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Registered Member #2390
Joined: Sat Sept 26 2009, 02:04PM
Location: Milwaukee Wisconsin
Posts: 381
Back in the day while welding on a dump truck body. Another welder was behind me working on another truck. He proceeded to turn around with the stick electrode still in its holder. Needless to say, he stuck it right in my back. I was very hot so the sweat in my glove that was touching the truck was enough to conduct the current. I was unable to use my left arm for 3 months. I don't recommend zapping yourself with a welder, even the high frequency start from a tig machine is enough to make you go buy new undies.
Registered Member #2063
Joined: Sat Apr 04 2009, 03:16PM
Location: Toronto
Posts: 352
Dr. Spark wrote ...
An old trick is to have one hand in back pocket when working on HV to ensure no current across the chest as has saved me a few times. I hate HV DC as had more issues jumping out and biting me. Worst was a HAM radio 2KWatt final, was tuning the plates and the HV supply bit me bad. Lucky one hand was in back pocket so just a bad burn. Hate HV DC indeed!
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
haxor5354 wrote ...
Dr. Spark wrote ...
An old trick is to have one hand in back pocket when working on HV to ensure no current across the chest as has saved me a few times. I hate HV DC as had more issues jumping out and biting me. Worst was a HAM radio 2KWatt final, was tuning the plates and the HV supply bit me bad. Lucky one hand was in back pocket so just a bad burn. Hate HV DC indeed!
Rgs, Dr. Spark
any RF burns?
Considering DC isn't RF, probably not
I have had a shock pretty similar to his, i was drawing arcs and the PVC that i used for a chicken stick, though 3 foot long and the voltage was 'only' about 6kv, the sweat from my hands must have made it conduct. I'd rather not go into details about the source, it's not particularly the proudest moment of my life I think i can officially say i am damn lucky to be alive!
Registered Member #3888
Joined: Sun May 15 2011, 09:50PM
Location: Erie, PA
Posts: 649
just mentioned it in the empa section, but i suppose it belongs here. i've taken several nasty shocks from capacitors, but the worst was 2400uf at 400v across the chest. my heart felt weird for about 2 hours. mains shocks are just a tingle compared to big capacitors. (and by mains, i mean my 115vac mains. haven't been hit by 230vac yet)
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
Dr. Spark wrote ...
An old trick is to have one hand in back pocket when working on HV to ensure no current across the chest as has saved me a few times. I hate HV DC as had more issues jumping out and biting me. Worst was a HAM radio 2KWatt final, was tuning the plates and the HV supply bit me bad. Lucky one hand was in back pocket so just a bad burn. Hate HV DC indeed!
Rgs, Dr. Spark
My favorite trick when working with anything live, does seem odd as you do look like ya crazy person dueling an electrical wire
The worst I've been hit with is 50 kV three times within a second, from a repeating pulse discharge powered Transformer... little bugger really makes an arm spasm, and the pulses were fast enough to keep hitting me before my muscles contracted enough to be out of discharge range... I could smell skin burning a little
I was lucky, I picked that power supply to "practice" working with HV due to the very low current it outputs, only around 1-5mA, ten if I ran it at full power. I still have that thing, and in the 9 years I've had it since I never got shocked again. I also learned from that same supply to use Momentary switches, as even though I got out of contact with it I had to grab it to turn it off!
I have known some people to have gotten the worst unfortunately, it is a fun but sometimes dangerous hobby.
Registered Member #1225
Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253
DaJJHman wrote ...
Dr. Spark wrote ...
An old trick is to have one hand in back pocket when working on HV to ensure no current across the chest as has saved me a few times. I hate HV DC as had more issues jumping out and biting me. Worst was a HAM radio 2KWatt final, was tuning the plates and the HV supply bit me bad. Lucky one hand was in back pocket so just a bad burn. Hate HV DC indeed!
Rgs, Dr. Spark
My favorite trick when working with anything live, does seem odd as you do look like ya crazy person dueling an electrical wire
The worst I've been hit with is 50 kV three times within a second, from a repeating pulse discharge powered Transformer... little bugger really makes an arm spasm, and the pulses were fast enough to keep hitting me before my muscles contracted enough to be out of discharge range... I could smell skin burning a little
I was lucky, I picked that power supply to "practice" working with HV due to the very low current it outputs, only around 1-5mA, ten if I ran it at full power. I still have that thing, and in the 9 years I've had it since I never got shocked again. I also learned from that same supply to use Momentary switches, as even though I got out of contact with it I had to grab it to turn it off!
I have known some people to have gotten the worst unfortunately, it is a fun but sometimes dangerous hobby.
Registered Member #2063
Joined: Sat Apr 04 2009, 03:16PM
Location: Toronto
Posts: 352
the worse shock i've got was from a charged film capacitor. I was connect it parallel with a fbt to draw so loud sparks, when i was done i left the chicken stick on my bench THEN disconnect the power to the flyback driver. meanwhile the film cap was still charged with 3 or 4 kV waiting to give me shock and it did
and there was once i was messing around with a removed secondary winding from a MOT, i was trying to make a big electromagnet and i was touching the terminals with both hands then when i disconnect it the back EMF gave me a real nasty shock.
Registered Member #902
Joined: Sun Jul 15 2007, 08:17PM
Location: North Texas
Posts: 1040
Arcstarter wrote ...
DaJJHman wrote ...
Dr. Spark wrote ...
An old trick is to have one hand in back pocket when working on HV to ensure no current across the chest as has saved me a few times. I hate HV DC as had more issues jumping out and biting me. Worst was a HAM radio 2KWatt final, was tuning the plates and the HV supply bit me bad. Lucky one hand was in back pocket so just a bad burn. Hate HV DC indeed!
Rgs, Dr. Spark
My favorite trick when working with anything live, does seem odd as you do look like ya crazy person dueling an electrical wire
The worst I've been hit with is 50 kV three times within a second, from a repeating pulse discharge powered Transformer... little bugger really makes an arm spasm, and the pulses were fast enough to keep hitting me before my muscles contracted enough to be out of discharge range... I could smell skin burning a little
I was lucky, I picked that power supply to "practice" working with HV due to the very low current it outputs, only around 1-5mA, ten if I ran it at full power. I still have that thing, and in the 9 years I've had it since I never got shocked again. I also learned from that same supply to use Momentary switches, as even though I got out of contact with it I had to grab it to turn it off!
I have known some people to have gotten the worst unfortunately, it is a fun but sometimes dangerous hobby.
-Jimmy
That sounds suspiciously like a taser
except in a taser the voltage drops to around 450V when contact is made, in my case it stayed at 50kV for each shock. (plus this thing would be hard to carry around running off of 120VAC) and tasers have momentary triggers, I had a rotary potentiometer that was also the power switch which was turned to full... I dropped the unit after the three shocks, and then had to be able to pick it up without receiving more and turn it off.
Personally I don't know what a taser feels like, and unless the next thing to shock me is a van de graff or a good horror film I think I'll pass
Registered Member #1643
Joined: Mon Aug 18 2008, 06:10PM
Location:
Posts: 1039
Worst shock for me is one of those dollar store shock pens. I have brushed my pinky finger on a flyback terminal when it was running, and i did get burn, but it didnt hut, It did due to burning, but not due to shock. So, I never encounter mains or anything, and I still rate those shock pens more shocking than the 330V that flash boards put out with no capacitor on it.
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What's the worst shock you've received so far in your life? (electrical)
I think i can officially say i am damn lucky to be alive!
