foc.us GO FLOW 4 Guide

GO FLOW 4
foc.us Go Flow 4
tDCS & sotDCS Brain Stimulator
User Manual & Warranty
English

INTRODUCTION
Important!
Again
WARNING
Welcome to the new Go Flow brain stimulator by Foc.us. I imagine you are keen to get started
but please take a few minutes to read this booklet and familiarize yourself with the key
concepts and details. Go Flow 4 has double the output current of most tDCS stimulators so
you should exercise double the caution. With great power comes great responsibility and self-
administration of tDCS puts the safety responsibility squarely in your hands.
Use Go Flow 4 to:
Learn new skills faster
Increase endurance levels
Turbo-charge sleep
Recreate other tDCS and sotDCS studies
You should not use the Foc.us stimulator if you suer from epilepsy, seizures, brain lesions,
bipolar depression, or severe heart disease. Immediately stop using foc.us if you experience
short short-term negative eects. Foc.us is not a toy and is not intended to be used by anyone
under the age of 18 years old. If using external electrodes, it is not recommended to place
electrodes in patterns that dier from the default foc.us congurations. Do not position
electrodes in a manner where current may pass through the brainstem. Do not position
electrodes over cuts, grazes, or damaged skin. Allow at least 48 hours between each use of foc.
us. Always place wet sponges between the electrodes and your skin when using foc.us. Do not
touch the black silicone electrodes when using foc.us as you may get burned. Take extra care if
using hydrogels.
Foc.us Go Flow 4 is designed to be used by healthy adults who do not suer from epilepsy,
brain conditions, have a metalic implant such as a skull plate, or have other implants such as a
cochlear implant or pace-maker. The sole purpose of foc.us Go Flow is to improve your brain.
You are responsible for the administration of your tDCS so look after yourself.
2
If you suer from epilepsy, brain lesions, bipolar depression of severe
heart disease you should not use a foc.us stimulator. If you experience
short term negative eects with foc.us you should immediately stop
using it. This is not a toy and is not intended to be used by anyone
under the age of 18 years old. Do not position the electrodes over cuts,
grazes or damaged skin. Allow at least 48 hours between usage. Do
not directly touch the electrodes as this can lead to burns. Always use
electrodes with wet sponges.

YOUR GO FLOW BRAIN STIMULATOR
Understand the dierent parts of your Go Flow brain stimulator.
●Always store your Go Flow in the supplied case when not in use. Squeeze any excess liquid
from the sponges and place them in the electrodes. Ensure the lid of the supplied water
bottle is tightly closed before returning to its place.
●The silicone electrodes can be disassembled for cleaning. Push rmly in the centre of the
black silicone to reinsert into the metal connectors.The expected service life is three years.
Go Flow 4
amx-y electrodes
Foc.us Headband
X/Y Magnetic Cables
Electrode Water Bottle
9V Battery
This is the Go Flow 4 tDCS &
sotDCS stimulator.
This is the amx-y conductive
silicone sponge electrode cup.
This is the Foc.us headband
with amxy-y electrode holes.
This is the stimulation
electrode cables. X is anode, Y
is cathode.
Use this small dropper bottle
to hold water for sponges.
foc.us 9V 6LR61 Ultra alkaline
non-rechargable battery.
3

CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction................................................................................................................ 2
Included with Go Flow 4............................................................................................ 3
Quick start guide ....................................................................................................... 5
Specications ........................................................................................................... 14
Troubleshooting....................................................................................................... 14
Warranty & guarantee............................................................................................. 15
Technical support contacts..................................................................................... 16
Go Flow 4 : tDCS & sotDCS Stimulator ................................................................... 6
Step by step instructions ......................................................................................... 7
Electrode placements ............................................................................................... 8
Electrode setup details.............................................................................................. 9
Learn New Skills Faster ........................................................................................... 10
Increased endurance with tDCS............................................................................. 11
Power Nap with sotDCS .......................................................................................... 12
What to expect ......................................................................................................... 13
Getting Started
Stimulation Montages
Go Flow 4
Addendum
4

