High voltage, ground, and human body

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PRR

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 30, 2010
Messages
11,143
Location
Maine USA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtlYi1yLTVQ

1:26

You don't need to listen, just watch.
 
Love it... that is internet advice in a nutshell. A cross between Mr wizard and jackass IX.

Funny thing is he appears to be a very slow learner  ;D ;D, if that was not staged.  ::)

It happens to be very informative by accident if it wasn't done on purpose.

JR
 
I've got a 50kV "Tesla" like that at work and treat it with great respect.  I wouldn't make a video like that for any money, he must have done it by accident no sane person would deliberately set that up beforehand!!
I once got a belt from a CRT in an old style TV tube at those voltages and it caused my heart to flutter for about 20 minutes, wouldn't recommend it!
best
DaveP
 
Indeed it is a voltage phenomenon, but the damage is caused by current that flows after the air path is ionized, like lightning.

Lots of science fair Van de Graf generators are harmless, and that ESD tester is surely set to sub-lethal current limits. High voltage can really get our undivided attention without killing us, as TASER weapons demonstrate. 

We have all seen the energy a lightning strike can release literally exploding trees. I used to have a old shop vacuum cleaner that was an accidental Van de Graf. After using it for a few minutes it would charge you up for a nasty discharge. I attached a several megOhm resistor to my light switch ground screw so I could discharge myself painlessly. In hindsight I should have fixed the vacuum. It probably had a faulty line cord ground, or was just a crap design. 

Who here hasn't been zipped by high voltage... ? (yet). I worry about the power company line workers, they can really get hurt if they screw up, because that high voltage has beaucoup current behind it... When the squirrels short across a high voltage fuse, there usually isn't much squirrel left to police up. Many people are a little too casual about the more modest mains voltage, and pay the ultimate price.

Be careful. 

Note: There was a recent thread about danger associated with phantom voltage (48V) and that is mostly harmless. !20VAC (165V peak) can be deadly in the right circumstances.

JR
 
Apparently this is his schtick.

What happens if you connect a car battery and _then_ feed the wires under the bench? http://www.electroboom.com/?p=68

What is that negative sign on the capacitor?
http://www.electroboom.com/?p=56

Can you get in trouble with 41V?
http://www.electroboom.com/?p=29

I must point out some oversimplification there. The frequency matters little until you get far past power or audio tones. And his "100K" for skin resistance is reasonable..... IF normally dry. I have been reading about swim-pool and hot-tub incidents. When well soaked you can be under 1K. Even 300 ohms. The can't-let-go threshold for adult males is >4mA, but lower for children. (In tests, children may not even try to let-go, just cry.) You can make a  case for a 1V limit. Fibrillation may need 30mA, which makes 10V potentially deadly.
 
Brilliant!
He doesn't seem to be making any more videos.
I hope that doesn't mean he's been permanently discharged. :eek:
 
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