Set up a bench
From zero dollars to a real instrument, in tiers. Buy the smallest one that lets you start this week.
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A bench is not a room. It is a shoebox of parts, a laptop, and a corner of a desk. Here are four tiers. The first costs nothing and gets you through Phase 1’s zero-dollar project. The second costs about the price of a textbook and covers every project in Phase 1. The third adds the real instrument. The fourth is borrowed.
Tier 0: the laptop you already have
Python 3, the MNE-Python library, and real EEG downloaded from PhysioNet. Every simulator on this site. Every explainer. If you have no money this month, start here; nothing you learn is wasted, and you will know exactly which parts you want when you can buy them.
Install Python from the official installer or Miniforge. Then:
pip install mne numpy scipy matplotlibTier 1: the starter bench
Everything for the SpikerBox, one channel of EEG, muscle-to-motion, and the eye joystick. The multimeter and the soldering iron will outlast your degree.
Tier 1
| Part | Where | Qty | Approx. |
|---|---|---|---|
| A laptop you already own, with Python 3 Windows, macOS, or Linux. Install Python via the official installer or Miniforge; MNE-Python and NumPy via pip. | Your bag | 1 | free |
| 9 V batteries and snap connectors, ×4 Two batteries give you a ±9 V split supply. Never power anything touching skin from the wall or from a laptop USB port. | Any store | 1 | $10 |
| AD8232 heart-rate monitor breakout A complete biopotential front end on a board. Use it to compare against your own amplifier, and to see what a good DRL looks like. | SparkFun, Adafruit | 1 | $20 |
| Alligator clip leads | Amazon | 1 | $6 |
| Arduino Nano Every or Uno (10-bit ADC, USB serial) A clone works. You need a real analog input; the Nano Every and Uno are the simplest path to the Web Serial plotter. | Arduino store, Amazon, Micro Center | 1 | $15 |
| Digital multimeter You will use this more than any other tool. Auto-ranging saves time. | Amazon, Harbor Freight, Micro Center | 1 | $25 |
| Disposable snap ECG electrodes, pack of 50, and snap leads For EMG and as a quick ground/reference. Snap leads with alligator or 3.5 mm ends. | Amazon | 1 | $12 |
| ESP32 DevKit (or Raspberry Pi Pico) For streaming from the ADS1299 board over USB later. Either board works; pick one ecosystem and learn it. | Adafruit, SparkFun, Amazon | 1 | $8 |
| Flush cutters, wire strippers, tweezers | Amazon | 1 | $15 |
| Full-size breadboard, ×2, and jumper wires | Adafruit, Amazon | 1 | $12 |
| Gold cup EEG electrodes, set of 5 with leads Reusable. Clean them after each use. Touch-proof (DIN 1.5 mm) connectors are the standard. | Amazon, OpenBCI shop, medical suppliers | 1 | $30 |
| Hobby servo (SG90) For muscle-to-motion. | Adafruit, Amazon | 1 | $4 |
| INA128 instrumentation amplifier (DIP-8), ×2 The AD620 or INA118 are interchangeable for our purposes. Get the through-hole DIP version for breadboards. | Digi-Key, Mouser | 2 | $18 |
| LM386 audio amplifier Drives a small speaker so you can hear spikes. | Digi-Key, Mouser, Amazon | 1 | $2 |
| Pinecil soldering iron (USB-C powered) and a spool of solder Or any temperature-controlled iron. Lead-free solder is fine; get flux. | Pine64 store | 1 | $35 |
| Resistor and capacitor assortment 1% metal-film resistors matter for the instrumentation amplifier's balance. Include 0.1 µF ceramics and a few 1 to 10 µF film or ceramic caps. | Amazon, Adafruit | 1 | $15 |
| Sewing pins or fine steel wire for insect electrodes A pin in the cockroach leg, another as reference. Backyard Brains sells proper ones if you want them. | Any store | 1 | $2 |
| Small 8 Ω speaker | Adafruit, Amazon | 1 | $3 |
| Ten20 conductive paste, one jar Holds the cups on and lowers impedance. Nuprep skin gel helps too. | Amazon, medical suppliers | 1 | $12 |
| TL072 or OPA2134 dual op-amps, ×4 For filters, the DRL circuit, and the audio stage of the SpikerBox. | Digi-Key, Mouser | 1 | $4 |
| Total (prices drift; treat as a ceiling) | $248 | ||
Three notes on the list. Buy the through-hole (DIP) version of the instrumentation amplifier so it fits a breadboard. Get two 9 V batteries, not one, because a split supply makes the amplifier design much simpler. And do not skip the multimeter for a cheaper one; you will use it more than any other tool.
