Getting Started with the MyoWare® 2.0 Muscle Sensor Ecosystem
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bboyhoMyoWare 2.0 Cable Shield
The MyoWare 2.0 Cable Shield is designed for cases where you would want to mount the sensor pads away from the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor. This allows the users to test and use the muscle sensor without actually attaching the board to the target muscle. The shield includes a 3.5mm TRS jack where you can attach a traditional three electrode sensor cable. The board is also equipped with snap connectors on the board so you can easily stack it. Unlike the other shields in the MyoWare 2.0 ecosystem, this board snaps to the bottom side of the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor. You'll want to use this shield for non-wearable projects that are housed in an enclosure or that target muscles that are too small or situated such that the on-board electrode sockets would not be suitable.
Of course, you will need a 3.5mm TRS connector to access the mid, end, and reference ground pins along with a few biomedical sensor pads. Make sure to grab the following products if you do not have them already.
Or you could grab a TRS plug to make an adapter using conductive material.
Hardware Overview
While the default image for the MyoWare 2.0 Cable Shield's product page shows the side with the 3.5mm TRS connector as the first image, the "top" of this board is the side with male snap connectors. Compared to the other shields in the MyoWare 2.0 ecosystem, this is the only shield that stacks to the bottom side of the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor.
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| Top Side | Bottom Side |
The cable color codes can vary depending on the manufacturer. If you are seeing unusual sensor readings and the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor is not responding to a muscle group, try testing the pinout by using a multimeter set to measure continuity. Below is a table that references the connections between the male snap pins, TRS connector, and cable. The male snap pins allow users to easily stack to the bottom of the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor
| Snap Connector | TRS Pinout | Electrode Pin Color [CAB-12970] |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference [REF] | Sleeve | Black | Reference electrode connection. Connect this to a separate section of the body such as a bony portion of the elbow or a nonadjacent muscle near the muscle group. |
| End [END] | Ring | Blue | End muscle electrode connection. Connect to the end of the muscle group. |
| Middle [MID] | Tip | Red | Middle muscle electrode connection. Connect to the middle of the muscle group. |
Board Dimensions
The shield uses the MyoWare 2.0 Muscle Sensor form factor and has board dimensions of 37.57mm x 35.90mm (1.48” x 1.41”).
