Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!ames!indri!lll-winken!uunet!mfci!rodman From: rodman@mfci.UUCP (Paul Rodman) Newsgroups: sci.electronics Subject: Re: Touching a "hot" connector Keywords: touch, sensation, live, shock, click Message-ID: <976@m3.mfci.UUCP> Date: 7 Aug 89 20:30:10 GMT References: <89Jun8.160452edt.10877@ephemeral.ai.toronto.edu> <814@corpane.UUCP> <427@edai.ed.ac.uk> <1528@sunset.MATH.UCLA.EDU> <498@edai.ed.ac.uk> <2968@mit-caf.MIT.EDU> Sender: rodman@mfci.UUCP Reply-To: rodman@mfci.UUCP (Paul Rodman) Organization: Multiflow Computer Inc., Branford Ct. 06405 Lines: 22 > >If I were you, I would discontinue this practice and invest in a neon bulb >tester. The AC mains are something you should respect, there are many >needless deaths because of careless procedures. > And if you can spring for more money another nice tool is the "click box". A "geiger counter" for live wires. This little bugger will tell you if wires are live via their electric field, without any connection required. Very useful for those occasions when you have 20 Romex wires coming into an attic, say, and you want to know which one is your wire of interest. Just have somebody flip the breaker on and off and sniff for for the wire that clicks/doesn't click. Or you stick a light on the wire which is turned on and off at 1hz, and you sniff for that. Neon bulb a lot cheaper, tho. pkr