Streaming HackEEG data via WiFi

You can stream HackEEG data wirelessly via Wifi using a Raspberry Pi 4. This update will go over how to do that. (Note that you can also stream data wirelessly from a laptop to another laptop too, though I’m not covering that here.)

With this setup, the HackEEG, Arduino Due, and Raspberry Pi are portable, and can move around as long as you are connected to WiFi. This requires a bit of manual setup. If there’s interest, later in the campaign I’ll post a disk image that can connect to HackEEG and start streaming automatically. In the meantime, here’s how to do it.

You will need a HackEEG, an Arduino Due, and a laptop with OpenBCI set up to do local streaming like we set up in the last update. (Or read more how to set this up on the hackeeg documentation site.)

You’ll also need the following items (I’m providing Amazon links to example items for convenience:

• Raspberry Pi 4 ((Amazon link)
• 16 GB (or more) MicroSD card (for storing the Raspberry Pi's operating system) (Amazon link)
• micro USB to USB-C cable ((Amazon link)
• USB-A to USB-C cable ((Amazon link)
• USB power bank battery ((Amazon link)
• USB SD card reader (Amazon link)

These instructions are an overview. Detailed instructions can be found on the hackeeg documentation site.

Overview

1. Set up the Raspberry Pi 4 with Raspbian Linux.
2. Configure it to connect to your WiFi access point.
3. Install Python and pipenv
4. Install HackEEG
5. Connect the Raspberry Pi 4 to the USB power bank battery and to the Arduino Due and HackEEG.
6. ssh to the Raspberry Pi 4
7. Start hackeeg_stream with the --lsl option to send Lab Streaming Layer data over the network.

$ hackeeg_stream --sps 500 --continuous --lsl

8. Make sure the laptop with OpenBCI is connected to the same WiFi access point.
9. Start OpenBCI
10. Select Live (from Lab Streaming Layer)
11. Click Start Streaming
12. It should look something like this

HackEEG connected to a Raspberry Pi 4 sending Lab Streaming Layer data over WiFi

Notes

Right now all the software is in the ADS129x-tools under the ads129x_client directory; this will soon be moving to Starcat’s hackeeg-client-repo.