measurements in practical research applications.

It is compatible with all EMOTIV software products.

If you have any queries beyond the scope of this document, please contact us through our

online support.

Safety Precautions

● EPOC+ is a consumer product, it is not intended to use be used for in-patient health care

or in hazardous environments.

● EPOC+ is designed to be used at room temperature; rapid changes in temperature will

affect the performance of the amplifiers and increase the noise floor.

● EPOC+ uses saline based sensors and every effort has been made to protect the

electronics from water ingress. Please do not submerge your headset as it is not

waterproof.

● WARNING: EPOC+ is powered by a Lithium-Polymer battery that is rated for operation

in <45C environments. It is not user replaceable, please contact support if you suspect a

fault or have any questions.

● WARNING: Do not open the enclosure. Doing so will void the warranty and can damage

the headset.

● WARNING: Do not charge EPOC+ while wearing the device. In the unlikely event your

PC has a faulty power supply you and your headset could unintentionally become the

ground path and so If EPOC+ detects a USB connection when turned on it will stop

communicating. If you would like to use it tethered then please use an EMOTIV

Extender. Extender provides USB isolation and charging protection while tethered.

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Technical Specifications

EPOC v1.0

EPOC+ v1.1

EPOC+ V1.1A

No. of Channels

14 (plus CMS/DRL references, P3/P4 locations)

Channel names (International 10-20 locations)

AF3, F7, F3, FC5, T7, P7, O1, O2, P8, T8, FC6, F4, F8, AF4

Sampling method

Sequential sampling. Single ADC

Sampling rate

128 SPS (2048 Hz internal)

128 SPS / 256 SPS (2048 Hz internal)

EEG Resolution

14 bits 1 LSB = 0.51μV (16 bit ADC, 2 bits instrumental noise floor discarded)

14 bits 1 LSB = 0.51μV (16 bit ADC, 2 bits instrumental noise floor discarded) Settings can be changed to 16-bit

Bandwidth

0.2 - 45Hz, digital notch filters at 50Hz and 60Hz

Filtering

Built in digital 5th order Sinc filter

Dynamic range (input referred)

8400 uV(pp)

Coupling mode

AC coupled

Connectivity

Proprietary 2.4GHz wireless

Proprietary 2.4GHz wireless, BLE and USB

Battery Capacity.

LiPo battery 680mAh

Battery life (typical)

12 hours

Impedance Measurement

Real-time contact quality using patented system

IMU Part

IDG500

LSM9DS0

ICM-20948

Accelerometer

-

3-axis +/-8g

Gyroscope

2-axis +/-8g

3-axis +/- 2000 dps

Magnetometer

-

3-axis +/- 12 gauss

MEMS Sampling

128 Hz

32 / 64 / 128 Hz (User Defined)

MEMS Resolution

10 bit

16-bit

Sensor Material

Ag/AgCl + Felt + Saline

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Compliance Accreditation

The EPOC+ has been tested for EMC and Safety compliance as a consumer product under the CB scheme. The following table outlines the compliance testing that has been obtained:

Compliance Countries

AU, AT, BE, BG, BY, CA, CH, CN, CZ, DE, DK, ES, EU, FI, FR, GB, GR, HU, IE, IL, IT, JP, KR, NL, NO, NZ, PL, PT, RO, SE, SG, SI, SK, UA, US

EMC and Telecom: Class B

TSI EN 300 440-2 V1.4.1 EN 301 489-1 EN 301 489-3 AS/NZS CISPR22 :2009 AS/NZS 4268 :2008 FCC CFR 47 Part 15C

FCC Registration Identifiers

XUEEPOC01 and XUE-USBD01

Safety

EN 60950-1:2006 IEC 60950-1:2005 (2nd Edition) AS/NZS 60950.1:2003 including amendments 1, 2 & 3

CB Certificate (TUV Rheinland Japan )

JPTUV-029914

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Package Contents

Within the packaging of your EPOC+ you will find the following:

1. Headset

2. Hydrator pack

3. Hydrator fluid

4. Universal USB Receiver

5. Mini-B to A USB cable

6. Instruction Sheet

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Assembly - Quick Start

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EPOC+ Headset Details

The EPOC+ has two electrode arms each containing 9 locations (7 sensors + 2 references).

Two sensor locations (M1 / M2) already have rubber sensors fitted because they are the

alternative positions for the default references (P3 / P4).

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The EPOC+ is designed to provide good coverage of the frontal and prefrontal lobes and also

provides coverage of the temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. Shown above are the sensor

locations for the EPOC+ using the international 10-20 system.