QUICK START GUIDE
5
Prepare Electrodes
Position the electrodes & wet sponges in the headband
and place headband on head. Connect the magnetic
ends to the electrodes and the 2.5mm jack to the Go
Flow. Liberally wet the sponges before use.
1.
Set Current & Duration
When the lights are ORANGE/RED you can change the
current using the red rocker. Press to set.
GREEN lights let you change and start the duration timer.
Tip: 3 presses total: 1) Turn on 2) Set current 3) Start timer
3.
Go Flow
Your brain cells are now excited, your plasticity is
increased. Go learn, train or sleep!
Tip: Test yourself to conrm if it’s working
5.
Battery & Go Flow Together
Connect the 9V battery to the Go Flow 4 and they
can stay connected forever. Go Flow 4 will power-o
automatically and can be turned on by a 2 second press
of the rocker.
2.
take charge
The stimulation will start at 0mA and slowly increase.
The lights will change every 5 seconds between showing
the actual current in ORANGE/RED and the remaining
duration in GREEN. You can increase or decrease the
current using the red rocker.
4.

GO FLOW TDCS & SOTDCS STIMULATOR
6
Your Foc.us Go Flow 4 is an electrical neurostimulator which is designed to deliver a direct
(meaning: constant) current across your cranium.
The theory of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is that by delivering a constant
current into your brain, the excitation levels of your brain cells are altered. The delivered current
is small compared to the current that is already owing in your brain so the current itself does
not induce your brain cells to re, but does prime some of your brain cells to re more readily
depending on the specic settings that are used. It is therefore important that the right settings
are used to induce the right level of charge. It is recommended that you do not deviate from
prescribed levels of current intensities, current durations and electrode placements. Given the
right settings, the subtly induced changes in brain cell excitation levels can result in signicant
cognitive performance enhancements.
Possible side-eects include visual artifacts (such as white ashes), nausea, headaches, and
fatigue. If you experience any of these side-eects, stop your foc.us session. If you see white
ashes (known as phosphenes), adjust the position of the Foc.us electrodes away from your
eyes. You may feel tingling, hot, or cold sensations from using foc.us. If these sensations
become uncomfortable or painful, stop your foc.us session. Skin redness may appear under
electrodes after use, which will disappear after a short time. Repeated use of foc.us may lead
to skin irritation. If you exceed the recommended session duration, you increase the risk of
consolidating both the excitatory and inhibitory processes. Always proceed gradually and with
caution.
Battery connector
Red Rocker
Light Indicators
x/y Cable Socket

USAGE INSTRUCTIONS
7
Connect cable & battery
Set Duration - GREEN lights
Go Flow should remain connected to the 9V battery between
uses. Press the RED rocker for 2 seconds to turn on the
device in tDCS mode.
Tip: Leave the battery connected when not in use
Green lights indicate the stimulation duration. Each light is
5 minutes of stimulation. Set any value from 5 to 35 minutes
using the red rocker up or down. Press once to conrm
duration and start the session.
Tip: You cannot change the duration once set
1.
3.
Step by step Go Flow instructions
Set Current - ORANGE/RED
Monitor & Adjust Current
Orange and red lights indicate the current in mA. One light
indicates 1mA and all seven lights 4mA. Use the red rocker
to increase or decrease the target current in 0.5mA steps.
Press the red button ONCE to conrm the target current.
During the stimulation session the lights will alternate from
Green to Orange/Red. Orange/Red shows you the exact
actual current. Green shows the approximate remaining
duration.
Tip: You can change the current up or down during a session
2.
4.

ELECTRODE PLACEMENTS
8
The eects of tDCS and sotDCS depend on the positioning and polarity of the electrodes.
Anodal stimulation induces an increase in cortical excitability under the X electrode. Cathodal
stimulation induces an increase in cortical inhibition under the Y electrode. When electrodes
are placed on the shoulder or arm, the exact location is less important than when placed on the
head, so long as the correct arm/shoulder is used i.e. left or right.
The most common system for electrode positioning is know as the 10-20 system. This system
involves measuring your head and placing electrodes at the10%, 20%, 20%, 20%, 20% and 10%
positions. This is shown in the dark circles below. The 10-20 system has been further divided
into smaller percentages as shown by the gray circles in the same gure.
The focus headband is not designed to be as precise as the 10-20 system. The best way to nd
accurate electrode placements is to use the montages as a starting guide only. Measure the
results from stimulation and use trial and error to nd the exact location for your personal
physiology.

