ADS1293 ECG BREAKOUT BOARD

Current Status

Hardware design completed, currently untested.

The schematic and PCB layout are finished and ready for prototype production. Unfortunately, as an independent hobbyist, I currently do not have the funds required to manufacture and validate the first revision.

The project is therefore published in its current state until prototype testing can be performed.

Overview

This project is an open-source ECG (Electrocardiogram) front-end based on the Texas Instruments ADS1293 analog front-end IC.

The goal is to provide an affordable ECG acquisition platform for education, research, prototyping, and healthcare innovation. Modern integrated analog front-ends make it possible to build capable ECG hardware at a fraction of the cost of traditional systems.

According to the World Health Organization, cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, with more than 75% of related deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Affordable diagnostic and monitoring solutions therefore remain an important area of research.

This project is NOT a medical device and is NOT intended for clinical diagnosis.

Features

ADS1293 ECG Analog Front-End

SPI Interface

Reverse-polarity protected 3.3V power input

Input fuse protection

Onboard power filtering and decoupling

Dedicated crystal oscillator for ADS1293 operation

ADS1293 status and interrupt pins broken out

Compact design suitable for embedded applications

The board functions as a complete ECG acquisition front-end and can be connected to a wide variety of microcontrollers.

Optional SPI Flash

A footprint for a 1 Gbit (128 MB) SPI Flash memory device is included.

This component is completely optional and may be omitted without affecting the operation of the ECG front-end.

The flash memory is intended for future waveform logging and standalone recording applications. Users looking to minimize BOM cost can simply leave it unpopulated.

Estimated Cost

ADS1293: $10-20

PCB: $10-20

Oscillator, protection circuitry and passives: $3-5

Optional SPI Flash: $2-6

Estimated total hardware cost: approximately $50 USD excluding assembly costs.

Future revisions may integrate an ESP32, typically costing $2-5 USD, enabling wireless connectivity, local processing and standalone operation.

Future Plans

Integrated ESP32 microcontroller

Onboard display

Standalone ECG recorder

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity

Open-source desktop software

Open Source

All hardware design files, firmware, software and documentation are intended to be released free of charge under open-source licenses.

The goal is to create a platform that anyone can study, modify, manufacture and improve.

Looking For Sponsors

This project is developed entirely in my spare time as a hobby project and is not backed by a company, university or commercial organization.

The primary obstacle at the moment is funding for prototype fabrication and validation. Sponsorships and contributions are therefore greatly appreciated.

Any support will be used directly and only for:

Prototype manufacturing

Component procurement

Assembly and testing

Disclaimer

This project is intended for educational, research and development purposes only. It is not certified medical equipment and must not be used for clinical diagnosis, treatment or patient monitoring.