A DIY tDCS Device?

Many of our readers have told us that they’ve found resources online with the electrical schematics to build their own transcranial direct current stimulation, a DIY tDCS device for around $20-$25 in materials. Ultimately, they ask us if we would recommend this method to get started on the cheap.

It’s true that you can build a tDCS unit for around this much. However, since we have no way of knowing how knowledgeable/skillful any particular person is with electronics, we recommend against it.

tDCS brain stimulation is a method researched by many in the scientific community to help boost mental powers. From getting that laser-sharp focus to learning a new skill faster, tDCS promises many things. And whereas many of you are smart enough to buy a professionally built tDCS device, such as TheBrainDriver, a handful of you might think that you could score much better if you just made a device on your own.

Well, let me stop you before you end up frying your brain.

Making any electrical device, especially a tDCS that you connect to your head,  requires a proficient level of skillfulness as well as knowledge. It’s not a matter of simply attaching a battery to electrodes. After all, your brain is at stake. Here are just some of the things that might happen if you dive into a DIY project of making a tDCS device.

Minor Burns

If you are not a professional, step away from that soldering iron. It is far too easy to get burned. No matter how cautious you are, or how thick the gloves you wear, the thing is that accidents happen all the time. A soldering iron can seriously burn and leave you with the scars that you will have to live with for the rest of your life.

Wrong Voltage

One of the biggest mistakes that can actually cost you your life is using the wrong voltage. Though you might think that anything that has to do with milliamperes is too weak to cause any serious damage, you better think again. Using the wrong voltage can literally burn your brain and cause significant damage to it. An infinitesimal mistake in setting up voltage might result in a gigantic problem not only for you but for your whole family.

Misuse of Electronics

If you are a layman, with little or no clue as to what the difference between anodal and cathodal electrodes is, or how to connect them, then building a tDCS device is definitely not for you. Even if you consider yourself an expert of some sort, there are just too many things that can go wrong. Anything from scalp burns to seizures can happen if you operate the electronics wrong or solder the wrong wires together, or use the wrong capacitors, fuse, controls, etc. So leave the idea of building a tDCS device to be just that, an idea. After all, you can get a professionally manufactured one from TheBraindriver.com (https://TheBrainDriver.com/). And I bet your life is worth more than a handful of dollars.

Have a Positive Day!
Alex Heredia
Founder
TheBrainDriver tDCS