Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!mailrus!ncar!noao!arizona!swituc!pmb
From: pmb@swituc.UUCP (Pat Berry)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Touching a "hot" connector
Keywords: touch, sensation, live, shock
Message-ID: <192@swituc.UUCP>
Date: 5 Aug 89 20:31:09 GMT
References: <89Jun8.160452edt.10877@ephemeral.ai.toronto.edu> <814@corpane.UUCP> <427@edai.ed.ac.uk>
Lines: 32

In article <427@edai.ed.ac.uk>, cam@edai.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.edai   031 667 1011 x2550) writes:
> very lightly brushing the surface. That's all just my guess. I've used
> the effect for 30 years to detect live mains by touch. It works best on
> shiny surfaces, stroked slowly with a very light touch. It is not a
> Not recommended unless you don't mind the occasional jolt from the
> mains, which probably means your skin ought to be on the dry side. I'm
> talking about 250V mains, by the way. 120 is less lethal.
> -- 
> Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.edai   031 667 1011 x2550
> Department of Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh University
> 5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK		

Like they say, don't try this at home!!!  What Chris does not mention is
that it only takes 100 ma (read that one tenth of an amp) to kill you!
At that current flow, your heart fribilates (shakes itself apart).  Above
that current flow, the heart plain stops.  Why risk your life when you
can buy a small voltmeter for under $15.00 in most hardware stores?

Please do not ever touch a wire to see if it is hot.  Such advice is not
only dangerous, it is criminal.  You risk dying on the off chance your
skin resistance is high enough to prevent the flow of a lethal amount of
current through your body.  120 volts will kill you just as fast as 240
volts.  If your body presents as much as 1100 ohms of AC resistance to
the 110 volt circuit, you will pass the lethal 100ma of current!

Come on guys, lets not kill off the readers with poorly thought out
postings.

-- 
Pat Berry KN7B
pmb%swituc.uucp@arizona.edu
KN7B @ WB7TLS.AZ packet radio