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How long do the batteries last? What are the system requirements for the Proteus Editor program? I can't open the battery compartment. What shall I do? How important is sound as a component of the light/sound experience? What are the session parameters for the 50 included programs? Why
didn't I receive a software disk? How do I update the firmware (operating system)? Why are the LEDs in the lightframes red and green?
In
what way is multicolored light superior to a single color? Why
is the use of two frequencies simultaneously of value? What are the advantages of using biofeedback to control Proteus? Why
are there multiple sensor types listed in the Proteus Biofeedback settings? Can I use Proteus Editor with a MacIntosh computer? What are the various Proteus modes and how do I use them? How do I make my own sessions?
Q: How long do the batteries last? A: We recommend that you use alkaline batteries with Proteus for best results; under normal use you can expect approximately 50 hours continuous operation. You can also use rechargeable Ni-Cad "AA" batteries, which should last roughly 10-20 hours between recharges.
Q: What are the system requirements for the Proteus Editor program? A: Windows 98 or later is recommended (we've heard that this may be run under Windows 95, but have not certified it for so doing ourselves). You need less than 3 MB disc space; practically any system that runs W98+ should work well.
Q:
I
can't open the battery compartment. What shall I do?
A:
Some Proteus battery doors are a bit hard to remove the first
time, apparently due to the green metallic paint being slightly thicker
than normal. This is easy
to remedy, and once you’ve opened it for the first time, should work
fine. Normally you would slide the battery door straight down, holding Proteus with the button side facing the floor and the bottom pointing away from you. Place your two thumbs on the ridged friction guide and press firmly away. If this doesn’t do the trick, use a small screwdriver or similar object to “pop” the door down and off, by first placing it in one of the two small square holes on either side of the top of the battery door. Do this carefully to avoid marring the finish of your unit.
Q: How important is sound as a component of the light/sound experience? A: It is especially important as a means for blocking external distractions, and pulsed audio waveforms can help reduce distracting thoughts via patterned stimuli. Binaural beat frequencies can induce brainwave activity at the beat frequencies in some cases, which further assists in accessing certain states of awareness. Generally speaking, the audio component is much less important than the visual, since a large part of our brain (about 40%) is involved with vision. If you are using AudioStrobe or other forms of audio input, such as various forms of spoken word (affirmations, NLP, etc.) the importance of the audio increases in the overall experience.
The AudioStrobe technique stores an inaudible control signal on digital media such as compact discs; these signals directly control the pulsing of the lights. Because the signals are mastered at the same time that the CD is, very precise synchronization of the audio and visual stimulation can be achieved. AudioStrobe was developed by Mr. Andrzej Slawinski of AudioStrobe GMBH, Germany.
Q:
Why didn't I receive a software disc? A:
We decided not to include the Proteus software on the AudioStrobe
sampler disc for two reasons:
first, we could fit an extra “bonus” audio track on the CD that
way, and more importantly we were making rapid progress on our new software
revision and didn’t want to make a lot of discs with obsolete software!
You
can download the latest version of Proteus software from our website.
Of course, if you do not have internet access we will be happy
to send you the software on disc.
Q:
I can't download sessions from my computer into Proteus. A:
Check the following: ·
Have you selected
the proper serial port? ·
Is the serial
cable plugged snugly into the computer and Proteus? ·
Are you using
the proper cable? (it should
be black; the ThoughtStream cable looks identical but is beige) ·
Is Proteus in
DL mode? (if not, press the middle button until it is, and repeat the
download process. Remember that the Proteus digital display will show rapidly changing numbers if it is receiving data. If you’ve tried all of the above and you still cannot download, write or call us.
Q:
Are additional sessions available for download? A:
You may download them from the resources area of our website.
More sessions will be available in the future.
Q: What are the session parameters for the 50 included programs? A: You can download a summary sheet in Adobe Acrobat format within the resources area of our website. An alternative is to load a program into the Proteus Session Editor and inspect it there.
Q:
How do I update the Proteus firmware (operating system)? A:
Launch Proteus Editor and click the “Update Code” button on the
top right hand side of the program window.
The following window appears:
b.
Note that there are three checked boxes on the lower right, under
“send data to Proteus”; in the future you can selectively upload new
session data, code or user preferences separately.
Leave them all checked for the moment.
c.
Point your cursor to the “Prot1_6.pts”
(or later, if available when you read this) file and left-click
to highlight the filename. d.
Be sure your Proteus is connected to your PC, and if necessary
press the MODE (middle) button until the display reads “DL” (for “download”).
Verify that the PC cable is plugged into the AUX input on the
lower right side of Proteus. e.
Now left-click the “Upload Code” button.
