This article shall give you an overview over the most common cables used in e-stim and what you might need them for. The first part of the article deals with the basic stuff that you need to connect your power box to electrodes from various different manufacturers. The second part shows some solutions for more elaborate forms of play.
While you can get most of the things from this article from the manufacturers of e-stim power boxes and toys or stores like Regulation or Mr S but you can also look at stores selling electronic components. Most of the time they are a little bit cheaper.
If you want to learn more about e-stim in general I have published a previous article on that topic. If you just want to know which e-stim box uses which connection standard read this article.
Basic Equipment
Left: 2.5mm jack onto 2mm pin lead
Right: 3,5mm jack onto 4mm banana plug lead
Leads
They are the most essential cables you will need for electro play because they are used to connect your power box with the electrodes. They have a jack at the one end and a set of plugs at the other end. Usually there is a pair of plugs at the end, but there are also cables for more elaborate set-ups out there with four plugs. Depending on which system you are using they are combinations of 3.5mm jack and 4mm banana plug or 2.5mm jack and 2mm pin plug.
You can find so called “adapter” cables out there which mix 3.5mm jack with 2mm pin for example. They might sound handy but I would strongly dehort from using them! When you have different systems which mix all the different plugs and jacks I would identify the “major” system and use adapters (see below) instead of different leads. It will safe you a lot of money and space because adapters are lighter and more inexpensive than buying new adapter leads.
From left to right: 2mm pin onto 4mm banan plug adapter, 3.5mm jack onto 2.5mm jack adapter, 4mm banana plug onto 2mm pin adapter
Adapters
Adapters are nifty little units which you can put onto jacks or plugs in order to change their form factor, for example turn a 4mm banana plug into a 2mm pin plug. They are used to incorporate toys from a different connection standard into your play set up or in order to save money and space on special leads when you have mixed standards in you power box outputs.
Advanced Play
Tri-Phase Cables
A special form of leads are so call tri-phase cables. They either come as special cables or as an adapter to connect two leads. High-end e-stim boxes like the E-Stim 2b or the ErosTek 312b have special programs which enables you to create three spot of sensations for which you need these kind of cables.
Detail of Measurement Line Plug-Jack-Unit
Measurement Lines
This kind of cables is a pervertable from laboratories. They are basically two sets 4mm banana-jacket-plug-combinations connected by a cable that comes lengths of 25cm, 50cm and 100cm. You can use them to daisy chain multiple electrodes or use one electrode with different power boxes. The effects using measurement lines are hard to explain and the play is for the more experienced e-stim player so I recommend you play around with yourself a little bit before you put elaborate constructions onto your sub.
Detail of a Audio Extension Cable
Extension Cables
The play space or even electrode layout can require you to place the electro box farther away than your leads are long. In this case you can use extension cords to deal with the problem. They come in two varieties: The first are jack cables used in audio installations and come in a variety of length. Some systems like Mystim don’t use 3.5mm or 2.5mm jackets are output jackets or sometimes only one pole is quite far away. In this case you need extension leads. They are cables with a matching jacket and a plug of the connection system you use.
Left: Isolated Pole Connetion Clamp
Right: Unisolated Pole Connection Clamp
Pole connector clamps
Sometimes you want to incorporate metal toys like ball stretcher, cockrings or metal plugs into your electro play that were not made for e-stim. In order to connect them to your box you need pole connector clamps. They come in either isolated or not isolated varieties. Being another pervertable from laboratories they only come with 3.5mm jackets.
What they are not made for are to be put on different nipples! This kind of play is dangerous and potentially lethal!
Barrel of Silver Covered Copper Wire
Silver Coated Cooper Wire
A challenge to incorporate the metal toys mentioned about is finding a space to place the pole connector clamps. To overcome this challenge wrap silver coated cooper wire securely around a metal part of the toy you want to use as an electrode and attach the clamp to the wire. The wire can also be used as an electrode by wrapping it around different body parts or let it travel over the sub’s body. But please keep in mind: With little contact area and little resistance even little intensity levels can have agonizing effects. So you can employ this wire as a substitute to conductive silicone loops if a sub maxes your box with them.
