Introduction: HOWTO: Use a Cheap Mindlink Device to Read Mind State Under Windows

By
About: Unknown

In this guide we will learn how to use cheap Mindlink device under Windows(tm). This Mindlink unit is equipped with Neurosky Thinkgear chip, that is supposed to be able to read You brain waves (so called electroencephalography or simply "EEG"). To the moment I've seen many applications (games, meditation trainers, etc) that support the Neurosky Thinkgear chip, however they run under Android, iOS, or other embedded platforms, and it makes things rather complicated. Especially when You are trying to comprehend what's going on, or trying to alter something.

Where to get this enigmatic device? There are numerous of cheap "neuro controlled" toys being sold over the internet. Like the spider on the picture above. These toys are very silly as toys, but it is not a secret that people buy them not for use as they were intended to. This is just a way to get a cheap and affordable EEG device.

When You've got Your unit, don't forget to fully charge it before proceeding any further.

Supplies

  1. A (desktop) computer running Windows.
  2. An Internet connection
    (You've probably already got one, as long as You are reading this guide).
  3. A Chinese Mindlink EEG Unit.
    This one is usually included into most modern "mind controlled toys" kits. These kits are usually cheap and the EEG unit is the only useful thing in them. You need something like the spider toy, shown on the pictures at the beginning of this page.
  4. A Bluetooth module.
    Feel free to use the most simple one. Actually too advanced bluetooth modules can have excess of features, that can interfere with our purposes. On the other side too old bluetooth modules can appear to be incompatible with Your latest version of computer and/or Windows. Some computers have internal Bluetooth modules (most laptops, pads and notebooks). In this case feel free to use Your internal bluetooth device.

Step 1: Install and Configure Bluetooth

Install and configure Your Bluetooth(tm) device properly.

  • Plug (if needed) the bluetooth dongle into free USB socket of Your computer.
  • Install drivers. Try to avoid advanced and complicated software at this step. Use the most simple software You can get.

<*FOR WINDOWS 7*>

If drivers were installed properly a white-blue bluetooth tray icon should appear.

  • Activate Your MindLink device by long pressing the button on its body...
  • ...and immediately after that on Your Windows(tm) computer...
  • ...Right click the tray icon and choose "Add a device" in the popup menu.
  • in the pop-up window entitled 'Add a device' You should see a headset icon with name:"Mind Link"
  • click the icon and press "Next" * after a while the pop-up window will say "This device has been successfully added...".
  • Press "close" button in the bottom of the window
  • Again right click the blue-white bluetooth tray icon on Your Windows(tm) desktop.
    Choose "Show Bluetooth Devices"
  • In the window that've just opened up You should see an icon of a headset device, named as "Mind Link".
    Right Click the icon and choose "properties".
  • In the "Mind Link Properties" window go to the "Hardware" tab an look for "Standard Serial over Bluetooth link".
    Note the serial port number here. You should better write down the port number or at least memorize it carefully. We will need this port number several times further on. It uially looks like "COM18" or "COM22" or something similar. For further use lets designate it as COM## for Your particular case.
  • In the list of functions select (mouse click) "Standard Serial over Bluetooth link" and press "properties" button.
  • A new window will open, where You should go to "Port settings" tab. Nothing should be changed except maybe "Bits per second" field. Set the speed to 57600 at least. The higher values may be better.

NOTE1: If You cannot change speed in bluetooth com port settings - it may be nothing to worry about. The system may adjust the speed all by itself as needed.

NOTE2: If You see a little exclamation sign on the icon of Your MindLink devica - nothing to worry about at all.

<*END FOR WINDOWS 7*>

<*FOR WINDOWS 10*>

  • Procedure is generally the same as for windows 7, but the navigation through the correspondent windows and menus is a bit more complicated
  • To find the blue-white Bluetooth icon in tray it is helpful to press an "up angle" "^" in the tray.
  • To add Your bluetooth device You may right click the bluetooth icon and choose "add device"...
  • ...alternatively You may left click on the windows flag button in the left bottom of the screen (the "start" button) and then press the gear-like button in the pop-up menu, and then choose "devices" in the just opened window.
  • You will see the window, controlling several devices, including bluetooth ones.

NOTE: at this point You'll see the "Bluetooth" switch. Hopefully it is obvious that the switch is to be turned on, not off.

  • Press "Add Bluetooth Device" and proceed. Be sure that Your Mindlink headset is on and ready to be recognized (i.e. not is being currently in link with other device).
  • After You've successfully added Your MindLink headset try Your best to find a device manager of Your windows computer.
    HINT: One way to do it is to click the explorer (not internet explorer) icon at bottom left of Your screen. Click it, and in the left column of the opened window find "this computer" row. Rigt-click "this computer" string and choose "computer management" in the pop-up menu. In the left column of the newly opened window select "device manager"
  • Under the "Ports (COM & LPT)" item look for "Standart Serial Over Bluetooth link". There will be two of them. Write down or memorize the number of the 1st serial port over bluetooth link. We will refer to it as COM## further on.
  • For both bluetooth serial ports right click, select "properties", and set their speed to 115200 (or above).
  • It may be better to reboot Your windows computer after that.

