I haven't done anything too terribly dumb in a while (except yesterday when I rammed a candy machine with my vehicle for a fundraiser, long story). I've been in computers too long for good recent stories.
Some years ago, about twelve I guess (I was about eight) I tried to make a two-bulb lamp from sockets yanked from busted generic ceramic pull-chain light fixtures. The cool part was that since each socket had its own pull chain, you could turn it to off, 1/2 or full bright. The sockets were seated in what was basically a mound of dried clay shaped kinda like a lamp. The cord and plug were some assembled stuff-the-wires-in-and-screw-it-shut deal, so of course when I first plugged it in it blew up in my hand. No blown breakers, just minor electric burn on two fingers. I got it working within a few minutes anyways, after cleaning some black off the plastic plug parts.
About the same time I got ahold of about five small DC motors. I got the idea one day to plug one into mains current, but remembering the lamp incident I used a power strip with a switch on it. Yeah, the strip survived (my computer is plugged into it now) but the backend of the motor (plastic with contacts and brushes) literally flew off burning.
About the same time my sister (a class ahead of me) made an electromagnet in school, the generic copper wire around a nail type. The switch rigged up for it was a paperclip nailed to a board, and the loose end was pushed onto another nail, completing the circuit. It normally ran on a pair of D cells, but I got ahold of it and decided it would be better suited plugged into the wall. So I did.
Of course I forgot initally that the switch was turned off, and pressed it.
Beautiful white sparks for a brief instant, and the shape of a paperclip burned into my index finger for a while. That was fun.
I fell out of primetime electronics play about six years ago when I discovered computer programming (much easier for me to understand and make work safely), but now I'm working my way back in. Before I can really concentrate on being safe and all that though, my friend and I are gonna blow some stuff up with a 900W microwave transformer. Perhaps I'll report on the results. Man I need a digital camera.
Some years ago, about twelve I guess (I was about eight) I tried to make a two-bulb lamp from sockets yanked from busted generic ceramic pull-chain light fixtures. The cool part was that since each socket had its own pull chain, you could turn it to off, 1/2 or full bright. The sockets were seated in what was basically a mound of dried clay shaped kinda like a lamp. The cord and plug were some assembled stuff-the-wires-in-and-screw-it-shut deal, so of course when I first plugged it in it blew up in my hand. No blown breakers, just minor electric burn on two fingers. I got it working within a few minutes anyways, after cleaning some black off the plastic plug parts.
About the same time I got ahold of about five small DC motors. I got the idea one day to plug one into mains current, but remembering the lamp incident I used a power strip with a switch on it. Yeah, the strip survived (my computer is plugged into it now) but the backend of the motor (plastic with contacts and brushes) literally flew off burning.
About the same time my sister (a class ahead of me) made an electromagnet in school, the generic copper wire around a nail type. The switch rigged up for it was a paperclip nailed to a board, and the loose end was pushed onto another nail, completing the circuit. It normally ran on a pair of D cells, but I got ahold of it and decided it would be better suited plugged into the wall. So I did.
Of course I forgot initally that the switch was turned off, and pressed it.
Beautiful white sparks for a brief instant, and the shape of a paperclip burned into my index finger for a while. That was fun.
I fell out of primetime electronics play about six years ago when I discovered computer programming (much easier for me to understand and make work safely), but now I'm working my way back in. Before I can really concentrate on being safe and all that though, my friend and I are gonna blow some stuff up with a 900W microwave transformer. Perhaps I'll report on the results. Man I need a digital camera.
sidehack said:
You need the services of a good attorney, more like, to work out your will. I'm as serious as a heart attack: with what you wrote, and not much recent _safe_ experience with high power electronics, it sounds as if Uncle Darwin is calling. I strongly recommend safety first, last, and always, even when blowing stuff up. Otherwise have your friend take pictures from a safe distance so others can learn.
Francois.