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LED Indicators

The USB port, power switch and LED indicators are part of the control board which sits in the middle of the EPOC+ headband. The power LED is located on the top surface and the charging LED is on the USB face. The table below outlines their behaviour:

Action

Power LED

Charging LED

Power OFF / Battery Flat

OFF

Power On

White

OFF

USB connected / Charging

OFF

Orange

Charge complete

OFF

Green

Firmware failure

Fade On - Fade Off

OFF

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Charging

It is recommended that your headset is fully charged prior to taking recordings. The charge time

depends on the remaining capacity in the Lithium Polymer cell and can take up to four hours. If

the power LED does not glow white when you turn it on, your EPOC+ requires charging. Please

plug in the provided USB Mini-B cable into the headset as shown above and any USB port.

Note 1: The headset will charge faster if connected to a dedicated USB port.

Note 2: If the headset it heavily depleted or hasn’t been used for a few months, leave it

connected for 24hrs.

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Universal USB Receiver (Dongle)

The universal USB receiver uses a proprietary 2.4GHz protocol to stream data from the

headset. We recommend using this to connect to your headset on a PC or laptop; once

connected it pairs to the same headset even when it is disconnected allowing easy

reconnection. The dongle pairing also allows multiple headsets to co-exist andprovides a

reliable high speed connection over BLE.

The alternative is to use bluetooth low energy (BLE). The implementation of bluetooth varies by

manufacturer and most do not include the protocol stack required to communicate with devices

without third party applications.

On the top surface of the dongle below the plastic is two green LEDs. The table below explains what these LEDs mean.

Action

LED Left (under power icon)

LED Right

Powered Up Looking for headsets

OFF

Slow flashing

Receiving data

ON

Fast flashing

Paired by not connected

ON

Slow flashing

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Troubleshooting

Contact quality

Contact quality is measured for each position and shown in the sensor map pictured below.

There are four states:

Colour

Status

Black

No contact detected

Red

Poor Contact Quality

Orange

Average Contact Quality

Green

Good Contact Quality

If a sensor is not showing as green please check that it is making good contact with the scalp

and the sensor is wet. If the subject has thick hair, try to work the sensor under the hair and add

additional fluid. Bad positioning and dry sensors are the two most common reasons for poor

contact quality. Other reasons could be that the sensor housing isn’t locked in place or the felt

pad has been recently replaced it might not be pushed far enough into the sensor housing.

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If a sensor is persistently not making good contact, you can test its functionality by tapping on

the sensor and seeing if anything appears in the EEG data steam. You can also try measuring

your ECG by touching both references with one hand and the sensor with the other. You should

be able to clearly see the QRS and T-wave.

If all of the channels are showing the same level of poor quality the likely cause is the reference

sensors are dry or the reference sensors are not making good contact to the scalp. Before

adjusting any of the recording electrodes, it is recommended that you make sure you have good

contact (green) for the reference sensors.

The first time felt sensors are moistened they take time to absorb the fluid. The best solution is

to apply a small amount onto each sensor and then top up each sensor so that they are wet to

the touch.

Electrode Assembly

Broken sensor lock

On occasion due to wear and tear the quarter turn locking mechanism holding the sensor onto

the headset breaks. This makes it impossible for the sensors to stay in place but it is possible to

repair. Please contact support so that we can assist.

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Reattaching sensor frame

On occasion the electrode assembly that the sensor locks into comes apart. As shown in the following image.

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Electrode Arms

The below images show the arms of the headset to allow you to identify each sensor for troubleshooting.

Left

Right

The DRL(P4) / Aux DRL (M1) and CMS (P3) / Aux CMS (M2) channels are wired together to allow the user to change the location of the references. If you are having problems getting good contact quality there is no added benefit to using both references together.

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Storage

When the EPOC+ is not in use it is best to remove all of the sensors or at least the felt pads and

place them in the provided hydrator pack with it open it allow them to dry out. Wet sensor

assemblies left in the headset will corrode over time and you don't want this corrosion to take

place in situ because it will damage the headset. The corrosion is caused by the saline solution

reacting with the coating we use to improve the signal quality.

We recommend that you soak the felts well to ensure good contact quality. You can put the felts

in the hydrator pack but leave the sensors fitted to the frame.

We provide replacement sensor packs and felts on our accessories page of the online store.

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Firmware

If you have recently bought your headset it will have the most recent firmware version. The

firmware version of your headset is shown in EmotivPRO below the device name in the top bar

when connected, for example:

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Emotiv EPOC+ Series, EPOC v1.0, EPOC+ v1.1, EPOC+ V1.1A User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual