DIY Muscle BioAmp Shield

All-in-one Arduino Uno Shield for EMG (Electromyography).

Overview

Muscle BioAmp Shield is an all-in-one Arduino Uno ElectroMyography (EMG) shield for learning neuroscience with ease. It is a DIY Electrophysiology/NeuroScience shield inspired from Back Yard Brains (BYB) Muscle Spiker shield and provides similar features like hobby servo output, user buttons, LED Bar, Audio output, and battery input. It is perfect for beginners as they can easily stack it on top of Arduino Uno to record, visualize and listen to their muscle signals to make amazing projects in the domain of Human-Computer Interface (HCI).

Features & Specifications

Muscle BioAmp Shield comes with various plug-and-play options so you can connect hundreds of extension boards like OLED screens, character displays, accelerometers, and servo controllers to name just a few using the STEMMA I2C interface. You also get STEMMA digital and STEMMA analog ports. On STEMMA analog port you can connect additional BioAmp EXG Pill or any other sensor with analog output. On STEMMA digital port you can connect any digital sensor or actuator of your choice.

Input Voltage	5V
Input Impedance	10^11 Ω
Fixed Gain	x2420
Bandpass filter	72 – 720 Hz
Compatible Hardware	Arduino UNO
BioPotentials	EMG (Electromyography)
No. of channels	1
Electrodes	3 (Positive, Negative, and Reference)
Dimensions	6.0 x 5.3 cm
Open Source	Hardware + Software

Hardware

Images below shows a quick overview of the hardware design.

PCB front	PCB back

Assemblying he Kit

You can get your own Muscle BioAmp Shield bag of parts from our store or Tindie and for assembling your shield you can take a look at this interactive BOM or the step by step guide below.

Step 1 - Bare board	Step 2 - 1M Resistors	Step 3 - 330R Resistors

Step 4 - 10K Resistors	Step 5 - 22K Resistors	Step 6 - 1K Resistors

Step 7 - 220K Resistors	Step 8 - 1nF Capacitors	Step 9 - 100nF Capacitors

Step 10 - 100pF Capacitors	Step 11 - Servo Header Pin	Step 12 - Buttons

Step 13 - Optoisolator	Step 14 - Angled JST Connectors	Step 15 - Straight JST Connectors

Step 16 - IC Socket	Step 17 - IC	Step 18 - LEDs

Step 19 - 3.5mm Headphone Jack	Step 20 - 2.2uF Capacitor	Step 21 - 1uF Capacitor

Step 22 - 470uF Capacitors	Step 23 - Shield Header Pins	Step 24 - Shield Ready

Still can't figure out the assembly? You can follow the video provided below to assemble your Shield.

Using the Sensor

The possibilities are endless as you can:

• Visualize the EMG signals using the 6-onboard LEDs. The more you flex, the more LEDs will glow up.

• Directly connect the servo motor via 3-pin angled header pins and control it using muscle signals (EMG).

• Give audio/mic input signals from your mobile phone, laptop, or speakers via BioAmp AUX Cable connected to a 4-pin JST PH 2mm connector.

  

• Connect a 7V to 9V battery via snap cable.

• Record the muscle signals (EMG) either using Gel Electrodes or BioAmp Bands (dry electrode based) via BioAmp Cable connected to a 3-pin JST PH 2mm connector.

• Listen to your muscle signals using wired headphones/earphones connected to a 3.5mm headphone jack.

• Connect hundreds of devices like OLED screens, character displays, temperature sensors, accelerometers, BioAmp Hardware, and much more using the two I2C interfaces.

• Connect Arduino Uno's D6 digital I/O pins and A2 analog input pins using STEMMA digital and STEMMA analog connectors respectively.

• Program the 2 user buttons according to your project requirements.

Some project ideas

These features make it the ultimate plug-and-play kit for students, researchers, and hobbyists alike who want to use muscle signals (EMG) to make amazing human-computer interface (HCI) projects like:

1. Controlling a Dino Game using your muscle signals (EMG)

2. Scrolling Instagram Reels/YouTube Shorts by using your muscle signals (EMG)