A little clean up while I wait for the cooling fan on the welder to
stop. A gentle rain is now falling. A most excellent evening, I've
crossed three things off my list. The fan stops, I flip the switch to
shut the welder off...... and nothing happens. I guess the switch broke
when I switched it on, and is now permanently 'on'. Doh. Shut off the
breaker in the panel, and console myself by reminding myself how
productive the evening was. Sigh.
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;
the point is to discover them.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
Murphy strikes again!
--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.
(...)
> The fan stops, I flip the switch to
> shut the welder off...... and nothing happens. I guess the switch broke
> when I switched it on, and is now permanently 'on'.
(...)
What make and model welder, Pete?
Perhaps we can download a schematic and have a look.
http://www.millerwelds.com/service/ownersmanuals.php
Is it possible the fan's thermostatic control is wired
on the 'line' side of the power switch as we see on page
30 of http://www.millerwelds.com/om/o2223r_mil.pdf ?
--Winston
--
I'm already sending extortion money to my state's
"Employment Development Department" but I would
like to support *nationwide* organized crime directly,
particularly for shakedowns of the elderly,
subversion of the Democratic process through graft
and corruption and perhaps the manufacture and
distribution of illegal narcotics. What is the best
way to increase money flow to the Mafia? Should I
double my monthly payment to EDD or can I simply
send checks to the "TRS Recovery" division of
"FirstData Corporation"?
Does the Mob have a website that accepts Paypal payments?
I re-read your post 'for comprehension'.
The fan *did* stop. DoH!
Still, make and model info would be helpful.
I must admit that the first time a read it I spotted the "20 degree"
temp reference and figured you were in the northland and the temp scale
was in Fahrenheit. We got 80 degrees F last weekend, snow forecasted for
this weekend.
> What make and model welder, Pete?
> Perhaps we can download a schematic and have a look.
> http://www.millerwelds.com/service/ownersmanuals.php
>
> Is it possible the fan's thermostatic control is wired
> on the 'line' side of the power switch as we see on page
> 30 of http://www.millerwelds.com/om/o2223r_mil.pdf ?
>
Thanks Winston. It's a Lincoln Squarewave 275. The switch is
mechanically broken (you can feel it) I'll just have to replace it.
I have been thinking though (uhoh). This welder has the optional
power factor capacitors installed. I should probably discharge them
before poking around in there. What would be the best procedure for
that? (they're big suckers) Or am I worrying about nothing?
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world;
the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.
Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Yeah, it was a good evening. Just hated the note it ended on!
>
> I must admit that the first time a read it I spotted the "20 degree"
> temp reference and figured you were in the northland and the temp scale
> was in Fahrenheit. We got 80 degrees F last weekend, snow forecasted for
> this weekend.
Yes, 20�C! Finished with the 20�F temps a couple of months ago.
Actually we're two to three weeks ahead on our spring weather compared
to past years. The tulips are almost finished, I've cut the grass twice,
and the mosquitos are coming out!
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"That's a very elaborate story, but where have you REALLY been the
last three days?"
Jonah's Wife, sometime BC
Safety First!
I'd clip an incandescent lamp across the phases starting now so that
the caps are reasonably flat by the time the covers come off.
After the covers are off, I'd use a 'shorting stick' across the caps
as insurance. (Wear Protection please)
This one, yes?
http://content.lincolnelectric.com//pdfs/products/navigator/im/IM609.pdf
Looks like the PF caps are downstream from the power switch.
On 5/6/2010 9:53 AM, Pete Snell wrote:
> RoyJ wrote:
>> Heh, you got two steps forward and only one step back on your list of
>> projects. And a nice evening to boot. Sounds like a winner to me!
>
> Yeah, it was a good evening. Just hated the note it ended on!
>
Considering the number of welders laying around this place that had (or
have) the usual problems with broken switches, broken cable jacks, noisy
fans looking for a rebuild, and similar, I just don't think the problem
over powers the nice evening.
