DC Stim PCB complete, thorough testing next

I am developing a commercial DC stimulator that can be used for tDCS. As soon as I began to learn about tDCS in the spring, the fascination began. I understood that I was perfectly suited to develop this project (I am a professional electrical engineer with some biomedical engineering research excited to start a business) for myself and for its business potential. Unfortunately the FDA regulatory restrictions about sales in the USA complicate matters.

I have been practicing TDCS on myself, and some friends, for the past 6 months or so on my prototype unit (see blog below on ATL treatments below). The results have varied from a little benefit to sleep, to a drastic increase in sharpness and productivity for a day to two afterwards. The most exciting, and varied, results will come when it is spread through the population when thousands (or millions) of people are giving themselves regular tDCS treatments over a long period of time. Then we will be sure of its safety and efficacy. That is still many years away.

The DC Stim has been designed keeping in mine the requirements, and safety concerns, of tDCS. Also, the aim was to make it simple, so the technicogically challenged would feel comfortable using it. Below are the main features:

• Three levels (1.0mA, 1.5mA, 2.0mA) of regulated direct current.
• Designed to meet IEC60601
• Quality sponge electrodes for Anion and Cathode electrode.
• Low profile housing, and controls so it is easy to carry if doing an activity that requires some simple movement

This blog, Insight, a growth project driven by tDCS, highlights some of the points of the development and features of the product, the DCStim. I now have a populated PCB that I am testing functionality. Current results are promising.

I hope to have a small manufacturing run complete by February. I am legally looking into the option of selling the device as a kit (after fully tested of course). Otherwise it may mean testing and certification to sell abroad.

The website: www.dcstimulator.com

My youtube video talking about the DC Stim:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cCuiwAKpao

tDCS to Anterior Temporal Lobe

Out of the few electrode montages that I have tried, my favorite is the Anode to Right Anterior Temporal Lobe (RATL) and Cathode to LATL; it has the most noticeable effect for me. This was studied in Chi 2011(1).

The late evening is the most common time I give myself tDCS (I commonly use 1.0mA because of comfort). After treatments, I normally do not have trouble sleeping (but I normally have no sleep troubles), and in the last few minutes before sleep, my mind is alert and I am thinking of problems that need solutions.

Sometimes I have a noticeable difference the following day (particularly if I gave myself the ATL treatment): my mind is sharp, I am much more focused, and easily moving forward on the many projects at work and personal. Sometimes it gets a little manic; I may be obsessively concentrating on a task for hours and hours but not always. Sometimes I may have an unusually better ability and motivation to write, but not always.

I have been doing the ATL treatments described about twice a week for the two months or so. During that time I have been doing the schematic and layout of the PCB for the DC Stim (the schematic is the functioning of the circuit, the layout is how the ICs and components fit on the board); both very time consuming tasks. It is not my professional job, so I do the work here and there. When assessing effectiveness, of course, it is impossible to say if the treatments definitively helped,  but the product development is a mentally challenging tasks, and I welcome the advantage.

(1) Chi RP, Snyder AW, Facilitate insight by non-invasive brain stimulation. PLoS ONE 2011;6(2):1-7.

The DC Stim

The DC Stim is a medical device designed to provide three levels of regulated direct current for direct current therapies; particularly, the DC Stim has been designed for safe and easy-to-use tDCS applications. Generally, because of cultural bias (fears of media exagerated electroshock therapy and ubiquitous pharmaceutical inroads), people are comfortable ingesting powerful drugs that may have nasty side effects but are very hesitant about applying a small current to their brain! Hence the functioning of the DC Stim was carefully considered to minimize confusion and maximize success. Some of the main functions and features of the DC Stim:

• Three levels of regulated current (1.0mA, 1.5mA, and 2.0mA) selected with a simple slide switch on the front panel.
• A fourth position of the switch to a "Test" position, that will shine an LED when the resistance between the electrodes is low enough for the device to function properly (<10kohms)
• A ramp up and ramp down to minimize discomfort on turn on and turn off.
• A short circuit protection so the output will turn off if the electrodes are shorted together.
• A battery indicator when the two nine volt batteries need to be replaced.
• Small, easy-to-carry unit
• Retail price (when it finally can be sold) of $250 (including electrodes)

I have built a breadboard device (see below) that I use on myself, and eager friends, and I am currently designing the PCB for the manufactured prototype.

I was hoping to do a small run with crowdfunding money but the project was rejected by Techmoola. I have designed the whole unit with off the shelf parts in mind (no large up front engineering costs) hence I am planning now to build 2 - 5 devices to validate all the features and begin the safety testing. Another aim is to submit for IEC 60601 medical equipment safety certificate as a first step to sell abroad as the FDA process of regulating tDCS devices does not look imminent.

Above are two pictures of the breadboard model, of course the manufactured prototype will be all professional looking with fancy membrane switches and a low profile front panel.

I hope to have it complete, built, and tested in less than two months from today. Fingers crossed.

For those technically interested the design is based around switching in particular valued current regulating diodes (with all the safety features added) and is not microprocessor based. This keeps the cost down, but also I feel it is a more robust design (but I would say that since I definitely lean more as a hardware engineer). Keep looking at this blogpost, I plan on publishing the core regulating design.

Insight, a growth project driven by tDCS

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is showing consistent promise in the research in altering mental abilities (improving insight and improving concentration) as well as therapeutic effectiveness (anxiety, depression, and stroke). Investigational studies will look at one parameter, say working memory, and test numerous people with some receiving tDCS and some receiving a placebo treatment and test working memory in both groups before and after. I am interested in experimenting with tDCS in another way.

Partly because of my work experience as an electrical engineer, an acupuncturist, and a person that has done biomedical research combining the two, the drastic hesitation of putting electrodes on my head, from an electrical apparatus that I built, didn't really exist. Actually, I am very excited about experimenting with various montages and the physiological effect that it will produce from my breadboard prototype devices (I have been doing it for about two months now).

There are already some good blogs that are describing a person's experiments with tDCS, or are set up for general discussions and updates on tDCS. This will be different.  Insight, a growth project driven by tDCS, will be my experiments, my opinions, and my announcements about using tDCS on myself to grow a project, the DC Stim, a medical device designed for tDCS particularly, but also used in other DC current therapy. Hence I will be using the DC Stim on myself, to alter (and hope improve) mental capacities and personal behavior, to better be the impetus to grow the business that is developing and hopefully selling the DC Stim. I hope the blog to outline my insight and particularly technical views, but also as a means of discussion with the growing fascination of tDCS. Points I plan to discuss:

• Unlike research, which concentrates on one parameter and tests tDCS's ability to alter that parameter, this project will be altering a collage of mental abilities. Less science, more fun.
• The idea is to use tDCS as a tool, to alter my abilities and better grow a business that is the development, manufacture and sales of the DC Stim, a medical device designed for functionality and safety of tDCS.
• I hope to include what type of treatments I am doing (montage, etc.), what I am hoping to achieve, and what are the effects.
• I hope to be part of the discussion that is the exciting trickle of tDCS from a research dominated application, to clinical, and into the early adopters in the mainstream.
• Also I hope to use the blog to make announcements about the progress of the project, the DC Stim.

Below is a picture of me with the breadboard prototype of the DC Stim. A manufactured prototype that will be validating all the technology and safety functions will be ready in about two months. See the website at www.dcstimulator.com. And see general discussion on the DC Stim on the you tube video at: http://youtu.be/_cCuiwAKpao.