4 week thoughts thoughts on the 2B
Posted: Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:24 am
I have a pre owned unit, with 2.105 firmware, and have managed probably 6 or so sessions all with a happy outcome. I've been stimming for many years, mainly using Electrastim units and a variety of TENS, so got a pretty good idea of what I'm doing I think. I've had a couple of sessions over the years with other people's 312 and wasn't overly impressed so can't really make that comparison.
First point, the 2B is basically excellent and feels more powerful and smoother than anything I've tried before, at least using the external PSU. I'm at an early stage exploring its modes so some of my comments are based on inexperience. Also some of them might be different if I was using different firmware and part of the reason for writing this is to find out what I can expect to change with an update. Some comments relate to the physical aspects of the device, some to its function.
On the mmi, I find the position of the select button and modify control awkward, as I find I need to change the holding position of the unit to reach them. I know it's very hard to change but in a later product maybe this could be addressed. Other than that, the nice thing is the fine resolution and good feel of the intensity controls.
On the modes. It would be good for the power level to be much earlier in the menu, I nearly always want it on high and it's necessary to click through all the other modes to set it. Mode 1 is pulse, and I find that it takes a long time, several seconds, before anything can be felt after switch on and dialling in a level. The problem is that one turns up the level more to try to find something then it may suddenly hit you stronger than expected. Is this expected, or a feature of the firmware?
As I get into a session I'm turning up the level more and more, and find on battery that there is a strong interaction between the channel levels, so as one turns up A for example the level of B decreases. Seems like a current limit from the battery, and doesn't happen using the PSU, but it's not always convenient to plug in.
One of the nice things about the Flick Duo I used to have was that if one changed mode the level stayed the same. So one could want to change to a different mode, for example to one that was better for hfo or more torturous at a point in a session where you didn't want to go "off the boil". With the 2b the level always drops to zero on a mode change, it would be nice to have a config option (like level) where the intensity stayed the same on a mode change.
On throb and thrust, the changes are very subtle, though I love both. What is actually changing?
Probably enough for now, I need to get more experience with the unit and perhaps have some "review" sessions rather than just "get off" sessions. It would be good to know whether any of my observations will be affected by a firmware update. At some point soon I also want to get into programming sessions using the serial port.
First point, the 2B is basically excellent and feels more powerful and smoother than anything I've tried before, at least using the external PSU. I'm at an early stage exploring its modes so some of my comments are based on inexperience. Also some of them might be different if I was using different firmware and part of the reason for writing this is to find out what I can expect to change with an update. Some comments relate to the physical aspects of the device, some to its function.
On the mmi, I find the position of the select button and modify control awkward, as I find I need to change the holding position of the unit to reach them. I know it's very hard to change but in a later product maybe this could be addressed. Other than that, the nice thing is the fine resolution and good feel of the intensity controls.
On the modes. It would be good for the power level to be much earlier in the menu, I nearly always want it on high and it's necessary to click through all the other modes to set it. Mode 1 is pulse, and I find that it takes a long time, several seconds, before anything can be felt after switch on and dialling in a level. The problem is that one turns up the level more to try to find something then it may suddenly hit you stronger than expected. Is this expected, or a feature of the firmware?
As I get into a session I'm turning up the level more and more, and find on battery that there is a strong interaction between the channel levels, so as one turns up A for example the level of B decreases. Seems like a current limit from the battery, and doesn't happen using the PSU, but it's not always convenient to plug in.
One of the nice things about the Flick Duo I used to have was that if one changed mode the level stayed the same. So one could want to change to a different mode, for example to one that was better for hfo or more torturous at a point in a session where you didn't want to go "off the boil". With the 2b the level always drops to zero on a mode change, it would be nice to have a config option (like level) where the intensity stayed the same on a mode change.
On throb and thrust, the changes are very subtle, though I love both. What is actually changing?
Probably enough for now, I need to get more experience with the unit and perhaps have some "review" sessions rather than just "get off" sessions. It would be good to know whether any of my observations will be affected by a firmware update. At some point soon I also want to get into programming sessions using the serial port.