It's hard to believe how fast you can melt a 2-inch section of screwdriver
blade, isn't it? I hate the sizzling noise as a glob flies by your ear. <g>
--
Ed Huntress
>
> Safety First!
>
> I'd clip an incandescent lamp across the phases starting now so that
> the caps are reasonably flat by the time the covers come off.
That lines up with my thought. It's single phase supply (220V)
>
> After the covers are off, I'd use a 'shorting stick' across the caps
> as insurance. (Wear Protection please)
Gee I've got lots of universal shorting sticks lying about! I'll use
a heavy gauge one to avoid the splatter effect Ed has apparently observed.
>
> This one, yes?
> http://content.lincolnelectric.com//pdfs/products/navigator/im/IM609.pdf
>
> Looks like the PF caps are downstream from the power switch.
That's the one! I have a call into my friendly neighbourhood welding
supply store about the switch. Hopefully this won't soak up the money I
saved by getting the free lawn mower! :-)
Pete
And yes, it was a productive evening, and I shouldn't complain. It's
just kinda like having a nice evening out and finding a parking ticket
on your car at the end of it.
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the
strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better.
The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919)
I'm exagerating, but I did burn the tip off of a screwdriver when working on
a car battery once, and it wound up a melted glob that hit the floor. And
molten lead from a battery terminal, not hot steel, did whiz past my ear on
another occassion. It still makes a sickening, sizzling sound. <g>
As long as you didn't release the magic smoke, it should be an easy
fix. Replacing the magic smoke is much more difficult.
>
> I'm exagerating, but I did burn the tip off of a screwdriver when working on
> a car battery once, and it wound up a melted glob that hit the floor. And
> molten lead from a battery terminal, not hot steel, did whiz past my ear on
> another occassion. It still makes a sickening, sizzling sound. <g>
>
Hmmm.. that brings up the vague memory of one of the heavy equipment
mechanics working in my Dad's shop sitting on a battery with a wrench in
his back pocket. I seem to remember a lot of cursing, and some smoke. I
was pretty young, so the cursing seemed more memorable at the time. ;-)
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"That's a very elaborate story, but where have you REALLY been the
I keep a can in my toolbox just in case.
<http://sjpdesigns.com/poa/Smokekit2.jpg>
It is British though, so I can't be sure the polarity is correct.....
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered;
the point is to discover them.
Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)
------------ And now a word from our sponsor ------------------
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>>> After the covers are off, I'd use a 'shorting stick' across the caps
>>> as insurance. (Wear Protection please)
>>
>> Gee I've got lots of universal shorting sticks lying about! I'll use a
>> heavy gauge one to avoid the splatter effect Ed has apparently observed.
>
> I'm exagerating, but I did burn the tip off of a screwdriver when working
> on a car battery once, and it wound up a melted glob that hit the floor.
> And molten lead from a battery terminal, not hot steel, did whiz past my
> ear on another occassion. It still makes a sickening, sizzling sound. <g>
>
i laughed out loud when you said that, i figured that was a universal
experience for welders. i'm not a professional but i've done some welding
and it sucks when a spark goes in your ear, you can hear sizzling, very
difficult to control your flinch reaction to that.
b.w.
That is COOL!
The 'Lucas' logo in the corner is the topper.
Too Funny!
--Winston
(...)
>> After the covers are off, I'd use a 'shorting stick' across the caps
>> as insurance. (Wear Protection please)
>
> It's hard to believe how fast you can melt a 2-inch section of screwdriver
> blade, isn't it? I hate the sizzling noise as a glob flies by your ear.<g>
I positively adore that noise, relative to the feeling
that one is rumored to get (G) when one is the target of
said glob.
--Winston
That's a good point. As Bill says, it must be hard not to flinch. <g>
--
Ed Huntress
I love it! You're way ahead of me!
Brought to you by Lucas Electrical aka 'Prince of Darkness'
Rumored to get? Lucky you.
My first experience with casting included watching a quarter-inch
diameter ball of solder leaping out of a plaster mold and onto the back
of my hand. Some of it stuck -- I still have the scar.
