Frequently Asked Questions
General
What is PiEEG?
PiEEG is a family of EEG shields and boards that turn a Raspberry Pi, Jetson Nano, Arduino, or standalone USB host into a multi-channel brain-computer interface. It measures biosignals including EEG (brain), EMG (muscles), ECG/EKG (heart), and EOG (eyes). The companion PiEEG Server software streams, records, and exposes real-time data over WebSocket, LSL, OSC, and webhooks.
Who is PiEEG for?
Researchers, students, makers, startups, and educators who want research-grade biosignal acquisition without the cost of traditional lab equipment. If you can run a Python script, you can get started.
What hardware platforms are available?
There are 7 hardware platforms ranging from 8 to 32 channels: PiEEG, PiEEG-16, IronBCI, IronBCI-32, MicroBCI, ardEEG, and JNEEG. See the Hardware section for full specifications.
Medical & Safety
Is PiEEG FDA/CE approved for medical use?
No. PiEEG devices are not medical devices and have not been certified by any government regulatory agency (FDA, CE, or equivalent). They are designed for education, research, and engineering purposes only.
PiEEG must not be used for medical diagnosis, treatment, clinical applications, life-support, or any safety-critical use. See Liabilities and Safety for full details.
Is PiEEG safe to use on humans?
When used correctly, yes — but you must follow critical safety rules:
- Always use battery power (5 V DC) when measuring biosignals from humans. Never connect a PiEEG device to mains power, USB from a grid-connected computer, or wall outlets while in use with human subjects.
- Do not use if you have a pacemaker or other implanted medical device without consulting a physician first.
- Discontinue use if you experience discomfort or skin irritation.
- There is no patient isolation circuitry on the device, so battery isolation is essential.
You are fully responsible for the safe use of the device.
Purchasing & Support
Where can I buy PiEEG hardware?
Hardware is sold and shipped through Elecrow (opens in a new tab). Official distribution and support in China is available at pieeg.cn (opens in a new tab).
What is the typical delivery time?
In-stock items typically ship within 1–2 business days. Custom configurations usually ship within 2–3 weeks. International shipping adds roughly 5–14 days depending on location.
Do you offer educational discounts?
Universities and educational institutions may qualify for discounts on bulk orders. Contact the team with your institution email for details.
How do I get technical support?
Join the Discord community (opens in a new tab) for community support, or email pieeg@pieeg.com for technical assistance. Hardware purchases include email support. See Support & Contact for all channels.
Software & Licensing
Is PiEEG open source?
The software and SDKs are MIT licensed (including PiEEG Server) and fully public on GitHub (opens in a new tab). Hardware designs are proprietary. You can fork, modify, and build freely on the software side.
Do I need to write code to use PiEEG?
No. The PiEEG Server includes a browser dashboard for real-time visualization and CSV recording with no code required. For programmatic access, connect any WebSocket client — plain JSON, no SDK required. See the Quick Start.
What integrations are supported?
Lab Streaming Layer (LSL) for OpenViBE / MNE / LabRecorder, Jupyter notebooks, VRChat OSC, webhooks, IFTTT, and Zapier. See Integrations.
How do I troubleshoot problems?
Run pieeg-server doctor for self-diagnostics, or test without hardware using pieeg-server --mock. See the Troubleshooting guide for common SPI, port, hardware, and dashboard fixes.