foc.us V3 User manual

V3
Foc.us V3
Multi-function Electrical Brain Stimulator
User Manual & Warranty
English

INTRODUCTION
Important!
Again
WARNING
This guide will teach you how to use your Foc.us V3 brain stimulator.
If you are new to brain stimulation you may be nervous. Don’t be. Right now your brain is full of
electrical ows.
Stimulation simply lets you alter those ows a little. Read the warning below and provided
you have none of the listed contra-indications the worst case scenario is you may nd brain
stimulation mildly uncomfortable.
Ready? Then let’s take charge.
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.
Self-administration of brain stimulation puts the safety responsibility squarely in your hands.
Foc.us V3 is designed to be used by healthy adults who do not suer from epilepsy, brain
conditions, have a metallic implant such as a skull plate, or have other implants such as a
cochlear implant or pace-maker. The sole purpose of Foc.us 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 FOC.US V3
Understand the dierent parts included with your V3 brain stimulator.
●Always store your V3 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 cleaned with warm water. Do not get the V3 wet.
V3
amx-y electrodes
Foc.us Headband
X/Y Magnetic Cables
Electrode Water Bottle
USB Charging Cable
This is the V3 electrical brain
stimulator.
This is the amx-y conductive
silicone sponge electrode cjup.
This is the Foc.us headband
with amxy-y electrode holes.
The magnetic stimulation
electrode cables. X is anode, Y
is cathode by default.
Use this small dropper bottle
to hold water for sponges.
Connect to any USB outlet
power source to recharge.
3

CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
Introduction................................................................................................................ 2
Included with V3......................................................................................................... 3
Navigating your V3 .................................................................................................... 5
Specications ........................................................................................................... 14
Troubleshooting....................................................................................................... 14
Warranty & guarantee............................................................................................. 15
Technical support contacts..................................................................................... 16
Foc.us V3 : Multi-function Electrical Brain Stimulator .......................................... 6
Step by step instructions ......................................................................................... 7
Electrode placements ............................................................................................... 8
Electrode setup details.............................................................................................. 9
V3 Stimulation Modes ............................................................................................. 10
V3 Programs ............................................................................................................. 11
Experimental Programs .......................................................................................... 13
Getting Started
Stimulating Possibilities
Foc.us V3
Addendum
4

NAVIGATING YOUR V3
5
PRESS to turn ON
PRESS the blue joystick to turn on and start.
Navigate your Foc.us V3 with the blue joystick.
Use DOWN to select TAKE CHARGE
PRESS to start your journey
1.
Value & Labels
This shows that the current current setting is 1.5mA.
Use LEFT to reduce or RIGHT to increase this value.
Then PRESS or DOWN to proceed to next setting.
3.
START or EDIT
Only the minimum settings are presented so that you can
quickly start a session. Hidden settings can be accessed
by pressing RIGHT for the EDIT option.
Then PRESS or DOWN to START.
5.
UP LEFT RIGHT DOWN PRESS
Wherever you see <and >, use LEFT and RIGHT to scroll
through the options available.
Then PRESS or DOWN to proceed with gamer program.
2.
Duration
Use LEFT and RIGHT to pick a session duration between
1 and 40 minutes.
Then PRESS or DOWN to proceed.
4.

V3 ELECTRICAL BRAIN STIMULATOR
6
Your Foc.us V3 is an electrical neuro-stimulator which will deliver a controlled current to your
brain.
The theory of transcranial Electrical Stimulation (tES) is that by passing a current through
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.
5 Way Joystick
Socket
OLED Display
Foc.us V3

QUICK START GUIDE
7
Prepare Electrodes
Position the amx-y electrodes with wet sponges in the
headband and place headband on head.
Liberally wet the sponges before use.
1.
Start a Program
A program denes the target current, duration and
mode settings to be used in a stimulation session.
V3 ships with 7 Programs:
Ripple, 3rd eye, wave, pulse, Noise, eDream & gamer.
3.
Because It’s Possible
Your brain cells are now excited, your plasticity is
increased. Go learn, train & focus!
Tip: Test yourself to conrm it’s working
5.
Connect everything together
Connect the magnetic ends to the amx-y electrodes and
the 2.5mm jack to the V3.
Be careful to ensure X (cathode) and Y (anode) if using
tDCS or unipolar stimulation modes.
2.
take charge
The stimulation will start at 0mA and slowly increase
until reaching the target current
The V3 screen will show you real-time session data.
4.

ELECTRODE PLACEMENTS
8
The eects of tES 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 10-10 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
Headband On Head
To pass an electric current through your brain an electrical
circuit must be setup between the device, cable, electrodes,
sponges and you.
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 electrical burns.
Place the headband on your head and the ensure everything
is comfortable. Use the magnetic cables to complete the
circuit with the amx-y electrodes.
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 V3
The amx-y electrode 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.
Tip: Shoulder placements can be held under clothing.
Insert the 2.5mm 4 pin jack end of the x/y cable into the
socket on the side of the V3 and you are ready to go.
Understand that the electricity will take the path of least
resistance between the X and Y electrodes. This will vary
with the electrodes location and cannot be precisely
controlled. It is your responsibility to ensure that you place
the electrodes consistently to achieve consistent results.
2.
4.

V3 STIMULATION MODES
What is a mode?
The mode describes the shape of the electrical signal. At a minimum V3 includes tDCS, tACS, so-
tDCS, tPCS, tRNS and tRCS modes.
Each mode has a set of parameters that control the shape of the electrical output.
During a stimulation session the display of the V3 functions as an oscilloscope. It shows the real-
time current graphed against time. Use it to visualize the ow of the electrical current.
tDCS provides a steady current over a period of time. An initial ramp will slowly increase the
current at 0.1mA/s until the target current is reached. At the end of the session the current
will be tapered o at the same rate. During the stimulation the internal electronics measure
the resistance in the circuit owing through your head 50,000 times per second and adjust the
voltage to maintain a super-accurate current.
tACS is a sine shaped stimulation wave where the current changes as a function of time. Studies
show that stimulating with particular frequencies can entrain brain oscillations.
so-tDCS is a unipolar slow sine wave. Unipolar means the current always ows in the same
direction. It will oscillate between the oset and target current values.
tPCS is a pulsed wave with frequency and duty cycle control.
tRNS generates a random signal i.e. noise. This can be a random frequency, a random current
or both. Please note that this mode can be the most physically uncomfortable due to likelihood
of fast changes in current levels.
tRCS is an exclusive stimulation mode available only from Foc.us. This dynamic tACS mode uses
rippled frequency changes to entrain and increase brain oscillations. The power, intensity and
gradient of this change can be selected.
What is a program?
A program denes the target current, duration and mode settings to be used during stimulation.
Each program allows you to quickly start a session using the most recent program settings.
You can EDIT the program settings to personalize the programs according to your preference by
using the arrow options when you reach the START screen.
All programs include an advanced PLACEBO option. The default is placebo OFF i.e. stimulate.
When set to ON, the current will ramp up to the target current but then ramp down - you can
see this in the real-time current graph. When PLACEBO is set to BLIND the device will decide
whether to stimulate or not at random. If it decides not to stimulate it will ramp up and provide
a fake real-time graph so you cannot visually determine. This allows you to run double blind
tests with yourself.
You can chose to set a maximum voltage for any program. This may limit the devices ability to
hit the target current according to Ohm’s law.