Re: Safety: Grandad's admonishment I've never forgotten

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

Original poster: "Allanh by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <allanh-at-starband-dot-net>

There are OLD technicians and BOLD technicians, but no OLD BOLD technicisns.

allan

----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 11:38 AM
Subject: Safety: Grandad's admonishment I've never forgotten


>
> Original poster: "Dave Hartwick by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <ddhartwick-at-earthlink-dot-net>
>
> My Grandfather, who graduated from Pitt in 1929 with a degree in EE,
> admonished  when I was about 12 to always keep one hand behind my back
when
> working around dangerous potential levels. He and I were working on an
811A
> VTTC at the time. I do this to this day--habitually and instinctively. The
> idea is to prevent a charge from passing through both arms and thus
through
> the heart. (He was John V Heisch, 3DFW, W2KJ, W4KJ, now silent key)
>
> Of course, this technique is not sufficient for working around the HV side
> of a PDT, MOT or NST supplies--to say the least!!, but is a minimum
measure
> around any voltages that may be harmful.
> ESPECIALLY PDT, MOT, and large NST stacks, which will kill you dead. (When
I
> was in the 5th grade, I managed to my hands near the HV terminals of a
12/60
> NST and an arc got me. I don't know why I wasn't killed.)
>
> I'm just saying--if you've got to stick your uninsulated hands in there,
> keep one behind your back. Of course it is always best to power down prior
> to intervention.
>
> Anecdote: I was using an 1 ufd 2500 V MOT cap for a HV DC power supply
> (electrostatic speakers).
> Once, I somehow managed to get my elbow across the terminals of this cap
> while fully charged. I could not believe the energy discharged through my
> elbow--the pain. Had it passed through my arms, I'm sure I would have been
> killed.
>
> Dave Hartwick
>
>
>
>
>