talkmagic.co.uk

Kat,

The instructions do say that you should enquire of the spectators as to their health before you do it

I've played with this for a week now and am on the verge of offering it for sale because it just doesn't seem to suit me

I tend to perform mostly in pubs and in some its there, and in others it isn't. I was out on Monday and it worked a treat in every pub I went it except my local, which I wasn't impressed with

Again, some things work better than others, and some floor surfaces work better than others, if I can say that without revealing too much. A friend of mine who is a sparky by trade told me that there was no way it would work on a wood floor but I went in 5 pubs with wooden floors and it worked perfectly each time

When the contact is'nt strong you can perform miracles with loose tobacco or ash in an ashtray, but when the contact is strong, particularly when you are standing outside, it almost blows your head off My son doesn't seem to feel it as much as me, so different people feel it differently ?

The biggest fun I have had with it so far has been shocking the barstaff when I've handed my money over for a beer

My son has been rolling round on the floor laughing when I've done that.

Decisions decisions!

There are some aspects of this that attract me and then others that don't. The inconsistency is one of the significant negatives for me.

Tenko - could I ask that you PM me as I'm interested in your comments on floor surfaces? I am supposing that lino and carpet are the least preferred?

hi, I have put this post in another section of the site, but I think that it is valid to repeat here:

use ky jelly or other water based contact lube to get a better connection with the copper strip on the back of the unit.

before I used lube my leg was being frazzled by arcing, the unit buzzed and I had little success at generating static, now it works a treat. I am surprised this wasn't in the instructions as even cheap tens machines come with lube.

I like the unit a lot and cannot think of a better way to achieve this effect without the use of a Van Der Graaf generator - a bit bulky to have up your trousers!

may only gripe is that when I received the unit the batteries were already installed and completely dead - not sure if this is the fault of the manufacturer or alakazam but disappointing as a little niggle in the back of my mind has me feeling it has been pre used.

i have wanted something like this since i was at school so i am pretty happy with it - little things please little minds

I had a pm from a member about my posts on this subject and thought I had better clear a few things up to avoid lots of broken electric touch units

the 'ky jelly' is a water based lubricant you can buy from a chemist (red faces all round)

any water based lubricant will work though you can buy special electro conducting gel to use with 'tens' machine's or electric slimming aids(the type that make muscles contract)

you put a thin film of the gel onto your leg where it meets the copper strip located on the back of the E.T. unit. this creates a better contact between your leg and the unit. DO NOT USE LOTS OF GEL as it may work its way into the unit and damage it.

the shock your 'subject' receives should make them jump, but it is no more powerful than a Van De Graaf generator (if you used one at school you will know what I mean)

you can hear the static 'click' as they get the shock and you feel it also.

depending on what surface you are standing on the shock can be quite mild to quite strong. I find that the unit has to be set to 'high' to get good results and after 3 or 4 quick shots the batteries need to rest before it will work again

the best possible connection to the ground would be if you stood in wet mud on a field, so you can imagine how poor the connection will be if you are standing on carpet although it does still work enough to give mild shocks and make tobacco and small bits of paper jump around etc.

when you watch the DVD that comes with the unit you can see that Yigal has some problems with the unit himself. I think that the switch is partially to blame, practice with your trouser leg rolled up so that you can see the green led light up.

this effect is very hard to achieve and all in all I think the unit does well for the price. other similar devices are massive in comparison and would be impossible to use for 'magical' purposes.

hope this is of some help and good luck!

Catweasel,

Just to add to your comments, Boots sell a gel specially made for improving conductivity between skin and electric producing items like Tens machines. It cost me £2.60, and silly enough, its called Boots Gel. It has improved the problem I had with it causing a rash on my leg. And it also has improved its workings. I got very minor shocks in my local last night along with the jumping ash and I didn't get either of them last week in the same pub.

Also, the floor, what's on the top of it, and also whats underneath it, effect its effectiveness. Having used my local since I was a little one, I know that the bar area is above the cellar, and the effect is very weak there. In the pool room, which is an extension and not over the cellar, its more effectine.