The worst part was that the only other thing I learned from all of that
is that when you make a bullet for a matchstick cannon that is heavier
than the cannon, when you light the thing off you hear a "bang" and both
the cannon _and_ the bullet disappear!
--
Tim Wescott
Control system and signal processing consulting
www.wescottdesign.com
>
> I'm exagerating, but I did burn the tip off of a screwdriver when working on
> a car battery once, and it wound up a melted glob that hit the floor. And
> molten lead from a battery terminal, not hot steel, did whiz past my ear on
> another occassion. It still makes a sickening, sizzling sound.<g>
>
>
I was showing a newbie the proper method of dealing with some 3 phase
wiring: 1) put meter on terminals, determine that it is hot. 2) flip
breaker to off 3) put meter on terminals, determine that you have
indeed killed the proper circuit 4) insert screwdriver to loosen screw
terminal. KABOOM!!! 208/3 phase/30 amps shortened the screwdriver about
3/8" of an inch. Real adrenaline rush.
Plastic handles are great, aren't they? <g>
--
Ed Huntress
>
> That's a good point. As Bill says, it must be hard not to flinch. <g>
It's also the reason most pro weldors wear earplugs even when it
isn't noisy.
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
" The first instance of novel principle is invariably defeated
by the developed example of established practice."
Lawrence Pomeroy (1883-1941)
------------ And now a word from our sponsor ---------------------
For a secure high performance FTP using SSL/TLS encryption
upgrade to SurgeFTP
---- See http://netwinsite.com/sponsor/sponsor_surgeftp.htm ----
(...)
>> I positively adore that noise, relative to the feeling
>> that one is rumored to get (G) when one is the target of
>> said glob.
>
> Rumored to get? Lucky you.
Lucky for sure. The worst I've gotten so far is a solder
splash on my hand. Luckily, unlike in your case it splattered
rather than 'bore in' and it didn't leave a mark.
I was impressed at the time, though.
(...)
> The worst part was that the only other thing I learned from all of that
> is that when you make a bullet for a matchstick cannon that is heavier
> than the cannon, when you light the thing off you hear a "bang" and both
> the cannon _and_ the bullet disappear!
Sounds like a great 'flanking weapon', though it must look odd to point
the gun Stage Left instead of downrange. :)
--Winston
My favourite Lucas sign:
"This is a darkroom! Please do not open the door, or all the dark
will leak out. (For a refill, please call Lucas Electrics)"
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Be bold, and mighty forces will come to your aid."
William Benjamin Basil King (1859-1928)
We were probably lucky the damn things didn't blow up in our faces and
take out eyes. Hell, I think I'm damn lucky that I survived to 25. I'd
be dead now from heart attack, except that my kids seem to get their
caution from my wife.
Heck of a lot of fun to load one with a dart made from a Q-tip and a
pin, and shoot at the side of a shed.
Now why do I still have all my fingers, toes, and eyeballs?
My favorite Lucas joke was a bumper sticker I saw in a last-page photo in
R&T or SCG, on the back of a Mini: "Why do the Brits drink warm beer?
Because they have Lucas refrigerators."
--
Ed Huntress
And the MG headlight switch labeled "OFF - FLICKER - SMOKE"
--Winston
We had a much safer version as kids, firecracker pistols. Mine had
two 1/2 in. nipples, one about 4 in. (the barrel), and the other about
3 in. (grip/chamber). I had a pipe cap on the grip end with about a
1/8 in. hole in it, and the two nipples joined by a 45 deg ell.
The firing procedure was unscrew cap, load firecracker with fuse
through fuse hole, replace. Stuff chinaberry in barrel, charge after
opponents while holding burning punk to fuse. You talk about long
lock times...
During one particularly ferocious battle with the neighbor kids, one
of my cousins had the ingenious idea of plugging the end into some
gravelly mud. That worked pretty well. Other weapons included
carbide bombs. Get something with a screw on lid like a brasso can,
stuff in some carbide, a little water, then screw on the lid tight.
