Safety and Lab Setup

Read this before powering a board, attaching electrodes, or connecting any hardware to the human body.

Scope

FreeBCI Spike release files and derived hardware are for:

• research
• education
• engineering prototyping

They are not a medical device package and are not intended for diagnosis, treatment, life support, or other high-risk medical use.

Human-Connection Rules

If a test setup is connected to a person:

• Prefer battery-powered operation
• Use conservative electrical isolation
• Avoid direct connection to mains-powered equipment
• Avoid improvised grounding arrangements
• Assess the entire chain: board, battery, USB interface, host computer, charger, and any lab instruments

Bring-Up Order

Use a staged workflow:

1. Inspect the board before power-on
2. Power the board without electrodes attached
3. Verify visible signs of healthy bring-up
4. Connect the board to FreeBCI DAQ
5. Confirm stable streaming
6. Only then move to human-connected experiments

Do not make your first validation step a body-connected test.

Lab Bench Checklist

Before first power-on, confirm:

• Correct module and release files
• Clean solder joints and connector orientation
• No visible shorts, reversed parts, or battery wiring mistakes
• Stable battery or approved isolated power source
• Clear separation between experimental hardware and mains-powered lab gear

USB Risk

USB-powered development setups can create unsafe ground or leakage paths if used carelessly. Treat the host computer, charger, USB cable, and any connected instruments as part of the same risk surface.

Responsibility

Whoever manufactures, assembles, modifies, or operates derived hardware is responsible for:

• safety
• validation
• regulatory compliance
• suitability for the intended test environment

Next

→ Manufacturing and Assembly
→ Spike 1CH LH001
→ Spike 8CH ADS1299