Vintage home-made nerve/brain stimulator thingamabob? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: GnatGoSplat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2015, 04:22:04 pm
content: My dad passed away last month, and while cleaning out his house, I found this weird device. My dad was a Neurologist, so I assume this is some kind of vintage nerve/brain stimulator machine. It appears to be hand-built and has several leads with alligator clips. It was sent to my dad, I think around 1976, by my uncle in Taiwan. I've attached a scan of the letter, which I assume are operating instructions, but I can't read Chinese. Anyone know what the letter says?I was very surprised to find that it runs on both ACand4 D batteries. I'm quite surprised after 38yrs, the batteries haven't leaked!

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 03, 2015, 04:51:56 pm
content: Interesting. I don't think it is a traditional medical device.It may be a stimulator used in Electro-acupuncture.Will be interesting to hear the translation.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 01:18:38 am
content: Early TENS machine? Those were all over the place about 20 years ago. Then Voltaren came out and I guess no one needed TENS anymore?https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcutaneous_electrical_nerve_stimulation

author: mtdoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 04, 2015, 04:22:41 am
content: Quote from: Alex Eisenhut on August 04, 2015, 01:18:38 amHmm - I doubt it's a TENS unit based on the controls - but I could be wrong. BTW TENS units are still used quite commonly. Voltaren is generally used for different issues (usually osteoarthritis in the hands).Surely there is someone here who can read Chinese?

author: m98
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2015, 11:02:13 am
content: Just done some OCR and google translate:QuoteWell...

author: amyk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2015, 12:40:26 pm
content: I think the OCR is what really failed there. I barely know any Chinese, but could recognise a few electronics words which the OCR couldn't.

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 04:10:37 am
content: That's some pretty impressive OCR there...my favorite is probably how it read out "concubines"

author: GreyWoolfe
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 08:30:26 pm
content: The blue livestock fork sounds neat especially when testing for high voltage

author: Deathwish
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 08:43:42 pm
content: Torture add on for early Karaoke machine ?.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 10:21:16 pm
content: ... race home with deaf heart...... Male Estuary. Underground Introduction Hom...... Mysterious offer shrine gate branch..... Negligent repair wear white oligonucleotide alone...... Oak pipe cream...Red Hill manifestation of the ideal against Gong......I sentence dish...Posture hole - Fortunate to do start solder Kun curtain...... Second child gluttonous...... Nasal commission sprouts coming from the lack of party......Lou could bite to take more two...... Mang cooking cup of Mili...... Scared whine mouth...... Hum battle of the cooking chamber of the smoke..... The book "coming from the furnace"Who's Going? What's that book? What about that cooking? And that mysterious offer? And the male Estuary?I think there's drugs, homosexual rapers, Triad, politics, mutants, poisoned food, fetishism about stuff like shaving, princess, explosives, Japanese Arts, organ traffic, people not hearing their hearts,, a secretary, a video about imported milk from America that produces coma, voyeur, corporations, a new technology called Multi Vision, a mysterious commission about nasal issues, a weird book...Amazing!!! Somebody must write a short story about this...

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 13, 2015, 11:13:26 pm
content: I've found using the drawing mode of google translate can work reasonably well if you can draw the characters with a mouse. Also my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 translate does a good job at using it's pen translate mode. But I am loathe to use it on a document that big!Pretty sure we have many Chinese on this forum who could translate that in a breeze. However I don't hold out for any sense to be made out of it when the secret is revealed

author: denelec
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 15, 2015, 12:29:26 am
content: No wonder the batteries haven't leaked...The are Ray-O-Vac "Leakproof" batteries.If the could makeleakproofbatteries 66 years ago, imagine how good they must be now!Attached: Add from 1949...

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 17, 2015, 08:59:13 am
content: Any news about the mystery device? What about that kind of therapy of putting electric discharges to the brain?

author: Mephitus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2015, 09:54:11 pm
content: Eyup, its a hand made TENS unit. I actually was looking into building one for my sister-in-law that suffers from chronic migraines and the controlls as well as the board all match up with a schematic I was working on. You can actually build one using just a 555 if you want to keep it bare bones.

author: timofonic
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2015, 09:59:16 pm
content: Quote from: Mephitus on August 18, 2015, 09:54:11 pmAre they safe to use without medical knowledge? My girlfriend suffers migraines too and is reluctant to medication.

author: Mephitus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2015, 10:21:14 pm
content: Yeah, they are generally pretty safe so long as you use some basic precautions. For example:NEVERuse across the chest. It could potentially interfere with heart function. Always start it on its lowest setting and ramp it up until you have the desired effect. The use of proper TENS pads is your best option. Just know that they do wear out over time and will need to be replaced. If you want to improve on the basic design, you can find newer schematics that are fairly straight forward to build. It would allow pre-programed cycles/power levels. The most elaborate that I can find might cost you around $50 or so to build from scratch.EDIT: Heres a PDF that can give you a guideline for placement/power:http://site.lgmedsupply.com/Pdf/ElectrodePlacementChart.pdfAs a secondary usage...*ahem* Children leave the room pleaseThey can also be used in the bedroom quite effectively ("electrosex" being the key search term). To use a basic example, when they want to collect semen from a bull without dealing with the whole sex-doll thing, they basically use a programable TENS with a probe to reach the prostate that causes orgasm/ejaculation within a few minutes.(SFW farm equipment pic attached)

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2015, 10:34:00 pm
content: @MephitusThe "pulsator mkIV" look to be very liquid resistant.

author: Macbeth
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 18, 2015, 10:57:46 pm
content: Quote from: Circuiteromalaguito on August 18, 2015, 09:59:16 pmI wouldn't bother with building one or worry about medical knowledge, etc. All that bullshit about cervical temporal subluxation zones is just that. You can buy one that will literally run forever on a couple of AAA's - I got one from the Lidl for something like £15 on discount. A SANITAS device.All the EMS and TENS programs seem rubbish to me - the Massage programs work best - they are certainly more sophisticated in that they are actually modulated and pulse in quite a nice way as electric shocks go!I've suffered from bad back problems in the past and it was handy at the time rigged up to allow me to walk around with it electrocuting me in such a way as I didn't focus on my back pain.I've got shoulder pains now and its awkward enough to use without looking at silly subluxation zones in a manual - just stick the pads around the pain area, try and find a way to not have the leads snagged, and find a zap program that works best. I find full voltage works for me. I find the spastic impulses it does to my muscles amusing.