ELECTRODE SETUP DETAILS
9
Wet sponges in amx-y
Connect x/y cable to amx-y
Sponges should be wet. Use the small water bottle to keep
water handy. Be careful not to touch the black silicone as
this can result in burns.
Tip: Add a pinch of salt if you want a saline solution
X is the anode and Y is the cathode so it is important to get
this the right way around. The X and Y magnetically connect
to the metal backs on the amx-y electrodes. Use the cable
with as few electrodes as required.
Tip: X is the anode, Y is the cathode
1.
3.
Step by step connection instructions
Amx-y electrodes in place
Connect x/y cable to Go Flow
The amx-y electrode mushroom tips are designed to t
comfortably through the headband holes. Get them in
place before putting the headband on your head. It doesn’t
matter which one you use as the polarity is determined by
the cable. Shoulder placements can be held under a t-shirt.
Insert the 2.5mm 4 pin jack end of the x/y cable into the
socket on the top of the Go Flow and you are ready to go.
2.
4.

Goal Learn new skills faster with Focus
Target current 2mA or less for comfort
Duration 20 mins
Electrode placement X front right (shown red), Y left shoulder
Notes Stimulate prior to learning new skills
GO FLOW MONTAGES
The Internet contains information on hundreds of tDCS studies. Go Flow is exible enough
to recreate the protocols of all of them but this does not mean you will nd the same results
as those published. Electrical stimulation is cutting edge and many studies are yet to be
reproduced by other scientists.
Here are three of the most reliable stimulation montages you can try with Go Flow 4.
Learn New Skills Faster
The ability to sustain attention and maintain goal-directed behaviour for extended periods of
time is known as vigilance. It’s a life or death quality in a soldier. Lack of vigilance may not be so
fatal in your line of work but you can imagine why increased vigilance would be benecial.
tDCS signicantly altered baseline
task-induced physiologic and
behavioral changes.
Behavioral measures showed a
signicant improvement in target
detection performance with tDCS
compared to the sham stimulation.

Train harder with tDCS
Targeting the pain centers of the brain can increase our tolerance to fatigue. Studies suggest
that one way of reducing perceived pain is by stimulating a region of the brain called the
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
Modern sports science believes that endurance is a complex interaction between brain and
body. We feel tired not only due to physiological stress but also due to neurological stress - for
example, if we’ve had a stressful day at work. By stimulating the brain in the right way, it is
believed that physical endurance and performance can be extended.
Goal Increased physical endurance
Target current 4mA or less for comfort
Duration 20 mins
Electrode placement X front left (red), Y right arm or right shoulder area
Notes Stimulate before athletic activity
INCREASE YOUR ENDURANCE
The temporal cortex of the brain is
ththought to play a central role in how we
perceive and respond to fatigue.
Modulation of this region can reduce how
tired we feel and thereby extend physical
endurance.

POWER NAP WITH FOCUS
Sleep better with increased spindles
Evidence suggests that lack of slow-wave activity may play a role in sleeplessness. so-tDCS is a
solution to increase slow-wave activity.
Research has shown that transcranial slow oscillating stimulation increases power in slow
oscillations locally and also in theta and beta frequency widely. Increases in theta (4-8Hz) have
shown to increase short term memory by promoting of hippocampal encoding process.
It has been shown that 0.75Hz oscillation might play a role in sleep maintenance and the
development of sleep. Go Flow 4 sotDCS mode uses 0.75Hz frequency.
Goal Power nap with sotDCS
Target current 1.5mA
Duration 20 mins before sleep
Electrode placement X front left and front right (red)
Y rear left and rear right (black)
Notes Stimulate immediately prior to sleeping
To start Go Flow in sotDCS
mode you must press the
red button twice - a short
press, followed by a longer
press. When turned on in
sotDCS mode you will see the
rainbow ash conrmation
in red instead of the usual
green.
This montage stimulates both
hemispheres of your brain
and uses the dual X/Y cable.
The current is directional
ows from front to back in
slow oscillating waves.

