To connect the Thinklabs One to VSee videoconferencing for telemedicine applications, please follow the instructions below.
1. We recommend connecting the stethoscope via a USB audio device, such as these, or similar high-quality USB audio device. While the computer's built-in audio input or headset can work well, the quality of audio varies between computers. We have found these to be a good quality USB audio devices. Please see more information here.
2. Set the stethoscope volume at about 2 out of 10.
2. Set the stethoscope volume at about 2 out of 10.
3. Connect the stethoscope to the audio input (mic) on the USB audio device.
4. Launch VSee and look for the Settings wheel in Windows, or VSee > Preferences on Mac (short cut: command plus ',' ).
5. On the patient side, go to Audio settings and select the USB device as your audio source when listening to stethoscope, and built-in mic when talking. Note that the physician (remote from patient) does not need to change the settings while listening to the patient nor to talk to the nurse.
6. Next, click the Advanced settings tab; there will be a "stethoscope" mode. Select this mode when using the stethoscope. This will adjust the transmission of sound to maintain the audio quality of the stethoscope. If you do not check this box, the stethoscope sounds will be distorted by VSee. However, when doing speech communication from patient side, you may want to switch back to stethoscope NOT checked, if audio from patient side is not clear.
7. If you find that the sound is not clear, especially if there is noise during each heartbeat, it is probably due to volume that has been set too high somewhere in the system. You may need to also adjust both volume on the stethoscope and input sensitivity levels on the USB audio device in your Windows or Mac system audio settings or control panel. Note that if the doctor wants more volume, he/she can turn up the volume on the computer at the doctor side, even if it has been reduced at the patient end to prevent noise/distortion.
Please note: To further control amplitude, set the Filter setting for heart sounds to the second Bell setting i.e. - 0 0 - - - where - is an off LED and 0 is an On LED on the Hz display. The lowest Bell setting provides VERY low bass, which is not really necessary for videoconferencing and produces very large peaks in the signal, which can overload the audio levels on a computer. This setting is very useful for a cardiologist with a patient, but not necessary for telemedicine.
Please note: To further control amplitude, set the Filter setting for heart sounds to the second Bell setting i.e. - 0 0 - - - where - is an off LED and 0 is an On LED on the Hz display. The lowest Bell setting provides VERY low bass, which is not really necessary for videoconferencing and produces very large peaks in the signal, which can overload the audio levels on a computer. This setting is very useful for a cardiologist with a patient, but not necessary for telemedicine.
Always let us know if you need assistance. We are happy to get on a video call with you to help with technical questions and support.