Safer Electro Stim / Play
by Lady Robin
I don’t claim to have ‘answers’ to the ‘best’ place(s) to put electrodes nor do I ‘know’ the
best settings to use for each electro stim product! I’ve worked as an electronic technician
for over 22 years, I also trained as an electrician and have earned a living as an electrical
contractor. So much for disclaimers & credentials!
Years ago I ‘borrowed’ my brother’s train transformer for some ‘exciting’ electro play.
Thanks to GOOD LUCK, I am still alive! At the end of this presentation, time permitting,
I’ll tell you the ‘rest of the story’.
An electrical engineering degree is not needed to engage in safe electro stim. It is prudent
to know basic principles of electricity, ESPECIALLY when someone’s life may be at risk.
Electricity is NOT random NOR capricious. Electricity is consistent and predictable! I can
tell you what to expect if / when someone connects a fully charged 12 volt automobile
battery to a 12’ length of number 12 size copper wire, or to a 300 ohm two watt resistor,
or to a 60 watt 120 V light bulb! Conversely, if you ask what will happen when the same
battery is connected to any two places on a body, I could NOT tell you what to ‘expect’,
beyond ‘OUCH’ and probably some profanity. Any answer I gave could be slightly
‘wrong’ or even ‘DEAD WRONG’!
ELECTRICAL TERMS
(nice to know or useful if you need to consume/occupy some of your finite brain capacity)
1. Voltage is the force or pressure pushing electrons in a circuit. Visualize a garden hose
connected to a fire hydrant where the water pressure is 15 lb./sq. inch. Should the same
size and same length hose be connected to a hydrant whose water pressure is 45 lb./sq.
inch, water will shoot further from the hose connected to the 45 lb./sq. inch source. In
electricity the ‘pressure’ is expressed as ‘VOLTS’. Voltages under 1 volt are expressed as
millivolts or 1/1,000 of a volt (10-3) so 300 millivolts = .03 volt. Smaller voltages are
expressed in microvolts or 1/1,000,000 of a volt (10-6).
2. Current is the amount of energy available to do/perform work! The greater the current
the more work that can be done. Imagine two hoses, one a ½” garden hose the other a 4”
fire hose both connected to the same fire hydrant. The 4” hose will allow more water to
flow through! Given the same pressure (voltage) larger wires like larger hoses allow more
electricity to flow. Current is expressed as ‘AMPS’. Electro stim involves very small
currents i.e. milli, even micro amps. Currents under 1 amp sre expressed as milliamps 1/1,
000 - (10-3) so 300 milliamps = .3 AMP. Smaller currents are expressed in microamps =
1/1,000,000 of an amp (10-6).
3. Resistance is the opposition to the flow of electrons in a conductor. For all practical
purposes metals such as iron, copper, gold, nichrome, etc. have fixed resistances based on
the material's cross section (size) and it’s temperature. When the 4” and ½” hoses are
made of the same materials and pressure is equal, the 4” hose allows more water to flow
(less resistance). Resistance is expressed in Ohms. In the world of electro stim,
resistance values near / under 1 ohm are unusual so nomenclature is irrelevant.
Would you believe the above information is all you need to know? If you do, I have some
real cheap prime ocean front property for sale in Arizona. Human cells, unlike electrical
conductors, DO NOT HAVE constant resistance.
‘GIVENS’ apply to everything Electrical
1. There MUST BE a SOURCE! A battery, a building’s electrical outlet(s), a generator,
etc.
2. Electricity must have one or more CONDUCTOR(s) (paths) that enable current to flow
from and back to the SOURCE before it can produce pleasure or pain, do work, and/or do
any harm.
3. Along with a SOURCE and one or more CONDUCTORS, a COMPLETE CIRCUIT is
required.
Copyright Lady Robin Electro stim safety.pub © 2003
Reproduced on The BRC with permission of the author.
This article may not be reproduced in any form, whole or in part, with express written consent of the
author. Contact Lady Robin Need more info on copyright law? Click here
Before electrical energy can flow, do
any work, or create sensations
(pleasurable or otherwise) it must have
a SOURCE. There also must be one
(or more) CONDUCTOR(s) or paths
on which the electricity can travel.
The path(s) MUST be continuous
(uninterrupted) from the source and
back to the source forming a
COMPLETE CIRCUIT. Never
assume that if there is no complete
circuit, ‘there is no danger’. THAT,
could be FATAL!
Materials with low resistance make
good conductors (allow electricity to
flow). Examples include copper,
nickel, gold, silver, aluminum etc.
Safer Electro Stim / Play
by Lady Robin of The Farm
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