Wait until it swells up some, then toss. Makes a bang and stinks bad.
Our opponents generally just threw rocks.
We generally used an old above ground grease rack as our fort. The
neighbor kids fought from behind their butane tank across the drive.
When we weren't having wars, we played baseball. Nobody ever got hurt
except playing baseball (one broken arm I recall), although my brother
carries a little shrapnel in his leg to this day.
And you doubters say there aren't angels.
I can remember when a bunch of us 10 year olds found
a live 22LR cartridge. We weren't old enough to own
a proper 22 rifle so we taped the cartridge to the end
of our BB gun so that fired, the BB would crush the rim.
I can still remember the whir as both the case and the
bullet departed tumbling in opposite directions.
Except on the weekends, when he pretends that he's the 'Queen of
Emgland'. ;-)
--
Anyone wanting to run for any political office in the US should have to
have a DD214, and a honorable discharge.
Murphy is Lucas' brother. You should see them try to fix a fridge!
--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
.
"Tim Wescott" <t...@seemywebsite.now> wrote in message
news:tIydnccglvjUlX7W...@web-ster.com...
Martin
The one I was talking about was an ordinary Craftsman steel screwdriver. I'm
occassionally thankful for the plastic insulation. d8-)
>On 5/6/2010 11:20 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
>> "Pete Snell"<sne...@rmc.ca> wrote in message
>> news:4be3079d$1...@win9.rmc.ca...
>>> RoyJ wrote:
>>>> Cool!!!
>>>>
>>>> Brought to you by Lucas Electrical aka 'Prince of Darkness'
>>>>
>>>
>>> My favourite Lucas sign:
>>>
>>> "This is a darkroom! Please do not open the door, or all the dark will
>>> leak out. (For a refill, please call Lucas Electrics)"
Most excellent, Sir Pete.
>> My favorite Lucas joke was a bumper sticker I saw in a last-page photo in
>> R&T or SCG, on the back of a Mini: "Why do the Brits drink warm beer?
>> Because they have Lucas refrigerators."
Always a good 'un.
>And the MG headlight switch labeled "OFF - FLICKER - SMOKE"
Bwahahahahaha! Too true!
--
All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian,
or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up
to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.
--Thomas Paine
>
>"Winston" <Win...@bigbrother.net> wrote in message
>news:hruls...@news1.newsguy.com...
>> On 5/6/2010 7:33 AM, Pete Snell wrote:
>>> Winston wrote:
>>>
>>>> What make and model welder, Pete?
>>>> Perhaps we can download a schematic and have a look.
>>>> http://www.millerwelds.com/service/ownersmanuals.php
>>>>
>>>> Is it possible the fan's thermostatic control is wired
>>>> on the 'line' side of the power switch as we see on page
>>>> 30 of http://www.millerwelds.com/om/o2223r_mil.pdf ?
>>>>
>>>
>>> Thanks Winston. It's a Lincoln Squarewave 275. The switch is
>>> mechanically broken (you can feel it) I'll just have to replace it.
>>>
>>> I have been thinking though (uhoh). This welder has the optional power
>>> factor capacitors installed. I should probably discharge them before
>>> poking around in there. What would be the best procedure for that?
>>> (they're big suckers) Or am I worrying about nothing?
>>
>> Safety First!
>>
>> I'd clip an incandescent lamp across the phases starting now so that
>> the caps are reasonably flat by the time the covers come off.
>>
>> After the covers are off, I'd use a 'shorting stick' across the caps
>> as insurance. (Wear Protection please)
>
>It's hard to believe how fast you can melt a 2-inch section of screwdriver
>blade, isn't it? I hate the sizzling noise as a glob flies by your ear. <g>
Obviously an observation by a reader rather than an experiencer.
Molten globs of screwdriver make no sizzling sound as they fly by. The
sizzling sound happens when they hit skin and make that distinctive
odor of burnt flesh.
