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Part of my V2 isn't covered by the tape

in Troubleshooting

Hi,

there's a part on my V2 that's not covered by the tape (see picture). Is this something I should be worried about?

Also like somebody else asked: is it normal that the board gets slightly hot and makes noises?

8 comments

8 Comments

Joshua Brewster

Mar 07, 2021

Also, send me your data if you have doubts too, I can verify it for you. Do a 5 seconds in 5 seconds out breathing exercise for that

Joshua Brewster

Feb 28, 2021

Hey Neel, try different positions on your head too. Right in the center won't be as reactive I've found. I added the sensitivity option since ratio variability is different between forehead positions and your physical state (e.g. if you are dehydrated or tired it's a lot harder). The default sensitivity works well enough for most people. Regarding the feedback, try the video feedback in Time mode, that replicates the original HEGstudio feature which just runs the video forward or back. I want to put a lot more work into these this year so it's more engaging.

aberratio ictus

Mar 07, 2021

Replying to

I still can't directly influence the feedback. The circle just grows bigger and smaller / my video goes backward and forward. Is this because of the pulse?

I'm pretty sure that the device measures the hemodynamic response precisely enough, but the problem is the feedback, which just isn't helpful. Of course, I could try to make the ratio go up but breathing exercises etc, but that isn't really the point (at least not my goal) with neurofeedback. I want to be able to directly influence the score just by trying to directly influence it.

I will receive my Mendi device in 2 weeks or so and the feedback will probably be much more helpful from what I've seen in their videos. But still I will probably return it, because if the feedback is the only problem of the V2 then it's something that can be fixed. Or the feedback isn't the problem and I simply still need to figure out what to do to increase the ratio.

Joshua Brewster

Mar 07, 2021

Replying to

Well that's a little more tricky. What do you have in mind exactly, like instantaneous response or just something that pokes you a little more to try to stimulate you? My visuals are purposefully passive but I will be working on more active features this year like guided exercises. Blood flow neurofeedback is fairly slow so there is a delay, and the general point is to try to maximize your ratio or especially recover it when it drops for whatever reason as that is improving perfusion and resilience. It's not quite like EEG where you can get a sense of 1:1 control though it is possible I'm sure though with some delay, HEG is more just a general mindfulness exercise plus physical therapy.

Neel D

Feb 28, 2021

Thanks for your reply. Do you also have V1 to compare? I am going to give V2 some more time. I am able to influence other biofeedback sensors like Heartmath, Muse and PIP but struggling with HEG.

aberratio ictus

Feb 28, 2021

@Neel D

Yes, I also have the V2.

If I remember correctly, the ratio was in the range of 0.70 - 0.90 and the score was from -0.30 - 1.60 or so. But the absolute values arent that important.

I replicated what Joshua and the other guy did in the two new videos:

6 breaths per minute breathing -> the ratio increased slowly for about 3 minutes (by 0.20 or so) until it remained the same approximately
holding my breath -> the ratio dropped by about 0.20

After that I tried to focus, but without using too much effort -> the ratio increased by about 0.20 again.

But I think the feedback (I have used the circle and hill climb so far) isn't really useful - at least not without changing the sensitivity. The movements of the circle are too small and I think the latency (?) when using the hill climb mode is too big (i.e. the feedback seems too delayed).

Neel D

Feb 28, 2021

aberratio ictus I have same board as you V2.2 I guess. How is your score and ratio. I am still struggling to influence the score and ratio which are both around 0.5 and donot change much. Only way I can influence is to add very large scaling 5x or more.

Joshua Brewster

Feb 28, 2021

Don't worry about that exposed area, it's just some extra LED slots for tinkering (although I forgot the damn resistor slots on these boards, so if anyone wants to use those I am refreshing the connector pieces and can forward one for free) but they don't do anything. I'm still tweaking some things about this design so there are a few funky things about it.

I also noticed the noises when running the WiFi on some of the ESP32 modules but couldn't find any identifiable issues or anything that could harm you, and the warmth is fine as that is just heat from the processor - which runs a bit hotter on WiFi due to the power usage (it's set to 20mW but seems to chug, it's not nearly as warm as it can actually get). If you switch it into BLE mode it won't get nearly as warm and shouldn't make those noises anymore.