Prototypes/development

[skysearcher]

Hi there!

Maybe it would be fun to do an article about how you guys started and show us early prototypes and stuff like that.
I am really interested how E-Stim Systems started and where you guys are coming from, like background and education.

Cheers!

[admin]

I can ssseVideo coming soon

Basically we were involved in the BDSM scene, came across people using TENS units and did the classic we could made one of those, but better, and basically did. Friends saw one at a club and asked us to make them one, and things then snowballed from there and that is where the Series 1 came from. We sold them at local munch, then a couple of UK Fetish Faires and things just kept getting bigger.

My background was embedded programming & electronics as a design contractor, and I was a university lecturer for a time. my first systems were Z80 and HC11 based designs so I have been doing it for a while. I had worked for a medical company so knew some of the requirements for creating safe equipment. The rest is history as they say, We gradually attracted staff who had similar ideas, and experience and skills that complemented the company, which is why our sales team know so much about what we do - we all use our kit for our own play, and a lot of the designs work around what works for us in our play. We kept engineering in house, as we love sexy CNC machines and again it allows us to be more creative, but it does mean we have to invest more - our latest CNC mill was just over £120K with another £25K in tooling.

We slowly expanded into selling to shops and wholesale, but that only really worked well with stores and companies who were more interested in good kit than what the margins are. Since we manufacture a lot in house, our costs are higher than those companies using chinese sub contractors, but it works for us as a company as it gives us more control over quality and service. We never plan to be in every sex store in the world, but we do plan to continue to be different, innovate and product the best we can.

We started with two, now we have a team of 11 full time staff.

New stuff is being worked on all the time, we always listen to what people are asking for and talking about, but it ALWAYS takes much longer than we initially think, and although I would love to work on R&D every day, I still have to find time to run the business and backstop the team, and have a personal life too Friday I was running a CNC mill making our new ElectroRings as one of our engineers was on holiday, other days I am dealing with website issues, planning new machinery and coping with all the grind of running a business. We have a handful of external experts who we pull in when we need them, and we have a couple of companies we have a very good relationship for the more specialized requirements - polishing and SMTPCB assembly is not done in house one due to space, and a modern SMT line is around 2 million - a little beyond our budget.

We also believe in how important our customers are so we try to support them at every level, from the advice we give to our lifetime guarantee. Basically we try to treat people the way we would like to be treated, and for 99% of people it works well. There will always be things we get wrong, or things we do differently when everyone expects us to be a ET312 clone, but we find being different and interesting is more important than how much profit we can amass in a bank account. We are about to hit our 20th year, so I think we might be getting some of that right

Si



Si

[spini]

Thanks Si!

Great backstory, thanks so much for proving those insights into what happens behind the scenes.

Some might think it ironic that a company so dedicated to doing the right thing in every way possible has its origins in the world of BDSM.

But they would simply be inexperienced - there's hope for them yet!

cheers

spini

[skysearcher]

I can ssseVideo coming soon

Basically we were involved in the BDSM scene, came across people using TENS units and did the classic we could made one of those, but better, and basically did. Friends saw one at a club and asked us to make them one, and things then snowballed from there and that is where the Series 1 came from. We sold them at local munch, then a couple of UK Fetish Faires and things just kept getting bigger.

My background was embedded programming & electronics as a design contractor, and I was a university lecturer for a time. my first systems were Z80 and HC11 based designs so I have been doing it for a while. I had worked for a medical company so knew some of the requirements for creating safe equipment. The rest is history as they say, We gradually attracted staff who had similar ideas, and experience and skills that complemented the company, which is why our sales team know so much about what we do - we all use our kit for our own play, and a lot of the designs work around what works for us in our play. We kept engineering in house, as we love sexy CNC machines and again it allows us to be more creative, but it does mean we have to invest more - our latest CNC mill was just over £120K with another £25K in tooling.

We slowly expanded into selling to shops and wholesale, but that only really worked well with stores and companies who were more interested in good kit than what the margins are. Since we manufacture a lot in house, our costs are higher than those companies using chinese sub contractors, but it works for us as a company as it gives us more control over quality and service. We never plan to be in every sex store in the world, but we do plan to continue to be different, innovate and product the best we can.

We started with two, now we have a team of 11 full time staff.

New stuff is being worked on all the time, we always listen to what people are asking for and talking about, but it ALWAYS takes much longer than we initially think, and although I would love to work on R&D every day, I still have to find time to run the business and backstop the team, and have a personal life too Friday I was running a CNC mill making our new ElectroRings as one of our engineers was on holiday, other days I am dealing with website issues, planning new machinery and coping with all the grind of running a business. We have a handful of external experts who we pull in when we need them, and we have a couple of companies we have a very good relationship for the more specialized requirements - polishing and SMTPCB assembly is not done in house one due to space, and a modern SMT line is around 2 million - a little beyond our budget.

We also believe in how important our customers are so we try to support them at every level, from the advice we give to our lifetime guarantee. Basically we try to treat people the way we would like to be treated, and for 99% of people it works well. There will always be things we get wrong, or things we do differently when everyone expects us to be a ET312 clone, but we find being different and interesting is more important than how much profit we can amass in a bank account. We are about to hit our 20th year, so I think we might be getting some of that right

Si



Si

Great history right there!, can't wait to see a video about the shop and maybe even earlier designs!
Like you said, you can't make everybody happy but you guys are doing a great job, never forget that.
The 2B is a beast and it surprises me every day. Can't wait to see what the future holds.

Cheers!

[Nynx]

that was an interesting read and backstory ty.

[Onwrikbaar]

it ALWAYS takes much longer than we initially think

I suspect that is the experience absolutely everyone who develops electronics and firmware has

Great story, Si!

[joannesReviews]

I really enjoyed reading that and having been down to meet you and the team personally; I was really impressed with your operation and it is no secret that I am a fan of your kit.

"From little acorns, mighty oak trees grow".

[admin]

and now we have the video



And if anyone is interested, I/We have just start experimenting with podcasting - I Make Sex Toys is such a great name If you are interested You can find us in all the major podcast players,

https://imakesextoys.buzzsprout.com/share

It is going to be a bit more than just the usual product videos but it gives us an opportunity to be more us and chat about life the universe and anything e-stim - and we will be looking for guests to join us

and yes Si and Wayne are actually the same person (me), the clue as to why is actually in the podcast

Si/Wayne

[happybustee]

This was such a fun video to watch! Thanks for sharing so much history!

[Barcoded]

What an amazing over view, thanks for the efforts and honesty