The Legend of The Porcellian Insulator / General Chatting / Forums

Forums

4hv.org :: Forums :: General Chatting

« Previous topic | Next topic »

The Legend of The Porcellian Insulator

Move Thread

LAN_403

dmg

Tue Jan 19 2010, 05:27AM

Registered Member #2628 Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627

Tis' the story about how I got my very first insulator, which I now use as a center tap ground terminal for an XMFR stack I am building, here's how the story goes:

It was a calm saturday morning, I was at a place were they were training dogs, (dont ask what I was doing there, its a long story) anyway, they train dogs to guard, agility, competition, general obidence etc. now, that may be amusing for an hour or so, but after awhile It can get pretty damn boring, (you can only stare at a dog so long ripping somebodies pants off...) so to pass the time, I took a hike into some nearby woods.

So after bushwacking for about an hour and smashing random stuff with a stick, I ran across an old fence with barbed wire, it was a 3 wire configuration, with a rotting pole, so me bieng lazy, I didnt want to walk through the thick woods around the fence to get to the other side, and I didnt want to climb (I like my manhood intact without a rusty barb impaled in it) so then I got an idea, I am wearing steeltowed boots, its a rotting piece of wood,
So I give the pole a nice hard boot, which smashed the thing in half, knocking down the first two top wires with the pole to the ground, so I step over it and continue on my hike, Untill I see it, Like a white maiden with long golden hair (well orange) it was laying there, covered in a bit of mud and some loose barbed wire,

I pick it up, clean it a little on my shirt, and remove the wire, (had a knife) so I sit there for about 10 minutes staring at the thing, mumbling something unintelligable and stroking the insulator with my finger (its mine, my precious)

So I headed back, and ended up killing about an hour and a half,
so this is my story, would love to hear yours.

IntraWinding

Wed Jan 20 2010, 11:01AM

Registered Member #2261 Joined: Mon Aug 03 2009, 01:19AM
Location: London, UK
Posts: 581

At school I had a friend with a remarkable knack for getting industry to give us guided tours of interesting factories - plus free samples!

During one tour we got a tip off there where loads of mains electricity pylon insulators stacked in a field that had been there for so many years no one was sure any more if they were stored or dumped. Apparently we could probably help ourselves to the loose ones without any problems.
When we arrived there where perhaps 100 in very old wooden protective frames, but none loose on the ground. We considered 'liberating' a few, but these things where huge and heavy and, from my point of view, actually quite ugly with their large metal fittings on either side used to string them into chains for 132KV or 400KV use. Just then someone big and loud started shouting at us and in the end we gave up and left.
Close, but no insulator. Does that count as a legend?

These are similar to them, but ours were in dark brown ceramic I think.

Arcstarter

Wed Jan 20 2010, 09:58PM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

After hurricane Ike hit me straight on, there where many pole pigs, insulators, and other things all over the place. Most of the pigs exploded on impact with the ditches, and almost every insulator was FUBAR'd.

One day while going to see the damage on my brother's apartment, in the front of a local bank i saw a couple large PFC capacitors. A few weeks later they where still there. Knowing they had to be dead, i decided to take them for the insulators, which happen to be solder on.

I got the 50 pound 200Kva beasts home, and over the next few months, somewhere in there, i checked them for capacitance. One was alive, one was dead. Charged one to 20-40 joules and it exploded mosfets and actually blew up pickles and would completely crush a soda can after about 10 shots.

Anyway, i took my angle grinder to the cap after draining the oil (that stuff burns!) and used a tiny pencil torch on the joint on the insulator... After awhile i got one out. Still have one.

Good times :D.

And off topic, it seems every time i salvage something electronic that is good, my manhood is also in slight danger. Tv's almost crashing into it and of course, fences getting a little too close for comfort...

dmg

Wed Jan 20 2010, 10:08PM

Registered Member #2628 Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627

yeah, I had a few near misses too, dropping XMFRs on my foot, falling off my bike, face first into something not so soft as I try to ride a bike while carrying a microwave in one hand an steering with the other, dropping a tv and hoping to god that the tube doesnt rupture and send glass shrapnel to my nads... 1,2..3 okay im good.

wylie

Sat Jan 23 2010, 03:55AM

Registered Member #882 Joined: Sat Jul 07 2007, 04:32AM
Location:
Posts: 103

I cant compete, but I'll chime in anyway. It's my nature.

My First MOT

Working as an exam assistant for Natl. Bd. Of Examiners in Optometry. I maintained the inventory of test books for each exam, and in between exams I handled alot of office duties. Like the kitchen.

