E-stim Self-Adhesive Monopole Pad Electrode Safety
Important information to consider if you modify your electrodes
I often use self-adhesive monopole pad electrodes when I stim; for me, it gives me a quick and easy way to wire myself up using external electrodes.
I know many penis owners also use them due to their flexibility and ability to be placed precisely where needed.
While self-adhesive monopole electrodes are available in many shapes and sizes, people often choose to trim the ones they have down to a smaller size to increase the perceived intensity levels.
It is a quick and easy way to get a perceived power increase from your control box.
While that is a simple, quick and easy option, it does come with some things that you need to be aware of, hence this wordy post that hopefully gets the message across.
There is nothing wrong with trimming down monopole pad-style electrodes as long as you are careful, and this is where I will highlight a couple of things.
But first, let me tell you about two incidents that I was made aware of from two experienced stimmers who were using pads and had some problems with their use.
Incident 1 - Shorting with another electrode.
This first incident happened when an experienced stimmer used small unmodified round self-adhesive monopole electrodes in conjunction with a metal cock cage used as another electrode.
These electrodes were not very sticky, but it is uncertain whether or not this was a contributing factor. It may have meant that more power was needed, which could have exacerbated the problem when it occurred, though.
Unfortunately, in use, one edge of the round pad electrode came into contact with the metal cage, causing a short. This created a lot of heat, leading to the burning (blackened area) in the image below.
Image showing a monopole pad electrode with a burnt edge.
Here is a description of what happened from the stimmer:
"Well - yesterday I was worried that the magic smoke may have escaped from my transformers or amp ... but everything seems fine (coil resistance seems right, no evidence of overheated or failed components, power supply voltage correct).
Experienced E-Stim User
But I heard a crackle and smelt the acrid smoke of fried electronics. Of course, emergency power off! Just about to test things again today, when I noticed the smoking gun! These 25mm pads are not very sticky, and this must have shifted to short against my cage/common terminal.
No sign of injury, and I didn't feel anything. But if I had been restrained, so I couldn't cut the power....?"
Luckily, the stimmer started to smell the acrid fumes from the pad as it charred and quickly worked out the problem, shutting off the power and avoiding any injury.
Lesson 1: The point to highlight here is always to ensure that your electrodes are in good condition and carefully place them to ensure they can never touch another electrode.
Incident 2 - A modified pad-style electrode caught fire in use.
This second incident was more severe and occurred due to modifying a monopole pad-style electrode.
The electrode started as a 5cm x 5cm self-adhesive monopole pad electrode. The stimmer trimmed it down to about 2cm x 2xm and placed it on the top of the stimmers glans.
During use, it quickly heated up, causing the centre of the pad to catch fire. As you can see in the image below, the localised fire was at the end of the insulated portion of the connection wire. This burning and charring of the pad lead to a minor burn on the stimmer glans and probably PTSD whenever he sees a pad electrode again.
Image showing a monopole pad electrode with a burnt edge.
Here is a description of what happened from the stimmer:
"It arced right where the black dot is on the left
Experienced E-Stim User
the next closest wire or electrode was several inches away
4+
This was head common
the only other electrodes was a CR loop at the base and a CR loop around balls
I watched it arc to itself
bright flash and then immediate flames
I clearly cut through the strands of wire at the end, it's hard to take a picture of though cause black on black"
It can be deduced from the image that the pad had most of the conductive threads that run through the gel on the pad removed. This was the cause of the heat and eventual ignition of the pad.
Lesson 2 - When trimming a pad, you must ensure that a minimal amount of the conductive threads are cut away.
Safety Tips When Trimming Pad-Style Electrodes
I have never had any problems with unmodified pad-style electrodes, except for hotspots, as they lose their stickiness, and the corners start to lift. So consider them safe to use if they are in good condition.
Modifying them by trimming them to make them smaller is commonplace especially when experimenting with new electrode positions, but a few safety points must be considered.
As a general rule of thumb, keep the end of the connector cables insulation in the centre of any pad you trim. In other words, trim all four sides of the pad equally (assuming it is square or rectangular). That way, you still get the majority of the conductive threads left.
Don't trim pads down smaller than about 19mm x 19mm (3/4" x 3/4"), as doing so increases the risks highlighted in this article.
When trimming a pad for the first time (especially if using a new brand of monopole pads), have a damp cloth handy when you use it. It can quickly cool the pad and the area it was on after removing the power source if you have a problem.
Like any other electrode, inspect your pad-style electrodes before use. Are they still sticky? Is there any indication of discolouration caused by heating? Is the connection cable secure, and if modified, is the end of its insulated portion in the centre of the pad?
If you have concerns about your pad electrodes, discard them and use new ones. They are the cheapest form of electrode, and risking an injury is not worth it.
Check Out My Livestream Video On Youtube Where We Talk About These Incidents
Conclusion
I hope this article hasn't put anyone off using self-adhesive monopole electrodes; I will continue using them, in fact I like them so much I even sell a range of the monopole pad electrodes (shameless self publicity link LOL) that I use.
It is essential to share safety information, hence this article.
I want to thank the two stimmers, who remain anonymous on here, for sharing the information about these incidents so we can all benefit from learning from them.
Sharing this important safety information is essential to ensure that no one else has problems like the two shown above.
Happy stimming.
When modifying monopole pad electrodes always take care to avoid burns. Check out @JoannesReviews information on how to do it safely. Click to TweetAdditional Info
- Brief Synopsis: It is important to share safety information, and I have been made aware of two incidents involving self-adhesive electrodes, so here is some safety advice