>On Thu, 06 May 2010 11:48:20 -0700, Winston <Win...@bigbrother.net>
>wrote the following:
>
>>On 5/6/2010 11:20 AM, Ed Huntress wrote:
>>> "Pete Snell"<sne...@rmc.ca> wrote in message
>>> news:4be3079d$1...@win9.rmc.ca...
>>>> RoyJ wrote:
>>>>> Cool!!!
>>>>>
>>>>> Brought to you by Lucas Electrical aka 'Prince of Darkness'
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> My favourite Lucas sign:
>>>>
>>>> "This is a darkroom! Please do not open the door, or all the dark will
>>>> leak out. (For a refill, please call Lucas Electrics)"
>
>Most excellent, Sir Pete.
>
>
>>> My favorite Lucas joke was a bumper sticker I saw in a last-page photo in
>>> R&T or SCG, on the back of a Mini: "Why do the Brits drink warm beer?
>>> Because they have Lucas refrigerators."
>
>Always a good 'un.
>
>
>>And the MG headlight switch labeled "OFF - FLICKER - SMOKE"
>
>Bwahahahahaha! Too true!
Lucas made ONE appliance that didn't suck - a vacum cleaner.
Bob
>Ed Huntress wrote:
>
>>
>> I'm exagerating, but I did burn the tip off of a screwdriver when working on
>> a car battery once, and it wound up a melted glob that hit the floor. And
>> molten lead from a battery terminal, not hot steel, did whiz past my ear on
>> another occassion. It still makes a sickening, sizzling sound. <g>
>>
>
> Hmmm.. that brings up the vague memory of one of the heavy equipment
>mechanics working in my Dad's shop sitting on a battery with a wrench in
>his back pocket. I seem to remember a lot of cursing, and some smoke. I
>was pretty young, so the cursing seemed more memorable at the time. ;-)
>
>Pete
And that brings back memories of being in ah...coitus delectus in the
back seat of a VW with a lady who was 6' and 165lbs. As I was 6'3, and
210...we sorta kinda busted the backseat..directly over the battery.
It was hot that night...the people were hotter...then the back seat
caught fire.....sigh..those were the days.
Chuckle..she and I still see each other, with her now long term
spouse..and when one or the other of us flicks a Bic...it never ceases
to bring hysterical laughter to us both..and puzzled looks to our
spouses.
I suppose someday will will tell them...but its way too cool.
(grin)
Gunner
--
"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.
This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost
>I switched it on, and is now permanently 'on'. Doh. Shut off the
>breaker in the panel, and console myself by reminding myself how
>productive the evening was. Sigh.
Beats dying in the off position. :)
Wes
--
"Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect
government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home
in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller
You really are a 'glass half full' sort of guy, aren't you Wes? :-)
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
>Wes wrote:
>>
>>
>> Beats dying in the off position. :)
>>
>> Wes
>>
>
> You really are a 'glass half full' sort of guy, aren't you Wes? :-)
Yup. The OP still has a working welder :)
I really do try to find the good side of an event I'd rather never happened. Sorta like I
got cut bad but I still have a fully functional finger left. (20" ww bandsaw incident)
If the car doesn't start, I likely missed out in being part of an accident on the way to
work.
I've always felt like something or someone was looking out for me, I just don't know why
yet. I've lived a fairly charmed life considering all things. I try not to push my luck
though.
So, yes, I'm a glass half full guy.
Wes
That's ok! I'm somewhere between a 'glass half full' and a 'that
glass is twice as big as it needs to be' sort of guy.
Pete
--
Pete Snell
Department of Physics
Royal Military College
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat.
Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)
>Obviously an observation by a reader rather than an experiencer.
>Molten globs of screwdriver make no sizzling sound as they fly by. The
>sizzling sound happens when they hit skin and make that distinctive
>odor of burnt flesh.
I hate it when smell the burn before I feel it. :(
Wes
I must have missed that post when Don posted it. I should have asked how
many globs of molten screwdriver have hit Don's skin? I mean, does he have a
lot of experience with molten screwdrivers burning into him? d8-)
--
Ed Huntress
Not a lot. I do eventually learn.