You will see a display on screen indicating that the firmware
update is downloading. The
Proteus display should also show rapidly changing numbers during the
download; if this is not the case then either you have not selected
the correct serial port, or the serial cable is not properly connected,
or you are not in DL mode. Q:
Why are the LEDs in the lightframes red and green? A:
We chose these colors because they include a large range of evocable
feeling-states, ranging from red (=energizing) to green (=relaxing)
with a range of possibilities in between, especially amber, which is
most efficient at evoking the “peak performance” state.
Also, our testers reported that these colors produced the most
vivid imagery. We also produce red/blue (ruby/sapphire) LightFrames; blue is deeply relaxing and the visual effects and overall “feel” of these colors is more trance-like. Q:
In what way is multicolored light superior to a single color? A:
Single-color stimulation does not take into account the differential
effects of colored light stimulation on mood and EEG.
Proteus is the first system to provide real-time control over
the brightness of both colors simultaneously, allow smooth shifts between
the 250+ possible color combinations (16 shades each of red and green). So a typical “ramp” from 16 hz to 8 hz might start all red, shifting to amber at 12 hz and all green at 8 hz. Or, you can try your own combinations to explore more unique effects.
Q: Why is the use of two frequencies simultaneously of value? A: It is possible to elicit more complex states of consciousness by using more than one frequency simultaneously. In fact, most states of consciousness are not exemplified by a single frequency band. Proteus is the only machine available today which at least partially remedies that situation. Q: What are the advantages of using biofeedback to control Proteus? A: For several reasons. First, the light frequency, brightness, color, etc. may be used to provide you with direct feedback regarding changes in your physiology associated with the use of light/sound stimulation--whether it be increased or decreased arousal, etc. Secondly, sessions may be created which alternate between light/sound stimulation and biofeedback; this was the approach taken with the Biolight study which led to significant improvement in college grade point average in those who used this system. Thirdly, the light/sound parameters may be "tuned" in real time to craft highly specific states of consciousness.
Q: Why are there multiple sensors listed in the Proteus biofeedback settings? A: We're preparing the system for the introduction of a low-cost, multichannel biofeedback system later this year. Only the EDR 1 setting is active with the ThoughtStream + Proteus combination, although you can assign and scale this data to control any or all of six Proteus parameters.
Q: Can I use Proteus Editor with a MacIntosh computer? A: Although we have not tested Proteus Editor with Windows emulation programs, we've heard that it does work with them. One customer recently wrote, "I found that using on a Mac Connectix Virtual PC with Windows 98 utilizing a Keyspan PDA USB adapter works just fine as far as I can see. The keyspan adapter can be used for both a Mac or a PC but should be configured for a Mac then within the VPC preferences just map one of the Comm ports to it. Its a little more problematical to configure it in the VPC as it sets up as comm port 3 which would not work smoothly."
Q: What are the various Proteus modes and how do I use them? A: Modes are, simply put, various ways in which Proteus can function. Much of the power of the three-button interface is due to this ability to quickly select the features associated with each mode. Pressing
the middle ('mode') button steps through the various modes described
in the table below.
Here's
a description of how each of the modes operate: Pxx
1. Press the Mode Select (middle) button until the display reads “Pxx”, where “xx” is a number between 00 and 99. 2. Select a session by pressing the bottom button. A single press causes the display to increment one step at a time, while pressing and holding it causes the display to increment automatically. Notice that the rate at which the session number is displayed speeds up when you hold the button down. 3. TIP: you can cause the display to decrement rather than increment if you press the mode button together with the bottom button. 4. Press the Start (top) button to start a session. Uxx
Note:
This feature was added with the release of version 1.62 of the
Proteus operating system. 1. Press the Mode Select (middle) button until the display reads “Uxx”, where “xx” is a number between 00 and 99. 2. Select a session by pressing the bottom button. A single press causes the display to increment one step at a time, while pressing and holding causes the display to increment automatically. Notice that the rate at which the session number is displayed increases as you hold the button down. 3. TIP: you can cause the display to decrement rather than increment if you press the mode button together with the bottom button. 4. Press the Start (top) button to start a session. UsrUse this mode to manually select and run specific frequencies without the use of a PC connection. 1. Press the Mode Select button until the display shows "Usr". 2. Press the Start/Stop (top) button once. The light and sound will begin an eight second soft-on sequence. If you press it twice the soft-on sequence will be skipped and the session will begin at full brightness and volume.
At this point, the lights and sound will run steadily at whatever frequency is shown in the display. If you'd like to change to another pulse rate, or between on/off and left/right modes, do this: 3. Press and hold the select key to increment the current flash rate in 0.1 hz increments. 4. Press the mode/pause key to toggle between LightFrame+audio on/off and left/right. If the left and right decimals on the display are flashing left/right, then so are the lights and sound. Note: While in user mode you can also adjust the LightFrame color mode or switch between external audio and digital data input.
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