Re: VDG's - dangerous

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Daniel McCauley by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <dhmccauley-at-spacecatlighting-dot-com>
> 
> > > The information I have read kind of hinted at this but
> >
> > > went on to say that you didn't want to mess with this
> >
> > > dangerous stuff...
> >
> > Takes some care.  van de Graaf currents go up with
> > such a rig....
> 
> Yes, be careful.  Most people are under the impression that since a van de
> graaf generator is electrostatic, that it isn't dangerous.
> However, if you have a powerful VDG, and you have someone standing on an
> insulator (for hair raising) etc.., the body acts just like a capacitor and
> the same goes with those Leyden jars.  These discharges can provide enough
> current to be lethal, although very rare.
> 
> Dan

	I have a very small VDG which only puts out 2 microamps on a good dry
day.  However, when I charge a small Leyden jar made from a 1-3/4"
diameter x 4" long polyethlene pill bottle (about 30 mmfd capacitance)
the latter can give very, very painful shocks.  I've attempted to
measure the voltage by discharging it into a large capacitor and
calculating the initial voltage from the resultant voltage on the big
one and knowing the capacitance ratio and get only about 75 kV (0.11
joules if I haven't slipped a decimal point), but it still bites.  With
a larger upper terminal (this one is made from 8" aluminum salad bowls
and isn't particularly smooth) and higher voltage the bite gets much
worse.

Ed