I vividly remember when I was around 7 or so years old, I had this old record player and I thought it was so neat that I could wire it to the round hole on the 120V mains and the slit hole of the socket using a paper clip wire and it would still play. One day I was holding the wire and stuck it into both slit holes and....WOW what a flash!!. Although I didn't get shocked, the wire vaporized between by fingers before the breaker triped. I will never forget the smell of cooked human flesh as my fingertips were burned well through the skin. That one took quite a while to heal.
One time much later while in vocational school, I played a joke on the teacher. Took a large 200V cap and constructed a simple voltage quadupler from the small 35V AC power supply in class and charged it up. The teacher's stool he sat on had a metel base and could rock back slightly to recline. When he left the room, I duck taped the cap under his seat so the screw lugs would short when he leaned back. The poor man came 6" out of the chair without even touching the floor as the loud "POP" and slag flew across the floor as it looked like someone hit it with an arc welder.
He admitted it was a good one, but getting mad wasn't his style. He later returned the favor with a coil/magneto experiment.
One time much later while in vocational school, I played a joke on the teacher. Took a large 200V cap and constructed a simple voltage quadupler from the small 35V AC power supply in class and charged it up. The teacher's stool he sat on had a metel base and could rock back slightly to recline. When he left the room, I duck taped the cap under his seat so the screw lugs would short when he leaned back. The poor man came 6" out of the chair without even touching the floor as the loud "POP" and slag flew across the floor as it looked like someone hit it with an arc welder.
He admitted it was a good one, but getting mad wasn't his style. He later returned the favor with a coil/magneto experiment.Don't worry, we intend on trying to bust oranges and things, not start fires. Breakers or fuses will be in line, safety glasses for everyone. All the stupid stuff I've done was at least ten years ago, before I knew all the rules about electricity. I just finished a fourth electrical wiring modification on my loft in the room here (we have plug-ins and lights on three-way switches), and there have been no problems to date.
whoa, Do I know you?
I think we were in the same class.
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I think we were in the same class.
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HFGuy said:While not project my "incidents" invlove pian and stupidity so here goes.
2) While working in my shop class building some silly metal box i had to drill a few holes inside some sheet steel. Being rushed for time i didnt want to clamp the steel metal to the drill press table. I decided to hold the steel metal in place with one hand and drill with the other. Figuring that was asking for trouble i decided to hold it with two hands and have a buddy pull the drill press down. We'll my buddy started to pull the press down and it kinda jerked down onto the sheet metal causing it to catch and spin the steel metal in place. Well the steel metal cut 1-2" long flaps in all of my fingers tips. A few mm more and i could have lead a very successful life of crime
CLASOB
Hi all,
CLASOB is a term some friends cooked up to discribe the situations your talking about.
It stands for
Conducts
Like
A
Son
Of a
*****
So if you have to 'put it out with a fire extinguisher', youve got a Clasob.
Ive had a few, but one of the more funney ones involved my first dog Nipper.
When I was living in Amityville New York (The north end, near the drug dealers, not on the soulth end near the horror house), the family up stairs abandoned a puppy in the back yard.
She was a small kinda sorta Rat Terrier dog. Anyhow being January it was no time for a short haired dog be be left outside. That night I became a dog owner without a clue.
She looked a lot like the RCA dog in the painting, so the Nipper name stuck. I also had a lot of RCA two way radios at the time, so there was another connection.
I brought her in and found something she could eat. Placed her on the couch and said "be good" and thought nothing of it.
What did I know about being a dog owner then? Nada.
Into the work shop. I was working on some project involving 9 volt batteries.
After a while I feel a paw on my leg. I look down, the dog looks up at me. Ok I pick her up and put her in my lap. "Your going to be a good dog right?" And she just looks at me.
Back to the project.
After a while this nose starts to make it's way from the belly button to the edge of the work bench, sniffing every little thing.
I was holding a 9 volt battery.
She starts to sniff, getting closer all the time.
Then Pow! Seems a dogs nose is conductive.
