EKG Electrodes

[Joe]

I have a few EKG electrodes, the round things that are stuck on the
skin. I have some of both the kind that are used for a resting EKG, and
also the kind used for a stress (treadmill) EKG.

What are these things, electrically? They are soft rubber(?) discs that
are about 1.5 to 1.7 inches in diameter, with what appears to be just a
single conductor terminal in the form of a clothing snap fastener in the
center of the outside portion of the disc. The skin-facing side has
some kind of sensor, about one cm in diameter.

Can these be used for anything interesting, electronics hobby wise?

--- Joe

 

[Tom Biasi]

"Joe" <none@given.now> wrote in message
news:none-8CF98A.04241217072008@earthlink.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...

I have a few EKG electrodes, the round things that are stuck on the
skin. I have some of both the kind that are used for a resting EKG, and
also the kind used for a stress (treadmill) EKG.

What are these things, electrically? They are soft rubber(?) discs that
are about 1.5 to 1.7 inches in diameter, with what appears to be just a
single conductor terminal in the form of a clothing snap fastener in the
center of the outside portion of the disc. The skin-facing side has
some kind of sensor, about one cm in diameter.

Can these be used for anything interesting, electronics hobby wise?

--- Joe

They are contacts designed to make good electrical contact with the skin,
usually in concert with electrode paste.
Tom

 

[default]

On Thu, 17 Jul 2008 04:24:12 -0700, Joe <none@given.now> wrote:

I have a few EKG electrodes, the round things that are stuck on the
skin. I have some of both the kind that are used for a resting EKG, and
also the kind used for a stress (treadmill) EKG.

What are these things, electrically? They are soft rubber(?) discs that
are about 1.5 to 1.7 inches in diameter, with what appears to be just a
single conductor terminal in the form of a clothing snap fastener in the
center of the outside portion of the disc. The skin-facing side has
some kind of sensor, about one cm in diameter.

Can these be used for anything interesting, electronics hobby wise?

--- Joe

They aren't sensors, just some conductive plastic. They pick up
electrical nerve signals from the skin. Depending on the placement,
they can pick up different muscle synapses firing.

Put on the arm for instance and tense the muscle and you can amplify
the signal and hear a rushing sound from a speaker. That is used to
treat nerve damage- to reeducate the nervous system and develop lost
muscle function.

Can they be used? sure their original purpose to use as electrodes for
a biofeedback machine to monitor alpha or other brain waves. The
conductive rubber can be used for contact purposes (like the switches
used in remotes or a waterproof non corroding contact)

The conductive paste is just an aqueous gel with salt added.
--


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