The LCD display in the microwave had been slowly creeping below the masked-off visible area in the case. Eventually it finally fell below the visible line entirely and the unit became unusable. I swear, i didn't slam the door extra hard that last time i used it.... As kitchen master, i reported the failed equipment to my supervisor who decided (without consideration) to replace the unit. Bit of hot glue and a screwdriver and i most likely could've gotten that sucker back to usable condition. Ride it till the wheels fall off! (or till the magnetron finally dies).

Tangent: My current microwave is also having display problems. I think there's a ribbon cable issue in the door hinge (display and controls are door-mounted). Will i fix it or steal the parts? Only time will tell. /Tanget-Off

I didn't ask for permission to take it, but I was in charge of putting it out for the trash. So i diverted it to my office, where i had a screwdriver (but no hot glue), and proceed to pop it open and take out the MOT, cap, diode and the interlock switch. Wrapped the MOT in some bubble wrap i had handy, and a sweater, and secreted all my components in my backpack. When it went out to the trash, no one was any-the-wiser. Except the trash guy who might've been like "wtf, this microwave is so light!" I doubt it, unless he was also looking to salvage some parts

The whole trip home on the train and the bus, i was worried about the MOT being too heavy and ripping out the bottom of my pack, so i tried to carry it without being too conspicuous. "Why is that guy's backpack so heavy?" It was post 9/11 in suburban Maryland (bethesda to rockville), so it was pretty amazing i didn't get questioned by the police on my journey.

I arrived at home with my bounty a little over an hour later and proceeded to furiously google "Microwave Oven Transformer." Once i learned the "MOT" acronym, my searches became more useful....and eventually led me to 4hv.org.... I was pulling arcs with lamp cable, toaster-oven-ballast, and a pvc-stick tipped with a steel nail in a few hours. But the damage had a further reach than that.

6 Years later:

1. Still no shocks. (I had 2-3 before i bothered to learn the basics (before the MOT experience). none since

)
2. I could build a damn nice inverter if i'd just buy the parts and an o-scope.
3. My LtSpice sims tend to agree with reality.

All thanks to 4hv.

Y'all have rocked my world. In the Best Way.

dmg

Sat Jan 23 2010, 04:25AM

Registered Member #2628 Joined: Fri Jan 15 2010, 12:23AM
Location:
Posts: 627

your story doesn't have to be about insulators, MOTS and other stuff is perfectly fine, as for your microwave, I think that the ribbon cable might be shorted, It usually has very poor insulation, by the way, here's an interesting question,
I opened up about 10 - 15 microwave ovens for parts, but one time I found a panasonic and inside were Quartz halogen heating tubes that run off mains, I wonder what the hell is a heating tube doing in a microwave.

Arcstarter

Sat Jan 23 2010, 05:48AM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

gatedbreakdown wrote ...

your story doesn't have to be about insulators, MOTS and other stuff is perfectly fine, as for your microwave, I think that the ribbon cable might be shorted, It usually has very poor insulation, by the way, here's an interesting question,
I opened up about 10 - 15 microwave ovens for parts, but one time I found a panasonic and inside were Quartz halogen heating tubes that run off mains, I wonder what the hell is a heating tube doing in a microwave.

I have found either one or two microwave ovens that are kind of a hybrid. A cross between microwaves, and heating elements for heating. A food lover (like me)'s dream! :D. I used one of the heating elements (and some aluminum foil to act like an oven!) to depot my NST.

I have too many stories of how i got things to choose from, so i will just explain the heaviest one. My pole pig :).

I always wanted a distribution transformer. One day after a hurricane over a year (and a half?) ago, i was looking around, trying to find things people have thrown out due to damage form the storm (and to get away from my crazy house). Well, i saw many pole transformers that where thrown out, only to later be picked up by the garbage trucks, but this one was only about a mile from my house.

Of course, like the weirdo i am, i would do anything to get it home. I brought a dolly over there to do it

. When i got there i was kind of pissed off, because i checked the specs. For one thing it was 7.6kv, i wanted 14.4. But, it was 50Kw. That was good. And not so good is 22 gallons of transformer oil and 629 pounds.

Anyway, i somehow rolled the thing on it's side ofter to the dolly, and let it down. Stupid dolly was on top of something and it hit me in the forehead, but it was not bad. Anyway, i hauled it the mile to my house. I got scared when a power line repair man was near me XD. When i got it home the pretty heavy duty dolly had a tire blow out, as soon as i was about to turn in to the driveway. I still hauled it to the back yard though, with a flat tire :P. It rolled over in the yard and i had to pick it up (thanks for helping dad... Pfft). When i was done, turned out i bent the hell out of the dolly XD.

Now i wish i could (ideally) sell it to get the money for a dual stage 10 micron rotary vane pump. Hehehe.

Moderator(s): Chris Russell, Noelle, Alex, Tesladownunder, Dave Marshall, Dave Billington, Bjørn, Steve Conner, Wolfram, Kizmo, Mads Barnkob