I had a mentor teaching me photography while I was in high school. He
was a teacher of photography and driver training in a high school
different from the one I attended. Stu & Annette were friends of my
parents, Annette and Ma worked together daily in their jobs as nurse
and physician.
Stu's high school had some strobes that crapped out, couldn't find a
service tech that would attempt to repair them. TV repairmen wouldn't
touch them. I'd learned a bit about electronics, so with adolescent
confidence I said I'd fix them. And so I did.
Typical energy of strobes then, circa 50s, was 50 joules though some
were 100 joules. Shorting a cap with a screwdriver dumps that energy
RFN, thousands of kilowatts.
That said, 50 joules is less than the energy of even a .22 LR rimfire
cartridge, but dissipating that in a screwdriver blade does result in
a report like a gunshot and obliteration of the screwdriver blade. It
also rattles the hell out of sleeping parents.
Anyone who has done any overhead welding knows about stink-sizzle. If
the owies are iced quickly enough they're no more than skeeter bites
though they're ugly for a few days and do leave scars.
And it's good for the screwdriver business. d8-)
>
> I had a mentor teaching me photography while I was in high school. He
> was a teacher of photography and driver training in a high school
> different from the one I attended. Stu & Annette were friends of my
> parents, Annette and Ma worked together daily in their jobs as nurse
> and physician.
>
> Stu's high school had some strobes that crapped out, couldn't find a
> service tech that would attempt to repair them. TV repairmen wouldn't
> touch them. I'd learned a bit about electronics, so with adolescent
> confidence I said I'd fix them. And so I did.
>
> Typical energy of strobes then, circa 50s, was 50 joules though some
> were 100 joules. Shorting a cap with a screwdriver dumps that energy
> RFN, thousands of kilowatts.
>
> That said, 50 joules is less than the energy of even a .22 LR rimfire
> cartridge, but dissipating that in a screwdriver blade does result in
> a report like a gunshot and obliteration of the screwdriver blade. It
> also rattles the hell out of sleeping parents.
>
> Anyone who has done any overhead welding knows about stink-sizzle. If
> the owies are iced quickly enough they're no more than skeeter bites
> though they're ugly for a few days and do leave scars.
Well, my experience with electric melting comes from shorting car batteries.
I do some welding, but never overhead. I never weld anything I can't turn
over.
As for the sound when a glob of molten lead whizzes by, I never recorded it,
but the scary shock of seeing it probably produces a noise of its own in
your head. I'm sure many people here recognize it.
--
Ed Huntress
That's the same effect as sonic boom from the passing of a supersonic
aircraft.
>I had a mentor teaching me photography while I was in high school. He
>was a teacher of photography and driver training in a high school
>different from the one I attended. Stu & Annette were friends of my
>parents, Annette and Ma worked together daily in their jobs as nurse
>and physician.
>
>Stu's high school had some strobes that crapped out, couldn't find a
>service tech that would attempt to repair them. TV repairmen wouldn't
>touch them. I'd learned a bit about electronics, so with adolescent
>confidence I said I'd fix them. And so I did.
>
>Typical energy of strobes then, circa 50s, was 50 joules though some
>were 100 joules. Shorting a cap with a screwdriver dumps that energy
>RFN, thousands of kilowatts.
>
>That said, 50 joules is less than the energy of even a .22 LR rimfire
>cartridge, but dissipating that in a screwdriver blade does result in
>a report like a gunshot and obliteration of the screwdriver blade. It
>also rattles the hell out of sleeping parents.
Years ago I was developing some film when I noticed that the battery pack for a Honeywell
Strobonar had finished charging. Not thinking too much, I yanked it out of the charger
while my my hand was still slightly moist from a developing chemical that was on it.
Oh chit, in the process of handling it, I made contact with the contacts on the pack
(9.6v) and learned you can get burned by low voltage if your hand has conductive chemicals
wetting it. Yikes! I got a steam burn from it that hurt like he double hockey sticks.
Wes