Re: nst shock

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "raven0075 by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <raven0075-at-home-dot-com>

I have taken a few hits from different sources, never been knocked out but
did hurt a little.
20,000 volt Car Ignition coil, 12,000 volt 30 ma NST, 110 VAC wall outlet,
and Camera Flash circuit.
The NST put a small hole in my hand and went all the way to my shoulder as I
fell on my table (that hurt).
But from what I have read, don't quote me on this, but its the AMPS(Current)
that kill you not the voltage.
According to a study I found, here is how it works.
This is based on current actually breaking the skin, and flowing through the
body.
.1 amp to .4 will cause severe muscle contraction and tingling.
.4 amps to .7 amps will cause difficulty with breathing and severe muscle
contraction.
.7 amps to .9 amps will cause your heart to defibrillate (Really Really
BAD). and I say that because you will need a defibrillator to bring your
heart back to a normal rhythm and this must be done within a couple of
minutes before brain damage starts and then death.
1.0+ amps will stop the heart and can burn and blow off body parts in high
amp situations.  If you heart stops you can be brought back with CPR, any
one can do this but in most cases only Emergency services (Rescue, Fire and
Ambulance) carry defibrillators.

Electric Chairs use from 6 - 12 amps.
According to an article in the 6/7/1990 Washington Times, is 700-1000 volts
at 6 amperes for one minutes, then a second jolt of 2000 volts for another
minute. (In comparison, Edison claimed that 1000 volts would kill
instantly.)

I know a power line worker and that is really where you have the major
worries, some of them have had body parts blown off and been melted in there
buckets, but they are dealing with amps in the hundreds+.

Now most of the time, like anyone can relate that has taken a hit, muscle
contraction will save you, and cause you to jerk away form the source. (If
your lucky)

Lighting can produce up to 300,000 amps of current.

Think Safety, if you are not sure if its hot then don't touch it until you
have tested it with a millimeter or have discharged it properly.

Brian W.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
To: <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>
Sent: Sunday, July 01, 2001 10:56 AM
Subject: Re: nst shock


> Original poster: "Mark Fergerson by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mfergerson1-at-home-dot-com>
>
>   There's lucky and there's lucky. Anybody who survives _any_ kind of
> HV shock is very lucky.
>
>   Some of us have a history...
>
>   In my youth, I knew a Ham who tried to "Elmer" me in the arcane
> (electrical) arts. One of the "hands-on" tricks he showed me was
> estimating the output of a TV HV supply by drawing an arc off the 2nd
> anode lead with the index fingertip of the _right_ hand. You turned
> the set on (case removed) and waited for it to warm up, then leaned
> your _right_ elbow on the frame (remember grounded chassis?) and
> brought your fingertip near the 2nd anode on the picture tube. He
> absolutely insisted I keep my left hand in my pocket (guess who
> started that "tradition"). Great way to impress the uninitiated, I
> thought, until I tried to show a girl I wanted to impress, and
> sneezed. I woke up across the room. Never done it since.
>
>   A few years later, I went to turn on the lights in the family garage
> (wired string-and-post with 220!, w/unenclosed switches) with my
> sweaty hand. I woke up ten feet away after bouncing off the garage
> door. Now I carry a Mini-Mag on my belt and look first.
>
>   My High School Radio Shop teacher would wake up sleeping students by
> tossing them a charged electrolytic and yelling "catch"! Not quite
> enough to induce temporary unconsciousness, fortunately.
>
>   When in the Air Force, I disconnected a generator set from the load
> bank _before hitting the unload switch_. I woke up about twenty feet
> away.
>
>   Some of us are _very_ lucky. I eventually decided I'm one of them.
> I've learned to never assume anything is electrically "dead". It was
> so bad for a while that I'd always first touch _anything_ with the
> back of my hand (involuntary muscular contraction makes you remove
> your hand if "live").
>
>   No permanent damage AFAICT, except a fascination with things that go
> ZAP!
>
>   Please be consciously safe until you learn safe automatic habits.
>
>   Mark L. Fergerson
>
>
>