Apilus Electropil... no model name?

Professionals Only! Hair removal equipment for sale
#1

Hi there,

I managed to snag this unit for 150 USD from Canada. Came with three probe holders, one roller, footswitch, ground, two interconnects with banana plug termination. I thought it was a Senior at first but there is no senior branding to be found.

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I’m trying to find out what model this machine is, or at least what model it’s comparable to in functionality. Documentation would also be nice, however Apilus refused to send the PDF since I’m not licensed*.

Any and all help is appreciated : ).

*Purchased this unit to learn with (leg hairs first, of course, via blend only) so as to eventually supplement what my professional electrologist is doing (they know I’m doing this and have offered their support).

#2

It’s a senior.

#3 
Apilus Electropil is predecessor of Apilus Senior. Very old machine but the buttons and functions are very similar.I have the manual for Apilus Senior II. It will be useful to read and compare with your machine.If you want it just PM me your email.

Dimi

#4

Thank you for your responses.

Dimi I’ll be sending you a PM shortly.

I was able to procure the manual for this machine. It does indeed seem very similar in function to the Senior, though it says the minimal timing for AC is 1/100 sec; 1st gen Senior had MicroFlash, yeah?

Per the research I’ve done, if I’m eventually going to be doing facial hair I aught to learn how to use the pulse-blend mode using tapered Ballet probes.

If I understand the theory correctly: I want to adjust AC intensity & pulse count (0.5 sec pulses) until the hair can be removed, intact, with no resistance, then increase DC until pain tolerance is met (with DC switching on after the first pulse)?

My logic is:
-Coagulation from the AC pulses will allow smooth epilation and destroy the deeper structures (bulb).
-Lye from the direct current will flood the follicle and destroy the structures that the AC wasn’t able to reach (such as the stem cells in the bulge), making up for less than perfect insertions.
-DC should follow the first AC pulse as, by then, the temperature of the chemical constituents will be higher, thus more lye will be produced vs otherwise.

Worth noting that the manual seems to indicate the following constraints on this mode… or perhaps these are merely guidelines?

“DC: 0-0.99 milliamps w/ 6-12 second duration
AC: 0.5-1s duration, 0-25% intensity, 2-5 pulses.”

#5

BTW: these machines (mine is a Junior 1, also similar to that one) appear to battery buffered ram or a buffering battery. In my machine it is empty; it forgets the latest settings and always falls back to the factory default. Upon opening it i do not see a battery; so there seems to be some kind of battery buffered RAM. Does anyone know which part they were using?

#6

This is old technology. Dectro used energy dependant RAM so after 10-15 years it should be changed with new one.

SynViks I sent you the user manual for Apilus Senior II.

Dimi

#7

SynViks

  1. I suggest you first to check your machine for functionality.The best is if you can send it for calibration and maintenance.You can check the modalities yourself by using egg white but this does not mean that device works properly.
    2.I strongly suggest, do not work on your face without proper training and adequate experience.
    3.I would start with DC first instead of AC.

Dimi

#8

Dimi: Received. Thanks!

I’ll be using a multimeter and oscilloscope to confirm that it is working properly.

I will practice on my legs until I feel I have the precision necessary for facial work.

I will take your advice and start with DC, though my end goal is blend.

#9

I will echo dimi’s sdvice to start with a few galvanic only insertions, until you get the hang of the insertion technique.
After that feel free to try out the presets for blend. They should be safe energy levels just start at the low-moderate intensity and work your way up in intenity. Do this by varying the program example: program for the chin is 3, an you can try a 3 4 5 6 7 or 8 for strength. These presets should be in safe ranges for the areas specified. I got frustrated with galvanic very quickly and moved on to blend. I’m not in agrement with Dimi you shouldnt do DIY on the face. I’m living proof it can be done safely and effectively with care.

Seana

#10

Just received the machine.

It seems the seller did not do a great job with the packing; two of the IC chips were dislodged from the motherboard with bent pins (one pin was broke off!), the bottom of the casing has a slight crack, and the whole front panel is loose as the plastic isolation screws that attach it to the motherboard have sheared.

So… after a lot of work, I managed to bend all the pins on the IC chips straight, solder a new pin on to to the chip that has a broken one, and put it all back together, and thankfully the unit powers on. BAT is displayed on the LCD.

Beate_r you’re correct: this machine uses two IC chips (the ones I repaired actually). One seems to be a real time clock, the other is a memory chip with a phantom clock. In both case they have battery for when the machine is powered off. Given that this machine loses all settings when powered off, these chips will need to be replaced as the batteries are obviously shot. Thankfully modern direct replacements are in production (about 40 dollars cost in total for both), and the chips fit in to sockets so no soldering needed.

I looked up the other chips and they are either current related or programmable; there do not seem to be any other battery chips inside, nor any batteries singularly.

I’m waiting on the oscilloscope and probes to test further, but in the mean time I notice two other oddities:

-When the footswitch is depressed, no current is delivered to the holder (as in, the lights do not flash on, nor is any sound made). I’ve confirmed the footswitch itself functions properly, so I’m at a loss as to where the problem is. When doing cata the DC light turns on when both anode and roller are in contact with skin.

-The “omniblend” mode, which per the manual is accessed by pressing “blend” until omniblend shows on the the LCD, doesn’t seem to work because it’s never shown on the LCD. Not that I plan on using it, but would be nice for the machine to function completely.

On the plus side: everything else seems to work as it should.

#11

Anyone have any luck procuring a service manual from Dectro? If so, does anyone have one for the Senior?

1 Like
#12

The service manual and schematics are Dectro secrets they do not give them to anybody. I asked for my machine SX-500 and this was the answer.

#13

Well that’s amusingly absurd; there’s not much a competitor could glean in regards to technological methods from a early 90s machine at this point.

#14

Agree.

#15

Well, after seeing the damage to the unit Dectro techs said they wouldn’t be able to repair it for a reasonable price. I guess I’ll be selling it for parts : .

If any of you have a 1st gen senior or, preferably, an SM500 you’d like to sell, shoot me a PM ; ).

#16

I’m not sure of your price point, but there is currently one for sale on eBay. I have no idea if it’s in working condition, but it seems to come with all the stuff you’re looking for. Have a look here at least.

#17

A lot of Apilus machine for sell in Kijiji Quebec:

https://www.kijiji.ca/b-achat-et-vente/quebec/electrolyse/k0c10l9001

Dimi

#18

If I purchase an SM500 w/o the SRAM card, and procure my own card, would I need the machine’s security code from the seller or Dectro to format the card so the machine can be usable?

#19

If there is one set. A SM-500 memory card is $300 from dectro ( ask me how I know!) . If you are purchasing a SM-500 without the card, you better get a REAL good price on it.
The default code for access if no passcode has been set is 0000.If you dont know the passcode, well it’s going to take you 9999 tries to eliminate all of them.

#20

Okay! Have arranged for a friend in Montreal to personally pick up an SX-500 (that was purchased from Dectro in 2016) that includes all accessories and SRAM card. No more getting a machine that’s been trashed in the post…

Also procured tapered probes. Am pretty sure the machine will come with standard probe holders; is there any place where I could procure a K shank probe holder that doesn’t require certification credentials? Found an Apulis holder on “electrolysisprobes.com” for 45 USD, but heard nothing of this sites reputation.

Also if anyone wants the Electropil/Senior 1G for parts, let me know!