Re: Terrified Parents

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com 

Definitely an urban legend.  HV probes always have dividers built in them.
Thats the whole purpose of a HV probe.   If it didn't have the divider, it
would basically be
just a metal rod with an insulated handle.

However, i do have a story that is true.  A technician at my company was
working with a radar transmitter in the high voltage cabinet, and was taking
oscilloscope measurements from a
modulating high voltage deck.  The deck itself is low voltage (28VDC with
+/-1000VDC for the grid modulating system), but the entire deck is floated
at the cathode voltage of the TWTs
which is about 45-60kV depending on TWT.  Anyways, the oscilloscope was
being floated on top of the deck to measure something in the deck, and the
technician went to change a setting
on the scope and . . . well . . . you can imagine what happened next.

Dan

 > Sounds like an urban legend to me. Aren't most
 > handheld Simpson meters "low" voltage (<13 kV)? Every
 > HV probe I've encountered was a voltage divider.
 >
 > Adam
 >
 > --- Tesla list <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com> wrote:
 >  > Original poster: "Stephen Mathieson"
 >  > <s.mathieson-at-charter-dot-net>
 >  >
 >  > Terror is your friend. I have been coiling for a
 >  > number of years thought and
 >  > dealing with high voltages much longer. Nothing
 >  > compares to seeing a Master
 >  > Electrician attempt to measure 13.2KV with a HV
 >  > probe, gauntlets and the
 >  > works, but his assistant was holding a Simpson meter
 >  > and leaning against a
 >  > light pole. The arcs came out through the screws in
 >  > the back of the meter
 >  > and the current blew a 12" diameter hole in the back
 >  > of the assistant
 >  > killing him instantly.
 >  >
 >  > As I said, terror is your friend. You can overcome
 >  > it but it will always
 >  > make you think twice about what you do and what you
 >  > touch. Terror can help
 >  > keep you safe!
 >  >
 >  > Stephen A. Mathieson
 >  >
 >  > -----Original Message-----
 >  > From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla-at-pupman-dot-com]
 >  > Sent: Friday, November 28, 2003 9:35 PM
 >  > To: tesla-at-pupman-dot-com
 >  > Subject: Re: Terrified Parents
 >  >
 >  > Original poster: Tesla729-at-cs-dot-com
 >  >
 >  > In a message dated 11/28/03 7:02:46 AM Pacific
 >  > Standard Time,
 >  > tesla-at-pupman-dot-com writes:
 >  >  >All figures available at
 >  >
 >  >
 >
 ><http://www.cpsc.gov/library/data.html>http://www.cpsc.gov/library/data.htm
 >  > l
 >  >  >
 >  >  >So... statistically, Tesla coils have a better
 >  > safety record than consumer
 >  >  >electronics, trampolines, and candles.
 >  >  >
 >  >  ><In fact, every job, hobby, sport, activity, or
 >  > just
 >  >  >about anything worth doing carries a certain
 >  > amount of
 >  >  >risk. Tesla coiling occupies a pretty low spot on
 >  > the
 >  >  >risk scale, way below skateboarding, woodworking,
 >  >  >cycling, swimming, football, or even driving a
 >  > car.>
 >  >  >
 >  >  >Absolutely!!
 >  >
 >  >
 >  > Hi all,
 >  >
 >  > Yes that's very true but you also have to realize
 >  > that there is
 >  > relatively very few people that play with Tesla
 >  > coils, probably
 >  > less than .01%  of the general population. .01% of
 >  > nearly 300
 >  > million US citizens is still like 30,000 and I
 >  > seriously doubt that
 >  > there are 30,000 active coilers in the USA. I'm sure
 >  > that there
 >  > is a MUCH higher % participation in the other "more
 >  > hazardous"
 >  > activities (mowing grass, burning candles, driving a
 >  > car, ect.) than
 >  > there is in coiling. Since so realtively few people
 >  > practice coiling, there
 >  > is consequently few incidents. I'm sure that most
 >  > coilers playing it
 >  > safe does go a long toward keeping the accidents
 >  > low, too, though.
 >  >
 >  > David Rieben
 >  >
 >  >
 >
 >
 > _