Hi,
Tom, then Rich wrote...
> >anyone who depends on bleeders to guarantee no HV after a given
> >period of time is a fool, and we should let Darwin's selective
> >evolution theory go to work and cull him out of the gene pool.
> >
> // The amount of energy stored (<100J) would be unlikely to cause
> death.
> I know of no one eho became a Silent Key because of an open bleeder
> resistor in a ham amp. All such decedents that I am aware of didn't
> pull the mains plug.
100 Joules, ill-timed with respect to the heart's intrinsic
excitation and unfortunately applied such that the right (or wrong,
actually) amount goes through the heart, is plenty to kill. What
usually happens though, is a big-a** "kick" as most of the skeletal
muscles get stimulated, and we are launched from our previous
position.
The safe way is: 1) pull the mains, 2) short the HV and 3) use the
one-hand-in-the-pocket method.
People who leave the mains plugged in are prime Darwinian candidates,
partly because even a "little" shock can make you jump and your
hand(s) can go where you didn't intend them... like the AC line, or
HV AC.
I had a shop-teacher Elmer (not a ham)who taught me "Every tool you
own is waiting to make you bleed." I've adapted that to "Every
electronic/electrical circuit is waiting to make you dead."
73,
George Daughters, K6GT
See you in the 2001 CQP!
(California QSO Party, October 6-7)
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