[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
Re: question on safety
Original poster: BunnyKiller <bunikllr@xxxxxxx>
Hey Michael...
personally I wouldnt touch any part of any coil when it is
energized... as far as volts amps etc its more of a power thing
basically volts times amps in a crude relation...
I have been shocked by 40 volts from a welding machine and it hurt I
have also been semi-directly hit by lightning ( that REALLY hurt) and
I have seen 1" static electricity sparks jump from my finger ( fairly
high voltage) I have also experienced a shock from a HID spark
system from a car ( 30KV) with some discomfort. But there are
"records" from list members being hit by 15KV 120ma NST's and being
knocked to the floor and having some great difficulty regaining thier
composure for several hours.
A defibulator can stop a heart and that is no where near the voltages
we use for coiling but considering that the voltage and amperage in
combination is what will do you in... for example, the 1" static
spark jump from the finger was a mild snap with no after effects, the
40 volt shock from the welding machine was noticeable only during
contact, the lightning strike was serious... couldnt move for 45
minutes and left "fractal" looking bruises on my arm chest and leg.
The car spark system did more damage to my elbow when i pulled back
and hit the fender...the fingers had no damage... its a combination
of voltage present amps available and the resistance of the
"material" it has to travel thru....
capacitors when charged can do some very serious damage due to the
extreme current available at the time of contact... even small ( low
voltage hi mF) caps can blow apart a screwdriver tip when it contacts
both connections... and in reverse, a hi voltage low mF cap can do
the same thing but with more "punch" ( due to the higher
voltage Ohms Law) do some reading on coin shrinking... the
wire or should i say cable ( like in welding cable as thick as your
little finger) will basically vaporize when the cap is discharged
thru it... ehhhh plus the EMF involved does help in blowing it apart too ;)
best bet... dont touch... Coiling is a spectator sport look but
dont touch.... and by the way... if you are running a coil and
have an extra secondary sitting around in the near vacinity be
careful of that one too... but thats a whole new
thread electropherisis etc :)
Scot D
Tesla list wrote:
Original poster: "Michael Ong" <omenowner725@xxxxxxxxxxx>
hello, today i was presenting my tesla coil for my school project,
and i got asked if it was fatal to touch the spark gap or charged
caps. I honestly didn't know the answer to this question and was wondering if
anyone could answer it for me. my coil runs at 8kv 30ma with a cap
size of .01uf and i have always just assumed it was unsafe to touch
and in any case will give you a burn, who cares if it will kill you.
the chart on my class room says that 30ma is close to "possibly"
fatal, but it seems like there are a lot of factors like the
voltage, the path it takes through your body, your body resistance
at the time, and the climate conditions that plan key roles. anyways
i was wondering if there was an easy answer to this question of how
many amps/volts will kill you or if there are just too many factors
that are undetermined to correctly give an answer. thanks again for the help
-Michael