She had to sniff it three more time to be sure that voltage diden't smell good.
Nipper was a good dog, but not the brightest thing on four paws.
One day she chewed an extension cord and tasted Lilco Product. (Long Island Lighting Company, our theiving utility). Seems she diden't like the taste of AC either.
This is the same dog that chaced a snow ball through a chain link fence. Ever see a barrier landing on an aircraft carrier, it looked a lot like that.
What can I say, I miss my Nipper.
When I get done with this tour Im going to check out all the area animal shelters and try and find another Nipper. The full title will be NWD Nipper Mk2. NWD=Non Wonder Dog.
Later guys
Jack Crow in Kuwait
Hi all,
CLASOB is a term some friends cooked up to discribe the situations your talking about.
It stands for
Conducts
Like
A
Son
Of a
*****
So if you have to 'put it out with a fire extinguisher', youve got a Clasob.
Ive had a few, but one of the more funney ones involved my first dog Nipper.
When I was living in Amityville New York (The north end, near the drug dealers, not on the soulth end near the horror house), the family up stairs abandoned a puppy in the back yard.
She was a small kinda sorta Rat Terrier dog. Anyhow being January it was no time for a short haired dog be be left outside. That night I became a dog owner without a clue.
She looked a lot like the RCA dog in the painting, so the Nipper name stuck. I also had a lot of RCA two way radios at the time, so there was another connection.
I brought her in and found something she could eat. Placed her on the couch and said "be good" and thought nothing of it.
What did I know about being a dog owner then? Nada.
Into the work shop. I was working on some project involving 9 volt batteries.
After a while I feel a paw on my leg. I look down, the dog looks up at me. Ok I pick her up and put her in my lap. "Your going to be a good dog right?" And she just looks at me.
Back to the project.
After a while this nose starts to make it's way from the belly button to the edge of the work bench, sniffing every little thing.
I was holding a 9 volt battery.
She starts to sniff, getting closer all the time.
Then Pow! Seems a dogs nose is conductive.
She had to sniff it three more time to be sure that voltage diden't smell good.
Nipper was a good dog, but not the brightest thing on four paws.
One day she chewed an extension cord and tasted Lilco Product. (Long Island Lighting Company, our theiving utility). Seems she diden't like the taste of AC either.
This is the same dog that chaced a snow ball through a chain link fence. Ever see a barrier landing on an aircraft carrier, it looked a lot like that.
What can I say, I miss my Nipper.
When I get done with this tour Im going to check out all the area animal shelters and try and find another Nipper. The full title will be NWD Nipper Mk2. NWD=Non Wonder Dog.
Later guys
Jack Crow in Kuwait
John Hope's "paint tin tele" gets my vote for tops of thread! Charming as hell.
A bit of morbid irony, I wondered after reading quite a few of these at the edge of my seat, how many unheralded cockups have gone to an early grave by more successful aspirants to the Darwin Awards than ourselves. We're still here. Toast yourselves with something appropriate!
A bit of morbid irony, I wondered after reading quite a few of these at the edge of my seat, how many unheralded cockups have gone to an early grave by more successful aspirants to the Darwin Awards than ourselves. We're still here. Toast yourselves with something appropriate!
too many to replay, but the one that springs to mind is when i connected 2200uf caps to my quadII's, obviously these were too large to fit inside, so I wired them up outside, hanging off the back, all 450v. You'd think the first time would help you learn the dangers of electrickery.......
i think this item has plenty of potential for the most stoopid toy going tesla
i think this item has plenty of potential for the most stoopid toy going tesla
oh my oh my
Ok I have a couple of these that can go on the pile
first one - not quite DIY, it was at work...
You get your new mains junction boxes, these have bus conections instead of links. Without paying much attention you connect live and you connect neutral.
hey why's it all dark?
Somewhere accross the factory a 100A fuse was seen to get out and walk...
