Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!ukc!castle!edai!cam
From: cam@edai.ed.ac.uk (Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.edai   031 667 1011 x2550)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Touching a "hot" connector
Keywords: touch, sensation, live, shock
Message-ID: <504@edai.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 10 Aug 89 15:25:46 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>
Reply-To: cam@edai (Chris Malcolm)
Organization: University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh
Lines: 30

In article <2968@mit-caf.MIT.EDU> ankleand@mit-caf.UUCP (Andrew Karanicolas) writes:
> I wrote:
>>Well, as I promised, I tested my resistance [etc.] ...

>You are placing yourself at immense risk.  You are making several 
>DEAD WRONG ASSUMPTIONS.  You measured your resistance but thats only
>part of the story.  You really need to measure the IMPEDANCE of your
> [lots more useful advice]
>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.

I can't stand it any longer! There is no alternative: I shall simply
have to tell the truth. Ever since I got a shock from the live mains
THROUGH a mains neon tester while standing with one foot in the
toilet bowl (it IS the smallest room), I have relied on a battery
powered remote mains tester, which detects mains AC fields through an
inch or so of sundry insulation, locates dead fuses without even taking
the cover off the fuse-box, detects live CRTs and electrostatically
charged cats at several paces, etc..

Did I mention the heroic electricians of my AC/DC boyhood, who would ask
my mother "You got AC or DC here Mum?", to which she would reply "I don't
know!", whereupon they would extract a light bulb, switch on the lamp,
plunge a thumb into the socket, and announce, "It's AC, Mum". I expect
they're all dead now, of course ...
-- 
Chris Malcolm    cam@uk.ac.ed.edai   031 667 1011 x2550
Department of Artificial Intelligence, Edinburgh University
5 Forrest Hill, Edinburgh, EH1 2QL, UK