A low-cost arduino-based TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation) device to influence the symptoms of bipolar disorder.

• Getting Started
  • The Picture
  • Prerequisites
• Building it
• Application
• Rationale
• License and Disclaimer
• Contributions and Questions

Despite over 30 years of activity and over 500 patents transcranial magnetic stimulation hasn't yet found broad adoption.

It is my personal opinion that the reasons for this are two-fold:

1. On-going dispute about it being a placebo effect - due to a lack of provable scientific explanations

2. High costs - due to a focus on complex research devices

This projects' focus is on the second point: Drastically cutting down costs.

This is achieved using an Arduino UNO as the main driver module. Overall cost of parts is below 63 Euros ($75 as of August 2017).

The device requires no soldering, tools needed are a pair of scissors and a measuring tape / ruler / yardstick.

Here's a picture of the thing:

It is worn like a cap:

1. Arduino UNO R3 - as driver module

2. Six coreless coils - to create magnetic fields

3. Jumper cables - for wiring the coils to the arduino

4. Cloth tape - to put everything together

5. Double faced tape - to fix the coils onto the cap

6. Tools: A sturdy pair of scissors - for all cutting tasks

7. Optional tools: A printer - to print the placement pattern

8. Optional parts: USB power adapter or 9V power adapter or 9V battery holder - as alternative power sources

For more details read the part list

It takes about two hours to build the device:

1. Making the cap
   For more details see coil setup procedure

2. Wiring
   For more details see the wiring description

3. Arduino Code
   For more details see the code readme
   And if problems persist the troubleshooting readme

4. Fixing jumper cables
   See the details on fixing here

Sessions of 15 minutes' length might be required to register any effects. Head aches, a "pressure feeling", can occur - these are expected to be harmless and temporary. Slight nausea, especially on an empty stomach, can occur - this is expected to lessen after one week of application.

The desired effect would be called "sobering" - hinting the disruption of a manic phase. Or "stabilizing" - hinting the improvement of a depressive phase. Nothing is felt if no phase was active or no change occurred.

This is no treatment plan - just a starting point for your own research efforts.

When you end a sitting, check that the LED of the Arduino is still on and not blinking. Then you know it has not gone into error mode some time during the sitting.

If you are curious why mentioned parts and materials where selected, read the details in the rationale. But you don't need to know this to build and use the device.

For anything to be low-cost it must be open-source. Otherwise third parties will always take their share.

Therefore this work is licensed under CC0; putting all of it into the public domain. See the full text of CC0 here.

For legal reasons every person that wants to try this device has to build it by themselves.

Are welcome. Please see the contributing and questions section for more.