Tier 2: the real instrument
The fabricated ADS1299ADS1299Texas Instruments' 8-channel, 24-bit biopotential front-end chip used in OpenBCI and many research amplifiers. Glossary entry board (or an OpenBCI Ganglion if you would rather buy and reverse-engineer), a USB oscilloscope, a signal generator, and supplies for making electrodes and a phantom head. This is Phase 2.
Tier 2
| Part | Where | Qty | Approx. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3D printing access (campus makerspace) or a Bambu A1 Mini Free on campus after the safety certification. Buying your own is ~$250 and is worth it by Phase 2 if you use it weekly. | Marriott Library or Lassonde makerspace; Bambu Lab if buying | 1 | free |
| Conductive silicone or carbon-loaded TPU filament for dry electrodes | Amazon, Protopasta | 1 | $25 |
| Eight dry EMG electrode pads or snap electrodes and a fabric armband | Amazon | 1 | $20 |
| OpenBCI Ganglion (4 channels), an alternative to building the ADS1299 board Buy this instead of building if you want to get to decoding faster. Then reverse-engineer it. Cyton (8 channels) is ~$1000. | OpenBCI shop | 1 | $250 |
| Signal generator (cheap DDS module, or use the scope's built-in) Drives the phantom head dipoles at known amplitudes. | Amazon | 1 | $20 |
| Silver wire (0.5 mm) and household bleach for Ag/AgCl plating Chloriding in bleach or by electrolysis in saline turns bare silver into a proper Ag/AgCl electrode. | Jewelry suppliers, Amazon | 1 | $15 |
| Unflavored gelatin or agar, table salt, plastic bowl Saline concentration around 0.9% by weight matches tissue conductivity to within a factor you can calibrate. | Grocery store | 1 | $10 |
| USB isolator (ADuM3160/4160 based) Lets the board talk to a laptop on charger power without connecting the laptop's ground to you. Batteries are still simpler. | Amazon, Adafruit | 1 | $20 |
| USB oscilloscope (Hantek 6022BE class) or a Rigol DHO800 if budget allows A real bench scope is better; the engineering building has them. A USB scope on your desk is what you will actually use at midnight. | Amazon, Rigol | 1 | $70 |
| Your ADS1299 board, fabricated and assembled by JLCPCB (5 boards, 2 assembled) The ADS1299 itself is ~$60 in single quantity and dominates the cost. Order two assembled so one can die. | JLCPCB | 1 | $140 |
| Total (prices drift; treat as a ceiling) | $570 | ||
The board dominates the cost because the ADS1299 chip is about sixty dollars in single quantity. Order two assembled so one can die. A campus makerspace covers the 3D printing for free once you have done its orientation.
Tier 3: borrowed
The nanofab, a lab’s rig, the machine shop, a bench oscilloscope in the engineering building. Phase 6 lives here, and pieces of Phase 2 do too. The only way in is the research ladder, which is why it starts in Phase 1.
Tools you will wish you had bought earlier
A cheap USB microscope for inspecting solder joints. A set of test-lead adapters (BNC to alligator, 3.5 mm to touch-proof) because half of biopotential work is connectors. A label maker. Small parts drawers. A notebook that lies flat.
Renting the output instead of owning the machine
For anything you cannot make on campus: PCBs and assembly from JLCPCB or PCBWay for a few dollars; laser-cut or waterjet metal and acrylic from SendCutSend; resin, nylon, or metal prints from JLC3DP or Craftcloud. Most student hardware projects never need a machine of their own.