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Aswad -> RE: Electric collar (12/24/2009 9:12:13 PM)
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The amount of charge in the batteries should not have any impact on the shock delivered. If it does, you should discard the unit immediately, and alert local authorities in case it might be due to design error, rather than a simple malfunction. These units employ a power supply that deliver the shock by converting the low voltage of a battery to the high voltage required to overcome the resistance of skin. Smart units control the output current, while the positively lethal ones control the voltage, or just aim for an approximate value. Either way, the only type that is remotely suited to use on a human is the sort that controls the output current waveform.
While not suited to verifying that a unit can be used on humans, there is a simple test to verify that it is absolutely unsuited. Start by firing a few pulses into a dead short, made by connecting the electrodes directly to each other. If the unit dies, causes arcing or otherwise misbehaves, then it definitely does not have enough protection against delivering sufficient current to stop your heart or cause nerve damage. Next, fire it through a light emitting diode (LED), of the sort used as an indicator, not the sort used in flashlights. If the LED dies, becomes hot, or is too bright to watch, the unit is putting out too much current, or the protection circuit isn't kicking in fast enough. If the LED is killed on the first pulse, try another LED with the legs in the opposite direction (there's one short leg, and one long leg). The LED should handle at least a few dozen zaps, and preferrably any number of zaps. If it doesn't, the output is not consistent enough, indicating a poorly done circuit. Should the device pass both of these tests, it might be suited for its intended use, but the test is not sufficient to say that something is safe for running electricity through a human.
It's better than using an untested unit, though, so if you're already playing with one, it's an improvement.
Medically certified TENS units can be employed, but should not be applied so that the current might find a path through nerves, blood vessels or organs. This includes the heart, obviously, and the neck, perhaps less obviously. The spacing between the electrodes should not be outside the range specified as acceptable by the manufacturer in the instruction booklet. Most units will go up to a level that is distinctly uncomfortable, and which might be considered shocking if one isn't expecting the jolt. They tend to be cumbersome, however, and I haven't seen very many with remote controls. Replacing the electrodes is not a good idea. Most of this is noted in the manual, you'll find.
Electric shock collars can, in theory, be applied to the outward facing side of the thigh. I would be more reluctant to try the arm without a better grasp of the anatomy of the arm. The genital region is probably not the worst spot, either, but I really don't know too much about the susceptibility of that part of the anatomy to electricity. For some obscure reason, I've never needed to put my genitals at risk of high voltage shocks, though a significant number of other areas have had their unfair share of encounters with exposed anodes, undischarged high voltage capacitors and the like. My enduring impression is that it is easy to underestimate the effects of electrical shocks of any sort, and the potential for collateral damage from a limb that makes a sudden jerk at an inopportune moment. Throwing an N50 rated magnet one pound magnet in some unspecified direction is an unenviable but effective way to learn why those things can't be shipped by air...
Electric shock collars are a hot fantasy, but the associated risk is significant enough that the penal system gave up on it. Heck, I'd love to have a remote controlled one that can work with a perimeter fence and all that, but I haven't found any commercially available units that I'd be willing to put around someone's neck. A unit could be built to do the job and not introduce an intolerable level of risk, but the effort involved is quite simply not very appealing when compared to how much enjoyment one can get from spending that effort elsewhere. Designing a unit and obtaining parts that are rated and characterized (including failure behaviors) for the voltages involved is non-trivial in and of itself, and finding a doc that can and will supply the details required to obtain the desired result is a nightmare.
HTH
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