Tossing a charged Capacitor in the Bathtub

[Jules Richardson]

Heh, we used to do that too at school in the electronics lab - 240VAC would make them go bang quite nicely.

I love Nixie stuff. I had a big old calculator (IME 86) with a Nixie display for a while, but didn't keep it when I move to the US (decided it was too heavy to ship). Hopefully at some point I'll find something similar this side of the Atlantic!

I did pull some Nixies from some old grain analysis equipment, which will probably end up as a clock display one day (possibly one based on neon tube logic)

cheers

Jules

[HeyBub]

Okay, I stand corrected. Thanks for the new information.

[EXT]

Yeah, I've still got an old nixie calculator that I use in my workshop. It is big and heavy enough that it doesn't get lost, and it works no matter how much sawdust accumulates on it. Believe it or not, it was made by Sony. Some of the display tubes are getting a little weak.

[micky]

Wow.

I've had 110, but never 240. 240 has scared me more but if they didn't kill you, maybe I'll relax.

But I did touch something in a tv once, not the high votage, not the picture tube, but higher than I'd had before. I'm thinking it was the boost, 1000 or 2000.

I was crouched or on my knees and without thinking, I jumped all the way back to the other side of the room, and my shoulder was dislocated. something that haden't happend for over 10 years.

After that, it dislocated a lot, 4 times in one week, and I had to have the surgery I had postponed for 15 years. 30 years later, hasn't come out again.

[JimT]

It depends on the amps. But I'm not going to test that.

[JimT]

You might be right. He was smiling afterward. The timing is classic. The sound is what hurts.

It sounds like a 60 cycle hum but then why is he talking about discharging?

[bob haller]

my best friend bill is a retired electrical engineer.

as to the cap in the bathtub, he said since the easiest path would be close to the 2 terminals, so the victims shock would be minimal. he went on to say the entire tub would have a voltage gradient. similar to a lightning strike but of course far less.

on the GFCI question my buddy uses one as a backup water tank overflow shutdown.

You would get a minor shock but non lethal.......

[krw]

I've had a few 750VDC shocks. Ouch!

In the US, 240V is just two 120V circuits. It's pretty hard to get yourself across both at once.

[Bob_Villa]

Most residential circuits in the US are 220/110...110 being the center- tap of your utilities transformer. Things in the home such as, heat registers, clothes dryers, water heaters...tend to be 220 volts.

[trader4]

His valid point was that it's very difficult to wind up with

240V involving your body. You'd have to be in the path of BOTH hots, which is fairly hard to do. Even if you're working on a 240V outlet that is energized or say a water heater, it's not likely you're going to grab one hot with one hand, the other hot with the other hand. That is what you'd have to do to get 240V. Typical would be to grab one hot while being grounded, in which case you'g be exposed to 120V. Same thing if one hot shorts to metal in say an ungrounded appliance. The case will be hot, but only at 120V.

[Bob_Villa]

Understood.

[krw]

No, they're 240V and as I said, it's really two 120V circuits; very hard to get across both (accidentally).

[Bob_Villa]

Actually, it's closer to 115/230.

[dpb]

On 1/29/2012 12:33 PM, Bob_Villa wrote: ...

Actually... :)

ANSI Standard C84.1 specifies that the nominal voltage at the source should be 120 V and allow a range of 114 to 126 V (?5% to +5% Range A). Service Range B has wider tolerances.

Nameplate voltages are lower to recognize voltage drop from service to application point. IIRC, 115 is the corresponding value in current the Standard.

Historically 110, 115 and 117 volts have been used at different times and places in North America.

--

[JIMMIE]

Depends on how conductive the water is. Unless you are in a tub of distilled water it will discharge. The more conductive the water the faster.

Jimmie

[krw]

No.

[gregz]

In my experience I see more like 120-125 or up to 250 vac.

Greg

[krw]

The nominal spec is 120/240.

[krw]

They sell more electricity. ;-)

[TimR]