<*END FOR WINDOWS 10*>

Now You have installed and linked Your MindLink device to Your Windows computer. You are ready to use it if You have the proper software. But probably You don't. Proceed to the next step.

Step 2: Software

  • If You want to use the device as meditation trainer, You will probably need only the basic information about Your brain, the device can present.
    Like "Attention level", "Meditation level" and rude info about levels of active rythms of Your brain.
    In this case download and use meditrainer.exe program.
  • If You want the most detailed info from the device (so called EEG trace) download and use mindread.exe program.
  • Both programs are coded in Lazarus (Free and OpenSource Delphi-like Pascal IDE). You can get this program language at https://www.lazarus-ide.org/
    You can download meditrainer.exe sources here: meditrainer_src.zip
    And You can download mindread.exe sources here: mindread_src.zip
    To fully customize or further develop the programs You can rebuild them using the Lazarus.

NOTE: Both projects need LazSerial package to be installed into Your Lazarus. However in order to compile (and even more to further develop) properly You need some programmer's skills. If You alrady have them, You already know how to build projects in lazarus, or how to get info on how to do it. If You are completely new to the programming, You probably should better use the precompiled executable files. So I will NOT describe here how to modify and compile the code. Sorry about this.

  • In order to use precompiled executables, just download the archives (the links were above), unzip (remove ".txt" at the end of the file name) to any folder You want, and run. The programs should start successfully even in case You have no device, but to be fully functional they need Your MindLink device to be installed, linked to the computer (see the previous steps) and turned on.
  • After the start You have to press the "setup" button in meditrainer.exe or the "setup COM" button in the mindread.exe. Neither program writes to the registry or to any ini file, so You will need to press these buttons any time You start. In most cases You are to modify only the port number (the 1st string in the settings window). Set the port number to COM## You've written down (or memorized) on previous steps. In some rare cases You may need to tweak up the other port settings (like speed or whatever).
  • When You've set the port parameters properly, You can put the Mindlink headband on Your head and press the "connect" button (in both programs this button has the same name).

Attachments

Step 3: How to Use Meditrainer.exe

  • Start the program.
  • Make sure that Your Mindlink device is on and linked with Your computer.
  • Press setup button in Your meditrainer.exe window. Setup proper COM port parameters as told at previous steps.
  • Put the MindLink on Your head securely.
  • (Optionally) Set the desired threshold for meditation rating count.
  • (Optionally) Press the ChooseLogFile button in Your meditrainer.exe window. Go through the file select dialog to choose the desired name of the meditation log file.
    YES: You can navigate to any another folder to save the log file there.
    YES: You can type any new file name as desired.
  • Press "Connect" button.
    Make sure that the title of Your meditrainer.exe window has changed from "NeuroSky ThinkGear Meditation Trainer..." to "Port &^%&COM## connected".
    If it hasn't You may need to tweak COM port settings and try again.
  • Wait some time (usually less than a minute) and make sure that red "connection quality" lamp in Your meditrainer.exe window has changed its color to green.
    If it hasn't You may need to take Your Mindlink band off Your head, make up Your hair and put the MindLink back on Your head.
    Alternatively it may mean that there is too much of electromagnetic noise at the place, where You try to meditate. Try to find some safer place then.
  • Meditate as You like.
  • After You have finished press "Disconnect" button in Your meditrainer.exe window.
    The program will close the opened port, close the opened log file (if any) and calculate rating of Your meditation state.
  • The meditation rating is just percentage of time, when Your meditation/attention level was above the selected threshold.
    Let me remind that You can set the desired threshold any time You start a new session (as told above).
    The program also shows MaxM (Maximum meditation level attained) and MaxA (Maximum attention level attained) values
  • Close the program.

NOTE: You should never close the program without pressing "Disconnect" before closing. Otherwise not only the log file may become corrupt, but also the COM port may stay busy, which may prevent You from successful use of Your Mindlink headset untill reboot Your windows computer.

  • (Optionally) You can load, view and process the log file by means of Microsoft Excel (tm) or other favourite spreadsheet program (e.g. by Open Office or Libre Office Calc and similars).
    The log file is just a .csv file (Comma Separated Values) containing 10 columns of data.
    The columns are (from left to right): Delta, Theta, Low Alpha, High Alpha, Low Beta, High Beta, Low Gamma, High Gamma, Attention and Meditation levels.
    (the names of Rythm bands are as found in documentation of the NeuroSky ThinkGear chip).
    Using Your Microsoft Excel (tm) or other spreadsheet program You may draw graphs, calculate statistics and make other useful and useless operations with the data.

