i have been running the needle now for about two years and because it's nearly always been on C1 i asked my engineer to modify it.
so he machined the clip grooves off. then made a new set of 7 on a new needle section. with 5mm more material underneath of blank needle grooves. this would have made the needle 5mm taller but i've had 5mm machined off the boittom.
he has machined a 2mm post on the original (lower) to go inside the 3.5mm needle female part at the top. i will now bond it in.
it essentially means that C1 is now C4 the middle groove.