Guest guest Posted February 26, 2005 Report Share Posted February 26, 2005 List-- I will piggy-back on JoAnn's question if I may. I'm thinking of upgrading my 98SE/Office software in order to run TLC and BE. But I wonder if my enhanced 1.9A BrainMaster can handle BE decently. Any suggestions? HH new equipment Dear Pete and others.. I have a question about the pendant with BE software, would you recommend this over a brainmaster with BE? If anyone has the time, what are the pro's and con's? Thanks, JoAnn JoAnn Blumenthal, MA, MS, LMHC1415 Panther Lane (352) Naples, Florida 34109Office: 239-949-2300 Fax: 239-949-0048Authorized Distributor: BioExplorer, BrainMaster, Alpha Stim, Thought Technologies Ltd, QDS software/hardware Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 JoAnn, There are a few differences between PKG1 (BMer with BE--BioExplorer) vs. PKG2 (Pendant with BE) that are worth considering: Sampling rate is the number of times the software measures brain activity each second. Sampling rate with PKG1 is 122 SPS (samples per second), while with PKG2 it can be set to 256 or even 512. Although 122 is considered by engineers (quoting the Nyquist Theorem) to be sufficient to train up to 40Hz frequencies, many trainers prefer 256, because it gives greater resolution. Bruce McMillan of Minder Labs, which makes the Pendant, argues that this is completely irrelevant, as do other manufacturers, but if you used an Infiniti amp and software from Thought Technology--one of the best--you'd be getting 256, and I prefer 256 as well. (BTW, if you traded your old " gray " BMer 2E for the new " black " one, the 2W, which I'll be reviewing shortly, you'd be able to sample 256--or even up to 800SPS with PKG3 (Black BrainMaster plus BE). Amplification curve is the flatness with which your EEG unit (Bmer or Pendant) amplifies all the various frequencies in the trainable spectrum. An amp with a flat amplification curve would allow you to input a signal of 10 microvolts (uV, a measure of amplitude) at 1Hz (very slow) or 30 HZ (pretty fast), and the amp would output a signal of 10uV at each frequency. Older amps, including the BMer 2E, don't have flat amplification curves. Putting a signal of 10uV in at 1 HZ, you might get back a signal of 13 uV; putting a signal of 10 uV in at 30 Hz, you might get back a signal of 7 uV. The Pendant has a " flat " amplification curve--it accurately amplifies each frequency. Manufacturers of older amps use software to clean up their amplification curves. BMer's 2.0 software includes a multiplier for each frequency to " flatten " the amplitude response, and if you use BMer with BE, you must make sure to turn on the " Gain Equalization Filters " to flatten the response. Main problem with this is that it adds a delay into the feedback process. I like to minimize the delay added by each element of a design to keep the total, if possible, at or below 250ms--1/4 second--between the time something happens in the brain and the time the client sees it represented on the screen. BTW, the black BMer has also fixed the amplifcation curve problem in the BMer hardware. With PKG1, you are using a cable to send data to the computer, as you would with most, say, printers. BMer (gray or black) is still designed to plug into the serial port on your computer (the little plug with 5pins on top and 4pins on the bottom). Most desktop units still have a serial (or COM) port, but many newer laptops do not, because it is an older and slower way to send data. Many newer devices take advantage of the USB port, which is faster, provides power to whatever is plugged into it and can be " daisy-chained " to allow multiple uses of the same port. If you have a computer without a serial port, you must get a serial-to-USB adaptor to plug your BMer into the computer. There are some models which work very well--many which do not. Some users have no problems (other than buying and installing the adaptor) getting it to work, but I've run into some major frustrations with users at some workshops trying to get this to work. PKG2 uses a wireless connection--like a wireless phone--which literally sends the EEG data gathered by the amp through the air to a receiver that plugs into the USB port on your computer. The client can sit anywhere up to 15 feet from the computer (as long as there is a direct line of sight between the sending and receiving units), not tied by any cable to the computer, and train. This too has it's potential problems, since it's possible to have other wireless devices (amps or phones or whatever) in the same area sending data on the same frequency which can confuse the signal. The Pendant allows you to cycle through 8 different communication frequencies very easily if this happens to find one where you get a clean signal, but that's something you don't have to think about with a " cabled " connection. Also, there is always the possibility of a signal being sent and not received in the wireless system (causing what are called " sync errors " ), which can be frustrating. Usually this is related to a poor connection or a weak battery. Batteries power both units, so the client is isolated from any potential electrical shock from wall current. Both use rechargeable batteries. The BMer (PKG1) uses an internal rechargeable battery, and if that goes dead--session over. You have to stop and turn off the unit and plug it into the wall for hours to rebuild the charge enough to be able to train again. If you haven't used the unit for some time, and the battery has run way down, this charge time can be a day or more. PKG1 does not allow you to see (in BE) what your battery level is, so you are always shooting in the dark. The Pendant uses a 9-volt rechargeable external battery. It's easy to buy a second one, as I recommend, and keep it always charging (the charger plugs right into a USB port on your computer), so if something happens in a session, you can just switch the charging battery to the Pendant and put the weak one on the charger with a brief interruption to the session. Also PKG2 allows you to see on the training screen if the battery level is ok or not, so you can track it. BMer offers a device that plugs between the amp and the cable (in later Brainmasters only) that allows you to use a 9-volt battery to power the unit. Another option allows you to see the battery's charge level on a meter. These add $50 or $90 to the cost of PKG1. Downside of 9-volt batteries is that plugging and unplugging them is not as easy as popping in or out a couple AA batteries. It's possible to pull loose the cable if you aren't careful. Finally there is the cost of the units. The Bmer 