An open-source compact stimulator for various transcranial and transcutaneous electrical stimulation in preclinical...

While various transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) devices differ in target area, pulse parameters, and electrode types, they share the fundamental requirement of generating controlled current pulses. However, existing current stimulators are often expensive and limited in their ability to customize a wide range of pulse parameters, especially for preclinical research involving diverse stimulation protocols. Developing a custom stimulator may not be feasible depending on the technical expertise of the researchers. This study proposes an open-source, compact, and easy-to-make current stimulator built using only commercial off-the-shelf components. The design supports a wide range of stimulation parameters without requiring specialized knowledge in electronics. The prototype stimulator has a form factor of 33 mm × 43 mm × 20 mm and is compatible with general electrode types. Pulse parameters can be simply adjusted by using a knob or tuning resistors and capacitors, enabling simple customization by researchers for varying transcranial and transcutaneous stimulations. The wide tunability in current intensity (2 µA to 10 mA), pulse rate (0.1 Hz to 100 kHz), and pulse width (10 µs to DC) is demonstrated, followed by statistical analysis of output waveforms to demonstrate the accuracy and stability of pulse parameters using both high- and low-tolerances components. The results indicate an average accuracy exceeding 96.4% and a coefficient of variance less than 0.57%, suggesting the reliable and robust generation of stimulation waveforms for various tES and TENS applications in preclinical research.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13534-025-00530-3.