Ernie wrote:
12 years back there was a CB'er that had a double 3-500 Z amp with
3500 volts on the plate that lived next door to me.

One day he noticed he was running about half power instead of
full bore so he popped the top of the amp and noticed one of the
wires on the tube caps (PLATE) had come unsoldered.....so
instead of turning the amp off he melted the solder a bit with his
insulated soldering iron and forced the wire back into the molten
puddle....It worked!.......Then holding a large roll of bare solder in
his hand he added a bit more to the molten solder

It didnt take him long to let go of that roll of solder in his bare
hand!!!

Something similar happened to a friend who was doing some soldering on a
power amp that was still switched on. He wasn't as stupid as that CBer
above, oh no. He had passed his amateur exams, so he knew he was working
on a "safe" part of the amp, well away from the 3kV.

Well...

He was using a whole reel of solder, and holding the end between finger
and thumb, kinda like you do. But he wasn't paying too much attention to
the rest of the reel - it slipped off his other finger, and unwound into
the amp. Guess where?

He had a nasty little burn on his thumb, and an even nastier little hole
in his shirt-front where his chest had been pressed against the case of
the amp. He's very lucky indeed to be alive.


--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

I seem to recall that one of the early founders of amateur radio in
the US died from a similar accident.

Details escape me, although I recall reading about it sometime last
year.

Happy trails,
Gary (net.yogi.bear)
------------------------------------------------
at the 51st percentile of ursine intelligence

Gary D. Schwartz, Needham, MA, USA
Please reply to: garyDOTschwartzATpoboxDOTcom

On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 16:11:10 +0100, "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

Hi Ian,

Was it you who carried out some tests a while ago trying to simulate
the measurement of S - parameters through Spice? I know you've got a
VNA, but I'm talking here strictly about *simulation* of transistor
reflection coefficients, for the avoidance of doubt. Was that
yourself?
--

"What is now proved was once only imagin'd." - William Blake, 1793.

Paul Burridge wrote:
On Sat, 21 Aug 2004 16:11:10 +0100, "Ian White, G3SEK"
wrote:

Hi Ian,

Was it you who carried out some tests a while ago trying to simulate
the measurement of S - parameters through Spice? I know you've got a
VNA, but I'm talking here strictly about *simulation* of transistor
reflection coefficients, for the avoidance of doubt. Was that
yourself?

No.

--
73 from Ian G3SEK 'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek

On Sun, 15 Aug 2004 12:01:14 +0100 Paul Burridge
wrote:

Anyone got any high-current/low-voltage horror stories they'd care to
share?

Co-worker of mine wore his nice shiny new anniversary wrist watch
(with metal band) while working around his car battery. Pushed his
hand down into a tight spot and shorted the hot terminal to ground
with the band.

He said there was a flash and suddenly the band was starting to glow.
He jerked his hand out almost instantaneously, and the watch and band
sailed across the garage, hit the wall, and crashed to the concrete
floor.

He wore a bandage around his wrist for a couple of weeks, but all he
has to show for it now is the brand around his wrist that the
watchband left behind.

I have no idea what he told his wife....

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------

Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*Â*I'veÂ*heardÂ*ofÂ*aÂ*telephoneÂ*exc hangeÂ*painter
putting a can of paint down on the main exchange 50V
bussbars: caused quite a fire too. Another phone tech
had a fuse that blew once a week, he kept putting a
larger and larger fuse in until the wooden exchange
building burnt down.

Mark H

"Reg Edwards" wrote in message
...

But in my case I would prefer the more lax and broader definition of
Quality
: The ability to serve the intended purpose.

Well done Reg. I agree that definition fits in nicely with my (adopted)
expression which is "Fitness for use".
Terry.
PS. As an ex-Brit one of my most interesting and ironic experiences (around
1959) was trying to explain to a USAF Tech. Sgt. neighbour, of Mexican
background, the significance of the Boston Tea Party!
Sort of along the lines of, "Well actually old boy we lost that one; the US
Colonies went their own way to become the USA! Got that Carlos?"
IIRC his name was Carlos Valencia and he was married to a girl from around
New England. He fixed aircraft and I fixed his TV/Radio etc. Nice chap.

On Sun, 22 Aug 2004 12:26:33 GMT, Mark Harriss hath writ:

Another phone tech had a fuse that blew once a week,
he kept putting a larger and larger fuse in
:
:
until the wooden exchange building burnt down.

Problem solved! HI!HI!

73
Jonesy
--
| Marvin L Jones | jonz | W3DHJ | linux
| Gunnison, Colorado | @ | Jonesy | OS/2 __
| 7,703' -- 2,345m | config.com | DM68mn SK

"Paul Burridge" wrote in message
...
Hi all,

Anyone got any high-current/low-voltage horror stories they'd care to
share? You know; where your messin' about with a car battery or
something like that and forget to take your watch off or whatever.

Paul; I guess mine concerns 'zero amps'. Particularly, a motor generator
unit comprising a 48 volt 200 amp DC generator driven by a shaft coupled 3
phase 230 volt motor, which we moved a few miles. After supervising the
move, at night, I left the in charge technician and the crew to finish off
and went home to bed. Around 01.30h, I was roused by a phone call, "No
output". This unit HAD to be working by 09.30h at latest, next morning!
During the move the DC generator must have lost its 'residual magnetism' and
when restarted was putting out +9 volts instead of -48 volts and
consistently tripping the output circuit breaker when they tried to connect
it to the working equipment and batteries!
Although I had never encountered it before I had sufficient technical
background to surmise what had happened and after blowing a few fuses and
burning off a temporary lead in my hand was able to get sufficient negative
48 volt voltage onto the field winding of the unit. It recovered and was
there until all the equipment in that building was retired some 15-20 years
later.
Phew!
PS. 200 amps @ 48 volts is some 10 kilowatts, the output of one motor
generator set and there were 3 of them.

I heard of a newly installed phone exchange
generator that kept stalling when they cut it on to
the load: they pulled it all apart and checked every
part of the alternator and diesel motor with no
success.

Then one day they were trying again and these
linesmen rushed in from the pub next door shouting
and screaming: The grid in the area had been shut
down for line repairs so the immediate city block
had no electricity. They were knocking back a few
coldies when they heard the roar of the generator
and saw the lights in the pub flickering.

It seems the techs had wired it in without
relays to isolate the line input cables and were
trying to power an entire city block: no wonder it
was stalling. They were lucky they didn't fry a
linesman too.