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›Troubleshooting

Welcome to OpenBCI

  • Welcome to the OpenBCI Community

Getting Started

  • Getting Started
  • Boards

    • Cyton Getting Started Guide
    • Daisy Getting Started Guide
    • Ganglion Getting Started Guide
    • WiFi Shield Getting Started Guide

    Biosensing Setups

    • Setting up for EEG
    • Setting up for ECG
    • Setting up for EMG

    Community

    • Welcome to the OpenBCI Community

Cyton Board

  • Cyton Board
  • Cyton Specs
  • Cyton Data Format
  • Cyton Board SDK
  • Cyton Board Programming Tutorial
  • Cyton Radios Programming Tutorial
  • External Trigger on OpenBCI Cyton Board
  • Using SD Card with OpenBCI

Ganglion Board

  • Ganglion Board
  • Ganglion Specs
  • Ganglion Data Format
  • Ganglion SDK
  • Ganglion Programming Tutorial

Headwear & Electrodes

  • Add Ons
  • Headwear

    • Ultracortex Mark IV
    • Ultracortex Mark III
    • OpenBCI EEG Headband Kit Guide
    • Electrode Cap Getting Started Guide

    Electrodes

    • Electrode Guide

Third-Party Hardware

  • Third-Party Hardware
  • EmotiBit

    • EmotiBit Guide

    HEGduino Kit

    • HEGduino How-to

    IDUN Dryode

    • IDUN Dryode™

    Myoware

    • MyoWare OpenBCI Integration (Cyton Board)
    • MyoWare OpenBCI Integration (Ganglion Board)

    Pulse Sensor

    • Pulse Sensor Guide

    ThinkPulse

    • ThinkPulse™ Getting Started Guide

    WiFi Shield

    • OpenBCI WiFi
    • Wifi Shield Programming Tutorial
    • OpenBCI WiFi Shield API
    • OpenBCI Wifi SDK

Software

  • Compatible Software
  • Developed By OpenBCI

    • The OpenBCI GUI
    • GUI Widget Guide

    Compatible Third Party Software

    • MATLAB
    • Neuromore
    • OpenViBE
    • Lab Streaming Layer (LSL)
    • BrainBay
    • BioEra
    • VirtualBox Windows Guide

For Developers

  • For Developers
  • Software Development
  • Firmware Development
  • Hardware Development

Deprecated Documents

  • Deprecated Docs
  • Spiderclaw V1 & V2 (deprecated)
  • OpenBCI 8bit Board (no longer in production)
  • Ultracortex Mark 1
  • Ultracortex Mark 2
  • Ultracortex Mark III "Nova" & "Supernova" (REVISED)
  • Python and OpenBCI
  • OpenBCI Hub

Troubleshooting

  • Troubleshooting Landing
  • Minimizing Noise
  • GUI Troubleshooting
  • FTDI Buffer Fix on Linux
  • FTDI Buffer Fix on OS X
  • FTDI Buffer Fix on Windows

Example Projects

  • Example Projects
  • Arduino Focus Example

    • Send Focus Data from GUI to Arduino

    Experiments

    • Puppies and Kittens Experiment

    Community Page Projects

    • Community Page Projects

    EMG Projects and Tutorials

    • EMG Scrolling
    • EMG-controlled Stop/Start Music
    • EMG-controlled Slideshow
    • EMG-controlled LED
    • EMG Chrome Dino Game

FAQ

    FAQ

    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • General Frequently Asked Questions
    • How OpenBCI products go together?
    • Hardware & Software
    • Purchases & Payment Processing
    • Shipping & Taxes

    Policies

    • OpenBCI Cookie Policy
    • Privacy & Security
    • RETURNS & REFUNDS
    • Liability Policy
Edit

GUI Troubleshooting

The GUI Console Log

  • Want to know what's happening "under the hood" in the GUI?
    • Click the Console Log button in the top right (pictured below). gui console log button
  • Need even more information to debug a problem?
    • Run GUI from Processing IDE or Visual Studio Code (Preferred).
    • Go to Debugging.pde and change boolean isVerbose = false; to boolean isVerbose = true;.
  • You can share the Console Log as text or a file on the Forums or GitHub. This is typically a requirement for new issues on GitHub.
  • You can use keyboard shortcuts within the Console Window to Open Log as Text(f), Copy Full Log Text(c), Copy Last Line (l), Jump to Last Line(j), Scroll Down(Down Key), and Scroll Up(Up Key).

gui troubleshooting console window

Issues Connecting & Starting Session

  1. If you receive an error in red at the bottom of the GUI while trying to connect to an OpenBCI board, try turning the board Off and back On.
  2. Also, unplug and plug the USB dongle for Cyton or BLED112 for Ganglion.
  3. Try to start a session again.
    • Cyton: If you still can't connect, try pressing the "AUTOSCAN" button once or twice.
    • Cyton+WiFi: Go through the WiFi Getting Started Guide. If this doesn't help, check the Forums or GitHub and make a new issue if one doesn't already exist. There are a number of issues that are currently being worked on.
    • Ganglion: The Ganglion board usually has fewer issues. If you can't get the Ganglion to connect to the GUI after trying the previous steps, you can email us at support@openbci.com or check GitHub.
  4. If your Cyton firmware is older than v3.0.0, you will need to update the firmware as outlined here. The latest Cyton firmware as of 2019 is v3.1.2.
  5. If nothing in the Docs, GitHub, or Forums are helpful, it's a good idea to email support@openbci.com or make a new issue on GitHub.

Something Doesn't Look Right...

  1. Take a screenshot using tools provided by your operating system. Alternatively, you can turn on Expert Mode in the GUI and take a screenshot by pressing 'm' on your keyboard.
  2. Restart the GUI. If the same problem happens again, please make a new issue on GitHub.

High DPI Scaling

  • On Windows
  • On Linux

Troubleshooting Packet Loss

Cyton

Please, be advised that packet loss can occur in noisy environments, especially in university lab environments with multiple Cytons running. If you think you are experiencing packet loss, you can open the Console Log Window to confirm or deny packet loss and assess severity. Also, boards with low battery power may show packet loss and excessive noise.

To fix this:

  • Use a USB extension cable or hub to make sure Cyton and Dongle are closer together.

  • Go to Manual Radio Configuration and try CHANGE CHAN. or AUTOSCAN as shown in the picture below. You can hover over these buttons with your mouse for a brief description. The Auto Connect button is disabled when using Manual Radio Config.

  • The current GUI now features packet loss interpolation. This makes filtered data much smoother and minimizes artefacts that would appear.

GUI Cyton Manual Radio Configuration

Ganglion

Ganglion connections using the BLED 112 Dongle are usually very stable with low noise. If you experience packet loss, there may be an excess of BLE devices in the immediate area. Otherwise, try moving the Ganglion and Dongle closer together with a USB extension cable.

Further troubleshooting

If you're still having problems, search through the issues on GitHub or make a new issue.

Last updated on 8/10/2020
← Minimizing NoiseFTDI Buffer Fix on Linux →
  • The GUI Console Log
  • Issues Connecting & Starting Session
  • Something Doesn't Look Right...
  • High DPI Scaling
  • Troubleshooting Packet Loss
    • Cyton
    • Ganglion
  • Further troubleshooting
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