Adjustable E-Clip Instructions

What is an E-Clip?

An E-Clip is a bipolar surface electrode built into a clip. Both contacts sit inside the jaws, so current runs across whatever the clip is gripping and nowhere else. The circuit starts and ends inside the jaws, which means you never have to work out where a second electrode should go.

The contacts in the E-Stim Systems E-Clip are gold plated. This is the only product where we've ever used a plated contact, in this case the gold plating gives a lower resistance and a better contact than the conductive rubber jaws used on most clips of this type, and it will also last longer than conductive rubber contacts.

The built in adjustment screw sets a limit on how hard the jaws close, not how tight they are, so it lets you control the mechanical pressure separately from the electrical sensation. That's what makes the clip usable on delicate tissue.

Our E-Clip comes as a single adjustable clip on a 1.5m cable with a 3.5mm jack plug. 

Short Circuit Warning

With both contacts inside the clip, closing the jaws on nothing puts them onto each other and shorts the output. Our boxes are designed to cope with that and it won't hurt them. Other manufacturers' units may not be, so check with whoever made yours before you leave a plugged-in clip sitting closed and empty.

How the screw works: read this before you fit it

Tighten the screw and the jaws are held wider open. Release the screw and the jaws close.

That's the opposite of what most people expect, and it catches everyone the first time. The first time you use it,  it becomes obvious.

The working sequence follows from it. Tighten the screw to open the jaws, get the clip where you want it, then gently release the screw so the jaws close onto the tissue. Release further for a firmer grip. Tighten back off to ease it.

So: tighter is gentler, looser is firmer. Worth saying to yourself once before your first session.

What is the E-Clip for?

The E-Clip is designed for surface play on small, soft, grippable areas. Nipples are the obvious use. The 9mm maximum opening tells you the scale.

It can also work on more delicate anatomy, labia lips for instance, but we aware it can get very intense very quickly. Considerably more so than on a nipple at the same setting. Start at the bottom of the dial and give yourself time to read what's happening.

Nothing above the neck. Never clip an E-Clip onto the face, ears, lips, nose or tongue, or use it anywhere on or around the head.

No metal. Piercings, rings, jewellery, anything conductive and rigid. The jaws grip tissue. Clipping onto metal will short the output resulting in no current sensation. For connecting to metal items, in order to use them as part of the circuit, use Crock Clips.

Test it on your hand first

Clip it to the web of skin between your first finger and thumb before you fit it anywhere sensitive.

Thirty seconds tells you whether the box is outputting, whether the cable's good, how much gel this clip wants, and where on the dial the sensation starts. All easier to learn on your hand than on a nipple. It's also where you'll get the feel of the screw working backwards.

It's the fastest way to diagnose a setup that's misbehaving, too. Right on your hand means the problem is the fit at the other end. Wrong on your hand means the problem is the kit or the gel. Worth doing every time you pick up an E-Clip you haven't used in a while.

Finding your gel balance

Gel is the biggest variable with this product, and the right amount depends on you, the tissue, and where you've set the screw.

Too much and the clip slides. Gel lubricates as well as conducts, and a well-gelled clip on a lightly-closed jaw will work its way off within minutes.

Too little and you get stinging, sharpness, or a hot-spot feeling. That's current crowding into the few patches actually making contact instead of spreading across the whole face.

You find the middle by testing. Start modest, feel it on your hand, adjust from there. Once you've got your number you'll know it, though it's worth rechecking when you move to different tissue, because what suits a nipple won't suit somewhere more delicate.

Use a proper conductive gel. Water based only. No silicone, no hybrids.

Two E-Clips

Running two E-Clips on the same person needs a control box with genuinely isolated outputs such as our 2B. 

Ready for Play?

Make sure your power box is turned off and the output levels are set to zero.

1. Tighten the adjustment screw to hold the jaws open.
2. Apply gel to the contact area, sparingly.
3. Position the tissue between the jaws.
4. Gently release the screw until the jaws close and hold. Stop as soon as it feels secure.
5. Leave the power off and feel the mechanical fit. A bad fit only gets worse once there's current in it.
6. Plug the jack into the box.
7. Turn the power box on and bring the power up slowly.

Bigger nipples usually take the clip directly. Smaller ones often work better if the jaws catch the areola behind the tip rather than gripping the tip alone, but the choice is yours. Go by what seats properly on you.

A well-fitted E-Clip on modest power should feel stronger than a loose one on high power.

Change one thing at a time. Release the screw a little, then leave the power alone until the new pressure settles. Raise the power, then leave the clip where it is. Always start lower than feels necessary.

Troubleshooting

Slipping off. Check the gel first, because too much of it will slide a clip no matter how well it's fitted. Wipe some off and refit. Then release the screw a little further so the jaws close more firmly

Sharp, stingy, or a hot spot. Usually caused by not enough gel. The current is crowding into a small patch instead of spreading across the contact face. Add a little and refit.

Hurts before the power's on. The jaws are closing too far. Tighten the screw to open them up and ease the grip. Mechanical discomfort and electrical sensation add together, so starting from a painful fit leaves you nowhere to go.

Nothing at all. Try it on your hand, which separates a kit problem from a fitting problem straight away. If there's nothing there either, check the jack is fully home, the box is outputting, and you've used gel. If a known-good electrode works on that channel and the E-Clip doesn't, the cable is the likely culprit, and you can fix that yourself.

Replacing the cable

Cables are the part that first fails on any e-stim setup, usually where they flex most. On the E-Clip you don't have to bin the whole thing when that happens.

Unscrew the cable from the clip. Strip and trim the conductors back to clean wire. Screw them back onto the clip.

Check the terminal screws are tight before use, since a loose terminal can give you exactly the same patchy, intermittent sensation as a bad fit.

Note that these terminal screws are a different thing from the adjustment screw. The terminal screws want to be tight. The adjustment screw is your fitting control.

Cleaning and care

Disconnect first. Clean the contact faces and jaws to remove gel and skin residue, dry fully, and store where the cable won't get crushed or sharply bent.

Don't put it away damp. Retire any clip with damaged contact faces. A tired cable, though, just gets replaced.

Specifications

Safety

Always play below the waist unless you know what you're doing and accept the risks. Nipple play sits above that line, which is why the isolated-channel rule on this page is written the way it is.

Never use e-stim around the neck or head, and never clip an E-Clip onto anything above the neck.

Do not use e-stim if you're pregnant, have epilepsy, a heart condition, or any kind of electronic implant such as a pacemaker or insulin pump. If you're unsure, talk to your medical practitioner first.

Always start on the lowest setting and increase slowly. Keep electrodes away from broken or irritated skin.

E-Stim Systems products are adult novelty items intended for consensual sexual pleasure between adults. They are not medical devices and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition.

More on E-Stim safety

Related Links

• Adjustable E-Clip on the E-Stim store
• Nipple Discount Pack, two E-Clips at 20% off the pair
• Crock Clips for connecting to metal items such as piercings
• Conductive Gels
• 2B, isolated outputs
• Cable Key