IQEEG Signal

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Signal Acquisition

IQEEG AddIn

Global

XAML Impedance Plot

Standard EventIDE license

In this article:

Introduction
Key Features
Properties
Practical Use
Technique 1: Hardware-Based EEG Acquisition
Technique 2: Impedance Run-Time Monitoring and Visualization
Technique 3: Signal Generator for Testing
Notes

Introduction

The IQEEG Signal element enables real-time acquisition of electrophysiological signals from an IQEEG amplifier within an experiment. It manages amplifier binding, channel configuration, sampling parameters, impedance monitoring, and buffering of incoming data.

Before acquisition, the amplifier must be bound using Bind Amplifier Now property, which retrieves available channel information and hardware configuration. Selected channels are registered in the EventIDE signal pool at runtime and become available to signal processing and analysis elements.

The element supports configurable sampling rate, 10–20 mode (19-channel configuration for 3-module systems), low latency transmission mode, raw or calibrated sample output, real-time impedance monitoring, and circular signal buffering.

For testing and development without hardware, a built-in signal generator can emulate oscillatory EEG activity with configurable frequency components and noise.

Key Features

Real-time EEG acquisition from IQEEG amplifier
Flexible channel selection and configuration
Support for raw and calibrated samples
Real-time impedance monitoring with XAML visualization
Configurable sampling rate
Low latency acquisition mode
Built-in signal generator for testing
Circular buffer for continuous data storage
Integration with signal analysis elements

Properties

Name	Description	Property Class	Type	On runtime change
Settings
Bind Amplifier Now	Binds the connected IQEEG amplifier and retrieves its channel configuration. You have to bind the amplifier once to get a list of available channels	Design	String
COM Port	Defines a name of the serial COM port for the IQEEG. If it is unknown, use auto detect	General	String
Cap Type	Specifies the EEG cap type	Design	Int32
Sampling Rate	Defines the sampling rate of the amplifier	Design	Int32
10-20 Mode	Enables the 19-channel 10-20 mode for amplifiers with 3 modules	Design	Boolean
Low Latency Mode	Enables low latency mode that disables certain features to minimize transmission latency	Design	Boolean
Channel Settings	Opens a window with the IQEEG channel settings	Runtime Command	String
Default Channel Settings	If enabled, the channel settings on this element will be bypassed and the amp default channel settings will be used instead	Design	Boolean
Calibrate Voltage Now	Connect the amplifier and retrieve its info	Design	String
Check Impedance Now	Opens a window showing the current impedance values	Runtime Command	String
Sample Type	Defines the type (raw or calibrated) of recorded samples	Design	Int32
Impedance Range	Defines a range for the normalization of the impedance values in kOhm to the red-green color gradient on the impedance plot	General	clRange
Runtime Control
Impedance Mode	Defines whether the impedance measurement mode is active at runtime	General	Boolean
XAML Impedance Plot	Returns a live XAML plot showing a map of impedance scores per electrode. Can be bound to a ContentControl or shown on the status screen	General	UIElem..
Reset Signals Now	Runtime command that resets the signal buffers and data acquisition	Runtime Command	Boolean
Signal Generator
Signal Generator	Defines whether signal samples are produced by an oscillatory generator rather than the actual hardware. Useful for test runs without hardware	Design	Boolean
Emulated Sampling Rate	Defines the emulation sampling rate (samples per second) when data is generated or streamed from a file	Design	Double
Primary Frequency	Defines the frequency of the primary rhythm in the generated signal (Hz). Assign 0 to exclude	General	Double
Secondary Frequency	Defines the frequency of the secondary rhythm in the generated signal (Hz). Magnitude is half of primary. Assign 0 to exclude	Design	Double
Noise Level	Defines the noise level (% of primary frequency magnitude). Assign 0 to exclude	Design	Double
Channel Configuration
Selected Channels	Defines what signal channels are selected for acquisition. Registered in the EventIDE signal pool at runtime	Design	List`1
Selected Channel Count	Indicates how many signal channels are currently selected for acquisition	Status	Int32
Total Channel Count	Indicates how many signal channels are available in total	Status	Int32
Buffer Size	Defines the size (in samples) of the circular buffer that stores incoming signal data	Design	Int32
Control
Is Enabled	If set to false the element is completely omitted when the experiment is run	Design	Boolean
Title	Title of the element	Design	String

Practical Use

The IQEEG Signal element is typically used in:

EEG-based cognitive and affective experiments
Brain–computer interface (BCI) paradigms
Neurofeedback applications
Real-time signal monitoring during behavioral tasks
Pilot testing and hardware validation

Acquired channels become available in the signal pool and can be processed by filtering, spectral analysis, ERP extraction, or custom real-time algorithms.

Technique 1: Hardware-Based EEG Acquisition

Add the IQEEG Signal element.
Set the correct COM Port (or use auto-detection).
Click Bind Amplifier Now to retrieve amplifier configuration.
Select desired channels under Selected Channels.
Configure Sampling Rate and Sample Type (raw or calibrated).
Enable 10-20 Mode if using a 3-module 19-channel setup.
Optionally enable Low Latency Mode for time-critical paradigms.
Verify electrode impedance using Check Impedance Now.
Add a Signal File Writer element to log selected channels for offline analysis.
Add a Multi-Channel Analyzer element to visualize the signals in real time on the status screen.
Run the experiment — selected channels will stream into the signal pool in real time.

Technique 2: Impedance Run-Time Monitoring and Visualization

Add XAML Impedance Plot widget to the status screen.
Activate Impedance Mode during runtime.
Use Check Impedance Now to open the impedance window.
Adjust Impedance Range to normalize impedance values (kOhm) to the red–green gradient.

This allows real-time visualization of electrode impedance distribution across the scalp.

Technique 3: Signal Generator for Testing

Set Signal Generator property to True.
Set Emulated Sampling Rate.
Define Primary Frequency (e.g., 10 Hz for alpha rhythm).
Optionally define Secondary Frequency.
Set Noise Level to simulate physiological variability.
Run the experiment without hardware to test acquisition pipelines and signal analysis workflows.

Example: Real-Time Flow Control Based on EEG

Acquired EEG signals can be accessed from the signal pool and used to control experimental flow. For example, if alpha band power (8–12 Hz) from a selected channel exceeds a predefined threshold, the experiment can trigger a specific flow route (e.g., neurofeedback reward or trial transition).

Notes

The amplifier must be bound before channel selection becomes available.
Ensure correct COM port configuration before binding.
Use impedance checking prior to data acquisition to ensure data quality.
Low Latency Mode may disable certain features to minimize transmission delay.
Larger buffer sizes increase memory usage but improve resistance to temporary data loss.
The signal generator is intended for testing only and does not replicate full physiological complexity.