Prop: Heartbeat on an oscilloscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: NivagSwerdna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:07:17 pm
content: I've been asked.... would it be possible to have an oscilloscope show a heartbeat so it could be used as a prop sitting in the background of a film (amateur!) scene...This must have been done before... any pointers?Thanks in advancePSThe signal can be pre-recorded... doesn't need attaching to anyone! (Also... it can be repetative... no flat lining required!)

author: themadhippy
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:25:00 pm
content: how about recording of a heartbeat fed into the scope

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:26:31 pm
content: I used a MAX9814 breakout board that included an electret microphone (various sources, including Adafruit and DK) to record clock beats. It also worked with my pulse. For a recording, I just used my Rigol and a saved a screen to a thumb drive. Background noise can be a problem but should be easy to clean up (attachment 2).

author: Labrat101
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:29:40 pm
content: Us a cheap signal gen they have this function.

author: mc172
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:32:25 pm
content: I would use a computer with the scope connected to line out. You could simply draw the waveform you want in Audacity (free) with the pen tool and have it repeat the waveform indefinitely.

author: Labrat101
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 12:53:41 pm
content: You can down load the pulse from YouTube . or similar for cheap results

author: NivagSwerdna
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 01:04:38 pm
content: Quote from: mc172 on January 24, 2022, 12:32:25 pmThat's interesting... wasn't aware of that function. Thx

author: msuthar
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 01:15:29 pm
content: HP function generator 33120A was able to output a stored waveform of heart beat , if you can manage to get one unit then it is off the shelf wave form !

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 01:30:15 pm
content: Quote from: Labrat101 on January 24, 2022, 12:53:41 pmAnd when the patient is dead, well that's a built-in trace so no worries.

author: Labrat101
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 05:57:27 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on January 24, 2022, 01:30:15 pmIf you had read the first Post .. it's 4 a stage prop .. Not for the last post .. R.I.P

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 06:23:55 pm
content: It's a common scene in film and TV to show the scope trace of an EKG that goes to flat line at death.

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 07:26:11 pm
content: TV/Film tends to have a device, cover the screen in blue tape and then place the screen footage in post.For your purpose, it might be easier to just use a raspberry pi, and an LCD screen in an old Scope box and just play a video and just time it right.

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 07:43:55 pm
content: For people willing to have a more flexible solution, you can have a look at this:https://physionet.org/content/ecgsyn/1.0.0/You can directly take the 'ecgsyn.dat' file (just a space-delimited CSV) in the 'sample-output' directory if you don't want/need to generate your own data.You could play that back using a sound card, or using a small microcontroller.

author: MarkL
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 09:55:49 pm
content: Not sure how fancy a scope you can get access to, but some scopes have have built-in waveform generators and "Cardiac" is a waveform choice. You can put the scope in horizontal roll mode and it looks like a strip recorder.An external monitor output on many scopes can get you a bigger display if it needs to be obvious.Below is an Agilent MSO3000 series. I'm sure similar functionality can be found on other make/models.

author: DeanA
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2022, 11:40:29 pm
content: Just get one of thesehttps://theorycircuit.com/pulse-sensor-arduino/and connect it to the scope with finger attached.