James,
sounds like it might me interesting to read some of the studies. Are they available?
Only portions of the research is available, but I will see what I can find out about how you can get a hold of what is in the public domain.
James;
Anything you can find public domain would be interesting reading for me. All this talk about Power Supply problems with short pulses is kind of hard to understand. I am wondering if they are using a Pi-polar power supply. That would throw a whole new set of problems into the mix. By using a already engineered transmitter, which uses a single supply obviously is making things easier. As I am able to have sub millisecond pulses out of a cheap CD radio. Thus my RF design and engineering is already done. Very economically I might add. If they choose a RF module that required a supply with both positive and negative voltages required, then the switching problems get multiplied as both now have to endure the fast switching times. All without becoming unbalanced. If that is the case, they may have choose a more difficult route.
It seems that different manufacturers use different means of getting to basically the same end point. Clareblend has a transmitter that is basically on any time the power is on, only no output is present at the probe unless a voltage pulse is applied to the output stage. I have not seen a VMC but it appears to me they may be using a Single side band type transmiter, which has no output unless a tone is applied, thus their different modulation arrangement.
What I am attempting, is to take a cheap existing unit and just modify it slightly so output levels can be adjusted and to use a computer controlled logic switching for timing, that will permit safe operation as an epilator.
Hopefully this can all be done without being too difficult and to utilize existing hardware available to anyone off the internet.
It may be, that much of their studies were keep privileged with them deciding what it is that they wish to release.
Your comments about Apilus having power supply problems in the design of the Platinum however seems to indicate that they choose to use a bi-power supply with direct output, which would mean that if either supply varied from the other, a DC output or offset rf level would result. So both supplies must not only have the same output level a max voltage, but they must also track each other for the entire output range. This would require matched components and present a major engineering work, which is what you were saying happened.
This means that if they wanted blend, that they would just throw one supply voltage off of the other, and the result would be Blend currents. With a CB Radio, there are filters on the output, which means that the single ended voltage does not reach its output. So if you want galvanic currents it must be provided via a different source. I plan to use a JFET for current regulation when I get that far. It is kind of interesting for me to see what routes each group choose to come up with basically the almost identical outcome.
Amateur Radio Operators for ages have used the same techniques that I am using for power regulation. Vox keying circuits have also been around for ages. The MIDI controller is just providing a extremely quick vox controller. These circuits date back long before any manufacturer made RF epilators. About the only difference is that Radio Amateurs attach the output to an antenna, whereas electrologist take a probe and insert it into a hair follicle. But the methods of regulating that power and duration have been used by Radio Amateurs for ages before being put into use in hair removal. Galvanic is really the only modality that predates Amateur Radio development.
It does seem that many people see no connection between what they stick in the mouth (i.e. eat) and their well being and health. If you ever figure out why people don’t believe the obvious but do believe what the FDA and manufacturer say… well, let me know 
hg0
It is called faith. They have faith in the FDA, manufacturers and government in general. They believe that government is out to look after them. When in reality, government is out to protect itself. Government does not want people to live a long life, as that means they have to pay out more Social Security Payments. If older people die a little younger, that puts more money in the General Fund to spend on pet projects. I imagine, even after Columbus, there were many people who still insisted that the world was flat.
James;
I still hope you can find something in the public domain about the studies Apilus did?
Most of the Electrolysis companies are shut down for the Holidays, and I would not dream of disturbing their family time with a phone call now. I have some scheduled business with them soon, and while we discuss that, I will see what I can get for you. I would think we should have something here by early to mid January, if not sooner.
Althought there is a side by side comparison, this video is not about frequency; it is about time. This information IS NOT new to this forum. James Walker varified this fact prior to May of 2006. To quote Hinkle, pg. 182 “it takes TIME to for the heating pattern to increase in area.”
The current cannot be pushed to the tip of the probe at such a short interval of time.
Also, if you take a close look at the CBX it has Knobs! and if you look at the ugly SE5 it has knobs too; high tech, expensive knobs and a digital display.
Referring to some of the other comments in this thread, the Apilus is “cute”, attractive in fact; lets face it the SE5 is extremely ugly; I don’t even like that shade of blue. However, it has the on and off switch in the front. I am happy to pay a little extra for the convienience of having an on and off switch in the front. I would pay extra for high tech knobs; I like knobs, they are faster to adjust but I wouldn’t make that a deciding factor. If all technical details were equal I would pay a little extra for beauty and other niceties or conviences; not that it would make for better epilation.
Enough of the esthetic, the purpose of my post is to state that on this forum, Hairtell, after being presented with technical facts,James Walker did independant research and varified the facts and distinguised science from hype. Also, I will throw in that at the time James also said something to the effect, “I have always said skill is most important.” (sorry if I misquoted but the meaning is the same.) I looked through he posts–he has said it repeatedly.
I was going to search and link to the archive to but I don’t want to take the time.
Janean White, BS RE; Pocatello, ID
This video would have been more useful if it had actually mentioned what the power levels were set at. How much Peak to Peak voltage was being applied. Power levels come into play as much as the amount of time that the current is applied. Maybe I can perform a similar test when my CB conversion is finalized. It would make an interesting demonstration maybe. Is the size of the aluminum plate important. I seems to me that it would. Gee, this could get very involved. Different types and sizes of probes. Different power levels and timing periods, makes for a pretty big spreadsheet. But it should not be that hard to set up. How many would be interested? And is it really representative of what happens in the body. I was told that the body really reacts different than either the egg test or using a piece of red meat when I was at school. Obviously the egg does show more as it does not take nearly as much heat to make things very visable.
I do not really have any problem with epilators having knobs, as long as what they control is accurately measured. Problem with clareblend is at least on the ultrablend model, the VU meter does not give a true output level. All it displays is how far the knob is turned. So different units may not have the same output for the same settings. It all depends on how well they were calibrated to each other.
I know on my apilus, that when I set what they say is 78% that the level is about 80v peak to peak. It is just above the number for percentage, until you get to 90%, then things multiply very quickly, with each percentage point, increasing p-p voltage about 10 volts.
My other complaint with the Clareblend, is how lossy the probe cables seem to be. You might start with a certain level at the connector, but by the time it reaches the tip, a good amount of energy has been radiated out of the cable like an antenna. The cable is mounted inside an airtube so it becomes difficult to actually see what kind of cable they are using for the RF energy.
Looks to me as far as what an epilator looks like is not a major concern of my as an electrologist. I want to know what levels do what and that the levels are repeatable and accurate.
The bumping of this thread reminds me that although Marthajoy and I have continued this conversation in private, the board did not get benefit of that. I will just ad here that Dectro did release some information in some articles that were published, but since the studies that were done were paid for by both them and a university, the published information is all they are willing to share with those outside of the inner circle.
I want to also make a point of agreeing with Viewer/Caustic/Janean White that in the end, it is the skill of the person working the machine that is paramount. Once you have skill, you can even make better use of all the extra goodies that one’s super high tech machine makes available. It is just a point that some machines lower the bar for good treatment received from novices, in addition to making skillful electrolysis providers able to step it up even further, by further reducing skin irritation and increasing speed of hair removal.
I’m wondering if you know how much a sequentium 328 from about 15 years ago is worth??