2E " naked " as it comes from BMer, costs a minimum of $1,000 with shipping (these are list prices--not the prices available on the brain-trainer website). If you add a serial-to-USB adaptor and an " emergency " battery kit with meter, you are probably adding about $120. PKG2, as it comes from Minder Labs costs $535 with shipping. PKG3, with the black BMer, lists for about $1275. BMer comes with electrodes, paste and prep. The Pendant does not. I haven't seen the latest electrodes BMer is including, but the ones I have seen should be replaced within a matter of weeks or a few months at most if you use them often. Once the gold plating starts flaking off, so colors other than gold start appearing on them, you need to throw them out and get better ones. They are also stamped electrodes instead of the much better molded ones (see the sidebar at www.brain-trainer.com in the Equipment section for more explanation of the differences and where to buy these). So, bottom line, I think you'd have to spend about $130 for electrodes either way, right away when you get the Pendant or in a few weeks if you get the BMer. Or, with either one, you could get the ActivEEG package I just reviewed a few days ago (/files/ProductReports/ ), which would work with either system without requiring separate electrodes or prep. Reliability in each unit is very good, and the responsiveness of the manufacturers to problems has also been excellent with both. Hope this is clear enough to make sense not only to technical gurus like you (grin...) but also to some of the newer users on the group. In short, I don't like to get into making recommendations about hardware and software--each has its strengths and weaknesses--but I think we can provide clear and accurate information about the options that hopefully allow potential users to make their own decisions. Anyone who wants to look at the equipment or get more information about these--or other packages like the PET EEG--can do so at http://www.brain-trainer.com. Or e-mail the group and I'll try (as, I'm sure, will others who use either or both packages) to answer them. Thanks for the great question. Pete > > From: Biocenterflorida@... > Date: 2005/02/26 Sat PM 08:14:13 EST > > Subject: new equipment > > Dear Pete and others.. > I have a question about the pendant with BE software, would you recommend > this over a brainmaster with BE? If anyone has the time, what are the pro's and > con's? > Thanks, > JoAnn > > > JoAnn Blumenthal, MA, MS, LMHC > 1415 Panther Lane (352) Naples, Florida 34109 > Office: 239-949-2300 Fax: 239-949-0048 > Authorized Distributor: BioExplorer, BrainMaster, Alpha Stim, > Thought Technologies Ltd, QDS software/hardware > > > > > > Van Deusen http://www.brain-trainer.com 16246 SW 92nd Ave, Miami, FL 33157 305/251-0337 or (cellular) 305/321-1595 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2005 Report Share Posted February 27, 2005 Harv, First of all, the Brainmaster hardware (the 2E unit) is the same regardless of whether you bought it with 1.9A software or 2.0 software. Either you have upgraded the amps, if the unit is several years old, or you have not, or you didn't need to if the unit's serial number (on the bottom of the unit) is 1300 or above. And you may have added the capability to run 2.0 software, if you have that, or not. In short, you can use any BMer amplifier with BE and it will work fine. The main issue you raise is processing power. That's built into your computer hardware. BE has much better graphics and the option to do a lot fancier stuff (including running a DVD as feedback) that demand more of your computer hardware. If you are using hardware that was set up with Win98, chances are it's 4-5 years old or more. It's likely to have trouble running BE with many of the options. BTW, I would NOT upgrade your software from WIN98 to XP on an older machine. You won't have enough memory or processing power to use all the extra demands of the operating system. Best thing is to stay with WIN98 operating system and use BE a little more stripped down or spring for a new computer (desktop units are fairly cheap these days!) You can run the TLC Assess just fine with WIN98 or with the version of Excel that comes with Office 98, so that's not a concern. Switching from 1.9A software to BE will make a huge difference in what you train and what you see on the assessment. 1.9A, even with its multipliers to " flatten " the amplification curve (see my previous post) tends to overstate slow activity and understate fast in the EEG. You'll need to use the Gain Equalization Filters in BE, but the difference is quite noticeable. For the price of upgrading Windows and Office, you are probably well on your way toward getting a new desktop computer, which will have WIN XP already installed, and that would be a much better investment. Pete > > From: " Harv " <hhoward@...> > Date: 2005/02/26 Sat PM 09:24:21 EST > < > > Subject: Re: new equipment > > List-- > > I will piggy-back on JoAnn's question if I may. > > I'm thinking of upgrading my 98SE/Office software in order to run TLC and BE. But I wonder if my enhanced 1.9A BrainMaster can handle BE decently. Any suggestions? > > HH Van Deusen http://www.brain-trainer.com 16246 SW 92nd Ave, Miami, FL 33157 305/251-0337 or (cellular) 305/321-1595 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 7, 2006 Report Share Posted January 7, 2006 good evening everyone, did a little shopping today. we were driving around and dh stopped at play it again sports. they had a used barbell for $12. it was a wieder standard but hubby swears on its own it weights 5lbs. but it couldn't pass the price. they also had dumbbell handles for $7 a piece but it didn't come with clips. they had them for $3 a piece but silly me only bought one pair. dh just had to go pick up a presciption so he is going to drive out and see if they are still opened and he going to pick up another pair. nice stainless steel bars and very sturdy. so about $32 i got some new equipment. actually i wanted another barbell so i had a set barbell for legs and back and my other barbell for the rest of the upper body. and when working out with adjustable dumbbells i spent more time then i cared for changing from 10lbs to 12lbs so for now i have a set pair of 10s and a set pair of 12s. this should eliminate the time of switching weights.i am planning on doing a full body weight workout tomorrow so i will have to see how it goes with this change,hopefully hubby can get those bar clips for me have a great nite kassia DSL Something to write home about. Just $16.99/mo. or less Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.