instructables
ECG Circuit
by JessicaB328
An ECG is a test that measures the electrical activity
of the heart by recording the heart's rhythm and
activity. It works by taking and reading signals from
the heart using leads that are attached to an
electrocardiograph machine. This Instructable will
show you how to build a circuit that records, filters,
and displays the bioelectric signal of the heart. This is
not a medical device. This is for educational purposes
only using simulated signals. If using this circuit for
real ECG measurements, please ensure the circuit
and the circuit-to-instrument connections are utilizing
proper isolation techniques.
This circuit contains three different stages wired
together in series with a LabView program. The
resistors in the instrumentation amplifier were
calculated with a gain of 975 to ensure that the small
signals from the heart can still be picked up the
circuit. The notch filter takes out the 60 Hz noise from
ECG Circuit: Page 1
the power outlet in the wall. The low pass filter
ensures that high frequency noise is removed from
the circuit for better signal detection.
Before starting this Instructable, it would be helpful to
familiarize yourself with the uA741 General Purpose
Operational Amplifier. The different pins in the op-
amp have different purposes and the circuit will not
work if they are connected incorrectly. Connecting the
pins to the breadboard incorrectly is also an easy way
to fry the op-amp and make it non-functional. The link
below contains the schematic used for the op-amps in
this instructable.
http://www.ti.com/lit/ds/symlink/ua741.pdf
Image Source:
http://ak0.picdn.net/shutterstock/videos/17671660/thu
mb/1.jpg
Step 1: Collect Materials

Materials needed for all 3 stages of filter:

Oscilloscope
Function generator
Power supply (+15V, -15V)
Solderless breadboard
Various banana cables and alligator clips
ECG Electrode Stickers
Various jumper wires

Instrumentation amplifier:

3 Op-amps (uA741)
Resistors:
1k x3
12 k x 2
39 k x 2

Notch Filter:

1 Op-amp (uA741)
Resistors:
1.6 k x 2
417 k

Capacitors:
100 nF x 2
200 nF

Low Pass Filter:

1 Op-Amp (uA741)
Resistors:
23.8 k
43 k

Capacitors:
22 nF
47 nF

ECG Circuit: Page 2

Step 2: Build Instrumentation Amplifier
Biological signals often only output voltages between
0.2 and 2 mV [2]. These voltages are too small to be
analyzed on the oscilloscope so we needed to build
an amplifier.
amplifier. Anything too far above this will not give you
the results you are looking for because the op amps
were only getting a certain amount of power of -15
and +15 V. Compare the output of the function
generator to the output of your instrumentation
amplifier and look for a gain of close to 1000 V.
(Vout/Vin should be very close to 1000).
Tip for troubleshooting: Make sure all resistors are in
Step 3: Build Notch Filter
Our notch filter was designed to filter out a frequency
at 60 Hz. We want to filter out the 60 Hz from our
signal because that is the frequency of the alternating
current found in electrical outlets.
When testing the notch filter, measure the peak-to-
peak ratio between the input and output graphs. At 60
Hz, there should be a ratio of -20 dB or better. This is
because at -20 dB, the output voltage is essentially
0V, meaning that you successfully filtered out the
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After your circuit is built, test to make sure that it is
working correctly by measuring the voltage at Vout
(shown as node 2 in the image above). We used the
function generator to send a sine wave with an input
amplitude voltage of 20 mV to our instrumentation
k range.
[2]“High Performance Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Signal Conditioning | Education | Analog Devices.”
[Online]. Available:
http://www.analog.com/en/education/education-
library/articles/high-perf-electrocardiogram-signal-
conditioning.html. [Accessed: 10-Dec-2017].]
signal at 60 Hz! Test frequencies around 60 Hz as
well to make sure that no other frequencies are being
filtered out accidentally.
Tip for troubleshooting: If you can’t get exactly -20dB
at 60 Hz, pick one resistor and change it slightly until
you get the desired results. We had to play around
with the value of R2 until we got the results we
wanted.
Step 4: Build Low Pass Filter
Our low pass filter was designed with a cutoff
frequency of 150 Hz. We chose this cutoff because
the widest diagnostic range for an ECG is 0.05 Hz -
150 Hz, assuming a motionless and low noise
environment [3]. The low pass filter is able to get rid
of high frequency noise coming from muscles or other
parts of the body[4].
In order to test this circuit to ensure that it is working
correctly, measure Vout (shown as node 1 in the
circuit diagram). At 150 Hz, the amplitude of the
output signal should be 0.7 times the amplitude of the
input signal. We used an input signal of 1V in order to
be able to easy see that our output should be 0.7 at
150 Hz.
Tips for troubleshooting: as long as your cutoff
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frequency is within a few Hz of 150 Hz your circuit
should still work. Our cutoff ended up being 153 Hz.
The range for biological signals will fluctuate a little in
the body so as long as you are not off more than a
few Hz, your circuit should still work.
[3] “ECG Filters | MEDTEQ.” [Online]. Available:
http://www.medteq.info/med/ECGFilters. [Accessed:
10-Dec-2017].
[4] K. L. Venkatachalam, J. E. Herbrandson, and S. J.
Asirvatham, “Signals and Signal Processing for the
Electrophysiologist: Part I: Electrogram Acquisition,”
Circ. Arrhythmia Electrophysiol., vol. 4, no. 6, pp.
965–973, Dec. 2011.
Step 5: Create LabView Program

[5] “BME 305 Design Lab Project “ (Fall 2017).

This labview block diagram is designed to analyze the signal going through the program, detect ECG peaks,
collect the time difference between the peaks, and mathematically calculate the BPM. It also outputs a graph of
the ECG waveform.

Step 6: Connect All Three Stages

Connect all three circuits in series by connecting the
output of the instrumentation amplifier to the input of
the notch filter and the output of the notch filter to the
input of the low pass filter. Connect the output of the
low pass filter to the DAQ assistant and connect the
DAQ assistant to the computer. When wiring the
circuits together, make sure that the power strips for
each breadboard are connected and the ground strips
are all connected to the same ground terminal.
In the instrumentation amplifier, the second op-amp
needs to be ungrounded so that two electrode leads
that are connected to the test subject can each
connect to a different op amp in the first stage of that
filter.

Step 7: Get Signals From a Human Test Subject

One electrode sticker should be placed on each wrist, and one should be placed on the ankle for ground. Use
alligator clips to connect the two wrist electrodes to the inputs of the instrumentation amplifier and the ankle to
ground. When ready, click “run” on the LabView program and see your heart rate and ECG on the screen!

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