Question re Et312b and pads touching together

[BradfordBoyUk]

Hello

Can anybody what happens if the pads / electrodes touch together when using et312 b please??

[Stimaddict]

When you apply electrodes spaced apart your own body completes the electrical circuit. Current will take the most direct route, stimulating any nerves it encounters along the way. You get a better sensation with a little more distance between trodes.

If electrodes are touching then estim does not work because you are effectively shorting out your box. In theory this could damage your unit but in reality it's highly unlikely because some protection is incorporated into the design.

IMHO with TENS pads it's safe to have them touching side-by-side. Other electrodes, especially metal, should not be allowed to touch.

[BradfordBoyUk]

So I've got the conductive rubber tubes with my et312b, a few times they have nearly touched together, I wondered if I might get a nasty jolt if they touched, only reason I ask is that I never had any problem with my box for years, but about 12 months ago whilst using it, I got the worst ,I'm going to say shock from it that scared the he'll out of me and was really unpleasant.

I wondered if the conductive loops might of touched to cause this?

At the time I reached out to many people to know what the cause might of been as it stopped me from wanting to use it again afterwards... a few people suggested I did a service on the et312b and pointed to the rotary dials might need cleaning and lubricating, I did this myself and changed the original battery as it wasn't holding charge very well... id like to use the et312b again, but I must say I'm almost too scared due to how violent the shock was that time.. I'm suspecting the rubber electrodes may of touched or it was the rotary dials needed that clean, but I'm still so scared to use it again like I once did..

[Stimaddict]

You shouldn't get a jolt if electrodes touch because there's not enough power to cause the trodes to 'arc'. You would normally expect a lack of sensation. Of course YMMV.

The pots on older ET312's do wear and could have been the cause. It's like turning up the volume on an old transistor radio where it suddenly goes from quiet to super-loud. The other possibility is if you accidentally touched an electrode without realising it. Touching a 'live' trode diverts current up your arm and back down through your body which can feel very unpleasant

Either way 'jolts' are a matter of perception. They feel quite nasty but present no real danger. Don't lose faith 'coz stimming is still the safest hobby around

[BradfordBoyUk]

Thanks for the reply when the really horrible jolt occurred I wasn't touching any electrodes etc, don't even think I'd even touched any of the controls, just the worst shock ever. I'm hoping it's like you had said in that's it was the controls perhaps crackling like on an old radio.. i took the control box apart and sprayed some special cleaner and lubricator right into the power and ma knobs, really so want to get the et312b out and have another hfo has been now so long since I've used it properly, but can't shake the feeling of what happened , its always in the back of my mind it might happen again was really unpleasant, what was strange was I was only in med power mode but the jolt was like something of the scale in terms of power and way was over anything that would of been produced in that power mode.. I guess I m just going to have to brave it again and hope it doesn't happen again, perhaps if I have a successful estim session without it happening i may get my confidence back again..

[Stimaddict]

If it's shaken your confidence then change the pots. The new ones are better anyway, and they're only 10 bucks a pair: https://erostek.com/products/replacement-pots-for-et312

You need to be pretty good at soldering, or know someone who is, because you are soldering directly to the board. A local repairer could do it for you.