13
What to expect?
●What to expect from brain stimulation
●You may feel a tingling when the stimulation starts. For most people this sensation is
comfortable but if it is not you can try lowering the current level.
●The increased excitation levels of your neurons caused by the stimulation move your brain
into a ready state. This state will naturally wear o so you should look to undertake your
neuronal activity immediately after the stimulation session ends.
●Studies have shown these stimulation montages work. However, there are factors that can
negatively impact your results. By changing the current (both down and up) and duration
on dierent sessions over dierent days, you can nd the best settings for your own unique
brain physiology.
●Electrode placement cannot guarantee the exact path of electrical current ow so results can
vary between sessions.
●tDCS is much less inuential on the brain than drugs or alcohol and should not be combined
with either.
●Studies have shown that time of day can eect stimulation results.
●Leave the Go Flow connected to the battery, store everything in the case between uses and it
will serve you well.
●Changing the current during an active session enables half increment steps of 0.25mA. When
the LED is half lit, this indicates half the current step.
●Check the Foc.us website for new montages and new ways to use your Go Flow.
●Good luck and take charge

SPECIFICATIONS
14
Go Flow 4 Specications
Size 26mm x 28mm x 16mm
Weight 10g
Battery 9V 6LR61 Ultra alkaline
tDCS Settings • 4.0mA maximum current setting, 25V maximum output voltage
• 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0mA congurable current level
• 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 minute timer
• 1.25, 1.75, 2.75, 3.25, 3.75mA incremental session adjustments
• 0.1mA/s up and down ramping
• 0.75Hz sotDCS frequency
Problem Solution
No lights on Go Flow Battery is low. Change the battery
Flashing Orange/Red
Lights
Resistance is too high, check sponges, not too much hair, good
connections everywhere.
Flashing Orange/
Green Lights No x/y cable connected to Go Flow. Connect cable.
Headband doesnt t Try holding the electrodes via another method.
Painful sensation If you experience discomfort you should stop using Go Flow

WARRANTY & GUARANTEE
15
foc.us warrants the foc.us Go Flow (the “Product”), and only the Product, against defects in
materials and workmanship under normal use for a period of twleve (12) months commencing
on the date of original purchase by the original purchaser (the Warranty Period). This warranty
does not cover damage caused by misuse, accident, abuse, natural and/or external causes (i.e.
re, earthquake, ood, etc.), use other than as intended and described in the Product instruction
manual, nishes, normal wear and tear, tampering, unreasonable use, service performed by
unauthorised service agents, or loss or damage to the battery. foc.us does not warrant that the
operation of the Product will be uninterrupted or error-free.
Limitation of remedies
Limitation of damages
●Under this Limited Warranty, foc.us liability and customer’s exclusive remedy under the
foregoing paragraph will be limited to replacement or repair of the Product by foc.us or its
authorized service centers. A replacement Product or part assumes the remaining warranty
of the original Product or ninety (90) days from the date of replacement or repair, whichever
is longer. To obtain warranty service, contact [email protected] For your security, please return
your Product with an insured carrier (e.g., FedEx, UPS, USPS Parcel Post) and retain your
receipt. foc.us is not responsible for items damaged or lost in transit. Other than for the
reason of hardware defects, the return freight cost responsibility belongs solely to the
customer.
●In no event will foc.us or any of its aliated or subsidiary companies be responsible for
any special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from the use of this Product,
or based on any breach of warranty, breach of contract, negligence, tort, or any other legal
theory. Such damages may include, without limitation: loss of savings or revenue; loss of
prot; loss of use; the claims of third parties, including without limitation retailers; any
cost of any substitute equipment or services. Some states do not allow the exclusion or
limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation may not apply to
you. The warranty gives specic legal rights, and you may have other legal rights, which vary
from state to state or country to country. This Limited Warranty is valid only in the United
States and Europe for Products sold in the United States and Europe. Resellers, agents, or
employees of foc.us are not authorized to make any modication, extension, or addition this
Limited Warranty
FCC
●FCC warning statement: This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is
subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference,
and (2) This device must accept any interference received, including interference that
may cause undesired operation. This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure
limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. End users must follow the specic
operatinginstructions for satisfying RF exposure compliance. This transmitter must not be
co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter. Changes or
modications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the
user’s authority to operate the equipment.

Transcranial Ltd European Engineers
Technical support
88 Paul St
London EC2A 4NE
UK
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]
www.foc.us
1017 El Camino
Redwood CIty 94063
US
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]
www.foc.us
Transcranial Ltd. 88 Paul St. London EC2A 4NE, UK
Tel.: [phone] ●Fax: [phone]
[email protected] ●www.foc.us
© Transcranial Ltd 2018
SUPPORT
More information is available on the website: https://www.foc.us/
You can email [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns.
Help can also be found at https://www.foc.us/forums
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