31.1.16

chip upgrade


hey all. recently i upgraded my RFID chip to a writable version of the same basic protocol type (close-range passive and if i remember right it's still an EM4102 chip.) it's one of the ones from Dangerous Things (Amaal Graafstra's shop), which i'd happily recommend - he was able to arrange fast shipping, the chip arrived very well protected, etc. i also managed to source a newer, sleeker USB tag reader, although its range is awful compared to my old Phidgets one so i might just carry on using the old one. i even got hold of some topical benzocaine cream which is a first. that stuff was extremely useful & i might have to try it the next time i do any fingertip installations, since a lot of the difficulty with those comes from the pain and the toughness of the fascia in that area - having the area numbed might well mean i can go a bit slower, be a bit more precise with the depth of the needle puncture incision.

i did the chip installation at home, with my standard bleach-and-alcohol treatment for the table i was using and hibiscrub to sterilise the hand alongside sealed tools and glove for the other one. i figured out a long time ago that it's better to use a needle than a scalpel, so in the pix i'm gonna share here you'll see me making the incision with a 4mm sterile piercer's needle blade. i did also acquire two of the weird pre-loaded needle syringes a vet would use to install an animal's ID chip, but those turned out to be difficult to unload (you can't use an animal ID chip on a person cause they're specialised things that hold animal-specific information, can't be overwritten with any other info, and require a specialist reader and software what is very expensive.)

so here's some pix:

the needles and the reader. you can see some of the other gear in the background like the dressings etc.
the anaesthetic cream tubes i was using
preparing to do the incision. i don't have a static photo of when i actually put the bastard in unfortunately but there is video which will be released in one form or another later (see below).
this is the dressed wound; you can see the incision site by where the dot of blood is. i used a steristrip wound closure under there as well just to hold the site as closed as i could but it was pretty much overkill, it was a tiny hole that healed up exceptionally well.

the whole thing is very well healed now, had no healing problems whatsoever, changed dressing daily for a week and then it was pretty much done. the whole procedure was filmed too, by both Paul and some professionals, but i don't know what's happening with that footage so i can't release it to you yet or talk about what it's for. in all likelihood nothing will come of it and i can put Paul's video up here or on rutube for you after i get the go ahead, so watch this space or my twitter & i can let you know what goes down. i'm also currently working on something else, but no point posting about it until i know whether it's a viable experiment or not. if it fails spectacularly i'll post pix of that too just for the lulz.

carpe corporem

L

4 comments:

IdolRevolver said...

Neat pics lepht! Glad to see you're still 'active' with the biohacking!

Dan Campbell said...

"having the area numbed might well mean i can go a bit slower, be a bit more precise with the depth of the needle puncture incision."

Shivers. Hokay, I think I'll continue to hold off, until there's an easier way.

Brian McEvoy said...

I've had a professional piercer use the injector method for my rewritable RFID like Lepht's and an NFC ampule. Both times the pain was on the scale of an ear piercing. Totally manageable so long as someone else is driving. If you're doing it yourself then pain management is smart.
If you're holding off on RFID implants because of the pain don't worry, if you can accidentally bite your lip and not cry you will be fine with a needle. Finger magnets are another story, use pain management even if someone else is doing the implant for you. I passed out for both my magnets. My piercer is an understanding guy.

Enceladus said...

For the implantation of finger magnets is benzocaine a suitable topical anaesthetic?

Post a Comment

[pls no ask about the vodka. debate is always welcome. remember, Tramadol fucks you up]