17th Eddition

[arfur mo]

Quality mate

what we use to do at tech is charge up HT caps errrr about 450uF at 450v dc when someone says "hay mate catch this" your automatic reaction is to catch it, oh god do they belt ya

as kid my brother and me used to get those real large electrolytic's out of the Tvs. for those who don't know they don't like ac or reversal very much, so we used to wire them up to a car battery and switch on = loud bang and a snow storm of soot.

we'd strap this to our borrow and let it off ina market, or place it under somebodies car, once we put it in the exhaust pipe, then watched the owner run round in sheer panic

agreed it was a tad dangerous, but then i was only 8 years old so knew no better.

these days i'd be classed a terrorist

regs

alan

[luggsey]

Quality mate

what we use to do at tech is charge up HT caps errrr about 450uF at 450v dc when someone says "hay mate catch this" your automatic reaction is to catch it, oh god do they belt ya

I took a big PF cap out of a flourscent at college, wrapped two bits of wire round it connected to either side, charged it with the megger and threw it to someone saying "catch" and PMSL when they got a tickle.

Getting cocky I removed the discharge resistor and charged it up, testing it myself I almost killed myself!!!! The discharge resistor was extremley high value meaning it discharged slowly, without it fitted it discharged fully in micro seconds, OUCH!

I tried again after my "recovery" and it put out a whacking great blue spark with a scary "crack!" when discharged.

I haven't ever tried that again!! In more then 20+ years!!!!

[ICEbear]

I took a big PF cap out of a flourscent at college, wrapped two bits of wire round it connected to either side, charged it with the megger and threw it to someone saying "catch" and PMSL when they got a tickle.

Getting cocky I removed the discharge resistor and charged it up, testing it myself I almost killed myself!!!! The discharge resistor was extremley high value meaning it discharged slowly, without it fitted it discharged fully in micro seconds, OUCH!

I tried again after my "recovery" and it put out a whacking great blue spark with a scary "crack!" when discharged.

I haven't ever tried that again!! In more then 20+ years!!!!

yah electrolytics can be dam dangerous i think the lttle devil comes out in us all now and again,,,,,,,,,What i have always wanted to try is mains straight in a 35 amp bridge rectifire and then straight in a 12v 1 farrard cap (1,000,000uf) and then turn it up slowly on a variac OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO //.B.W.F.// "would ya dare

[arfur mo]

if you want a gentler safer giggle, older mains kit like Hi Fi amps often retain a lot of power in the smoothing caps, these caps are a lot larger than normal as no 'buff' wants to hear any hum and the speakes draw a lot of current when responding to bass notes.

so often if you unplug it then stick the plug prongs on your apprentices elbow (with the switch on), the discharge path is made and the caps discharge into the transformer which is then stepped up by it to say 100 volts - so lift off is guaranteed!

when i worked in the garages as akid, one of the 'old boy' mechanics would wait until you got too close and grab a HT lead on a running motor with one hand - and your ear lobe with the other and would not let go of either - and you lot have no need to wonder why i seem a bit mad

regs

alan

[ICEbear]

if you want a gentler safer giggle, older mains kit like Hi Fi amps often retain a lot of power in the smoothing caps, these caps are a lot larger than normal as no 'buff' wants to hear any hum and the speakes draw a lot of current when responding to bass notes.

so often if you unplug it then stick the plug prongs on your apprentices elbow (with the switch on), the discharge path is made and the caps discharge into the transformer which is then stepped up by it to say 100 volts - so lift off is guaranteed!

when i worked in the garages as akid, one of the 'old boy' mechanics would wait until you got too close and grab a HT lead on a running motor with one hand - and your ear lobe with the other and would not let go of either - and you lot have no need to wonder why i seem a bit mad

regs

alan

Mischief night when i was a kid, mad on electronics, i use to nick those flashing road lamps, the ones with 2x 6v batteries and little pnp circuit to make the bulb flash, with an old car coil i made a little circuit that Oscillated the car coil, on the HT side we connected a long wire wraped it around a door landle and then we use to knock on the door and just wait for the screem at the other side my mum battered me god man what a laugh, made me popular tho, god man them were the days.

[Smart Electrics]

Problem is twoting about with electricity is its gona bite and it so often does. When I was working at an A+E dept, I witnessed what 11kv does when it flashes over someone. The poor sod wasn't mucking around but, it got him just the same. I wouldn't eat pork for years as the smell reminded me of that knight. Unfortunately the bloke died 2 days later, cooked to death. His nerve endings were so burnt he didn't even know what had happened.

The outcome of this was that while on his mobile he came in to contact with a live part in the substation.

Not a nice way to go!!!

[ICEbear]

Problem is twoting about with electricity is its gona bite and it so often does. When I was working at an A+E dept, I witnessed what 11kv does when it flashes over someone. The poor sod wasn't mucking around but, it got him just the same. I wouldn't eat pork for years as the smell reminded me of that knight. Unfortunately the bloke died 2 days later, cooked to death. His nerve endings were so burnt he didn't even know what had happened.

The outcome of this was that while on his mobile he came in to contact with a live part in the substation.

Not a nice way to go!!!

your not wrong friend.

once i had the most biggest electric shock of my life by working tiered, it had me by both hands therefore through both arms and it crampted me (held me) for appox 45 seconds 230v mains, i could feel myself falling Unconscious under shock wail at the same time i could feel the very fast flicker of the 50Hz "it was Horrifying" i could'nt move nor could i screem for help and now thinking back i could'nt see either, if it wasnt for a cleaning lady that just chopped the mains, i wouldnt be here, i had bad nightmares for weeks.

the human body is approx a 500 ohm resister subject to conditions like water (wet hands) for example. the pain of this shock i will never forget

a little tingle we have all had now and again

or a quick shock from being careless and rushing because its friday (working live when you should'nt) :!:

but a big shock (that holds you) is on a different scale, where your body can feel the ac oscillate (like a very fast flicker) you cant let go of the wires because you cramp (hard) thats why the body shakes under the shock----it the 50Hz cycle.

and your very rite friend, it is not a nice way to go, its very very very very painfull indeed

it scares me thinking back, its one of those things you NEVER FORGET

[arfur mo]

fortunately all the 'gags' were with low power and unlikely to cause injury, unless the victim had a dodgy ticker.

on the last firm i worked for they had job at a little shop that was one half a sweet counter with newspapers, and the other side was cakes and roles ect.

the old boy (a real miserable cuss), he would rise early and as he had to mark up all the paper ready for the rounds he knew he could not use the toiled for a few hours. he had the habit of getting the 1st newspaper, locking himself in the bog to read it will making 'ready' for the day.

i got sent there a.s.a.p do not pass go, do not collect the