Here are some very rough ideas:
You probably have already done this, but for the DC, you’re going to want a constant current, not constant voltage or constant resistance supply.
For the RF, voltages run up to 100V. I suspect that’s RMS but don’t know. To avoid electrocution, you must not have the RF connected to the DC ground.
You’ll want a DC current meter and control and a RF voltage meter and control. Analog meters are better as they’re easier to read quickly - and the key factor is not precision (as with digital meters) but quickly assessing whether the currents are flowing and the voltage is present.
Ideally, the RF starts warming the follicle, and then the DC starts and ramps over about 1/10 the total treatment time.
I don’t know what frequency the RF is.
For face treatment, you’ll want to keep the RF on at a constant level. For body (fast blend) treatment, pulsed RF is advocated.
Two-handed practitioners test the hair while treating it. Hence they don’t need timers; they just hold the foot pedal down until the hair releases. They also advocate doing an after-treatment of two seconds of DC alone.
I don’t know of any resource that describes the design or characteristics of a pro system. The companies don’t talk about it, preferring the machine designs to remain mysterious.
Hope that helps. I have to say, though, I think you’d be better off buying a used pro machine than trying to build it yourself. Of course it’s fun to design and build it, but unless you’re really sure you’ve got the desired machine characterized, there’s a good chance you’ll miss some aspects you’re looking for. I would make a completely manual (rather, completely pedal!) machine, with no timers or other automated apparatus.
[ July 12, 2004, 12:08 PM: Message edited by: DIY’er ]