My apologies for not reviewing this as promised but work has been crazy.

Very nice review Tenko!

I too find the switch to be a bit difficult but it is getting easier.

The "earthing" or "grounding" is the unit's biggest factor in terms of zap or no-zap. This would be the same with any other device such as "Shocking".

I have made a custom "Earth array" and I must say it improved the performance by a factor of 10! Having said this you MUST consider the Earthing and conductivity of the floor you work on. Outside on the pavement...good. Outside on damp pavement...really good. Outside on damp earth...perfect. Inside, one flight up, on wood floorboards or carpet...NOT so good.

I didn't have the tingle problem...well once but not since. The gel is the perfect solution. If you are very hairy...a bit of work with a disposable razor will also help 'no-end'.

I really like "ET", the range of effects it can offer is plenty for a performer to work with. The unit is VERY well made. The DVD is reasonably helpful and the instructions are clear. The batteries I received were dead but replacements (I suggest buying loads off Ebay) are pretty cheap and easy to find. It is best to have a few sets standing by to avoid disappointment.

To set up the unit correctly you will need to sacrifice some shoes but I found a huge choice on my local market from £5 and up, so no real hardship there.

I give Electric Touch 8/10. It's a fair lump of money and you have to work with it in terms of getting the best from it (that's science for you!) but it is a very cool effect that defies most peoples attempts to explain the phenomenon away!

.

Bzzt!

I've just recieved my unit and I have a theory...

Yigel Mesika is trying to subdue his competition by giving them all ECT treatment!

My unit works fine so far and I feel like a kid, I'm so happy playing with it's powers...

2 weeks later and I was just packing this away to take with me and the blooming copper connecter snapped, rending it useless (a very expensive useless at that)!!! I've got to go and can't sort it out for a few days, but I wondered if anyone has any ideas what to do with it... I don't think I've been particularily rough on it, but I doubt the supplier will sort it out, and I'd heard somewhere the manufacturer doesn't sell spares... so what shall I do? Any ideas?

How handy are you with a soldering iron? Clean copper takes solder very nicely.

Is this likely to singe the hair off your leg?

None too good... But I might be able to find someone who is. I wonder how well solder will stand up to the wear and tear that this piece has to take as well..

Ah. Solder is lead-based, but without knowing the gimmick, it might be good enough to smother it in a thick layer then file it down. Or you could solder the pieces together to get a good contact, then Araldite them too, to keep them in place.

Then again, is there a substitute you could reasonably use in place of the part?

Not as far as I'm aware...

Thanks for your help Tomo, I dunno how much I can say without exposure (also I think I should have posted this in the support section). Anyway got to dash, if anyone has any more ideas let me know..

damm, i thought it looked a bit weak, this will probably happen to all the units eventually.
as it is broken anyway i would cut the plastic and then try to replace the entire copper strip as i dont think solder is really up to the job.
a plumber's merchant or better still a trade electrical dealer may stock copper strip.
you could then use good strong black tape to complete the repair.

hope this is some help

I would suggest going to a local hobby store and see if they stock "KS metal"...this is usually a display rack of brass tubing and rods etc. Within the KS line are some copper products such as tubing and sheet material. They may make copper strip or sheet the right thickness.

Electric Touch was designed in the States and KS comes from the States so the thicknesses might be the same (e.g. Imperial measurements). Solder would work for quick repairs but would indeed be quite weak.

In terms of good Earthing/contact, this is a must. I have created a bit of "super conductor" footware and that does me just fine.

Finally I have fitted a toe operated pressure switch to eliminate the hit and miss/guess work and a push button arming switch to eliminate excessive battery usage and misfires.

None of these things took any real electronics knowledge...just common sense and a bit of simple electrics know-how. You can easily re-design the connections including the copper strip with everyday bits and bobs from any towns DIY, Maplins and hobby shops and have as good a product and operation as new...if not even better! Of course your warrentee will go out the window but for me it ws 100% worth it.