NOTE: The brain rythm strenghes are in arbitrary units. So You can see the progress of each level over time, but You can not compare, say, Alpha rythm strength to, say Delta rythm strength. Each rythm band has its own maximal minimal and normal level.

NOTE: The meditrainer.exe program provides only simple interface between You and Your MindLink device. Any interpretation is up to You.
It is also up to You whether to trust the MindLink data or not and whether to trust the meditrainer.exe data representation or not.

Step 4: How to Use Mindread.exe

  • Start the program.
  • Make sure that Your Mindlink device is on and linked with Your computer.
  • Press setup button in Your mindread.exe window. Setup proper COM port parameters as told at previous steps.
  • Put the MindLink on Your head securely.
  • (Optionally) Press the SaveToFile button in Your mindread.exe window. Go through the file select dialog to choose the desired name of the EEG file.
    YES: You can navigate to any another folder to save the log file there.
    YES: You can type any new file name as desired
  • Press "Connect" button.
    Make sure that the title of Your meditrainer.exe window has changed from "NeuroSky ThinkGear Mind Reader..." to "Port &^%&COM## connected".
    If it hasn't You may need to tweak COM port settings and try again.
  • After some time (several seconds) You will see running graph in the EEG trace area.
    HINT: You can try to blink Your eyes to make a huge peak to appear on the graph, in order to assure Yourself that things are going right.
  • Meditate (or do some brainwork) as You like.
    HINT: You can use meditation and attention state bars (to the right of mindread.exe window) to help Yourself to achieve the desired mind state.
  • After You have finished press "Disconnect" button in Your mindread.exe window.
    The program will close the opened port and close the opened log file (if any).
  • Close the program.

NOTE: You should never close the program without pressing "Disconnect" before closing. Otherwise not only the log file may become corrupt, but also the COM port may stay busy, which may prevent You from successful use of Your Mindlink headset untill reboot Your windows computer.

  • (Optionally) You can load, view and process the log file by means of Microsoft Excel (tm) or other favourite spreadsheet program (e.g. by Open Office or Libre Office Calc and similars)
    The log file is just a .csv file (Comma Separated Values) containing 2 columns of data. The first column is the timeline (in seconds), the second column is the raw EEG signal (as could be seen on an oscilloscope).
    The amplitude of the raw EEG signal is of course not in volts, but in arbitrary units.
    Using Your Microsoft Excel (tm) or other spreadsheet program You may draw graphs, calculate statistics and make other useful and useless operations with the data.
    You may particularly try to find 'shanks of sleep' or other interesting EEG artifacts.

NOTE: The mindread.exe program provides only simple interface between You and Your MindLink device. Any interpretation is up to You.
It is also up to You whether to trust the MindLink data or not and whether to trust the mindread.exe data representation or not.

Step 5: DISCLAIMER

  1. !NEVER try to make any conclusions of medical sense based upon EEG data got by MindLink hardware and the software presented here. In any case consult the competent medical specialist!
  2. The software is presented 'as is' without any warranty without any implied warranty
  3. The software is free and opensource. Its author gets no profit for its design and/or distribution.
    On the other side You use the software at Your own risk, and no responsibility can be placed on its author for any possible or impossible harm to Your computer, to Your mind or psyche state, for any lost profits and so on.
    HINT: You should always check for viruses any downloaded executables (and generally any other data, including video and audio files) before trying to run them. Note that the most safe way to get the executable free of viruses is to recompile it from the sources.
  4. The software does just provide an interface between You and MindLink hardware. It is only up to You how to use the obtained data, how to interpret them and whether to trust them or not.

Step 6: TROUBLESHOOTING HINTS

  • Serial port speed (baud rate) as set in the Windows Device Manager should always be larger or at least the same as set in the settings window of mindread or meditrainer program.
    Failing to do that may result in connection failures.
  • The serial port connection parameters other than speed (data bits number, stop bits, parity, flow control) have to be EXACTLY the same when seen in Windows Device Manager and when seen in the settings window of mindread or meditrainer program.
  • The raw EEG puts rather high amount of data per second. Due to this reason the mindread.exe program may be unstable when port speed was set below 57600 baud.
    The meditrainer program uses less amount of data and is able to operate at lower speeds, however if You want to use narrower channel, You should seek for the safety margin Yourself.
  • Bluetooth is known for its unstable results of connection, so if You've failed to connect and link the device, You can try to clean up (it means deleting the newly discovered device too), reboot and repeat the procedure from the beginning. Hopefully fron N-th attempt You will succeed.