Second, and I'm glad to say that this wasn't actually me,
Back when I was a kid, we used to have an old b&w TV in a spare room that (as kids) we were allowed to watch if Dad wanted to watch 'match of the day' whilst 'The A-team' was on. Well it seems that the reception was pretty poor one Saturday.
Now my kid brother has figured 3 things:
One you need an ariel to watch TV.
Two a bent coathanger makes a good ariel.
Three the only place this thing is connected is at the wall socket.
After the lights had flickered we found him shaking like a * dog. Thankfully no harm done, although the black mark above the wall socket took some cleaning off...
I suspect he learnt something about electronics that day - hes a prototyping (mechanical) engineer now. At least you can see whats gonna kill ya.
Ok I have a couple of these that can go on the pile
first one - not quite DIY, it was at work...
You get your new mains junction boxes, these have bus conections instead of links. Without paying much attention you connect live and you connect neutral.
hey why's it all dark?
Somewhere accross the factory a 100A fuse was seen to get out and walk...
Second, and I'm glad to say that this wasn't actually me,
Back when I was a kid, we used to have an old b&w TV in a spare room that (as kids) we were allowed to watch if Dad wanted to watch 'match of the day' whilst 'The A-team' was on. Well it seems that the reception was pretty poor one Saturday.
Now my kid brother has figured 3 things:
One you need an ariel to watch TV.
Two a bent coathanger makes a good ariel.
Three the only place this thing is connected is at the wall socket.
After the lights had flickered we found him shaking like a * dog. Thankfully no harm done, although the black mark above the wall socket took some cleaning off...
I suspect he learnt something about electronics that day - hes a prototyping (mechanical) engineer now. At least you can see whats gonna kill ya.
I feel I must sympathise with your suicidal tendencies ... I have done so almost all my life... :S
230VAC is more or less a little jolt nowadays, it seems one gets kindof used to get electrified every now and then... No don't think YOU can get used to it too...
Anyway, out of all those hair-rising accidents here's two extremes:
Back when I was at primary school, I used to tinker with a transformer, switch, lamp and buzzer to create my first inventions... Little did I realise I had misconnected the switch to create a dead short, but the transformer didn't really mind... I did, because I couldn't get the buzzer to work. So in a frantic attempt to make it buzz, I bridged the transformer...
I ran out of time, and my mother sent me and my deathmachine to school and demonstrate it there... I flipped the switch, and darkened the school... I managed to blow the primary fuses, and the school remained black until the electricity company replaced them...
Years later, and I'm following University... I got my hands on some Helium-Neon Laser heads and was tinkering around with them... The heads were old, and didn't ignite easily. So one trick to get an old laser to work is to reverse anode and cathode. Stupid of me not to realise that the cathode is usually also connected to -case- ground.
I think I was lucky it was only a hair that made contact, because it could easily have costed my life. I was jolted with 3kV, and I had a flesh burn in one finger.
Nowadays, I'm workin in Switchmode Power Supplies R&D. As is often the case when new concepts are tried, things go wrong, and they explode.
Rule in the lab is: When something explodes, first check if the personnel is still alive and unharmed. If so, there shall be applause according to the quality of the explosion
I love my work
... I have done so almost all my life... :S230VAC is more or less a little jolt nowadays, it seems one gets kindof used to get electrified every now and then... No don't think YOU can get used to it too...
Anyway, out of all those hair-rising accidents here's two extremes:
Back when I was at primary school, I used to tinker with a transformer, switch, lamp and buzzer to create my first inventions... Little did I realise I had misconnected the switch to create a dead short, but the transformer didn't really mind... I did, because I couldn't get the buzzer to work. So in a frantic attempt to make it buzz, I bridged the transformer...
I ran out of time, and my mother sent me and my deathmachine to school and demonstrate it there... I flipped the switch, and darkened the school... I managed to blow the primary fuses, and the school remained black until the electricity company replaced them...
Years later, and I'm following University... I got my hands on some Helium-Neon Laser heads and was tinkering around with them... The heads were old, and didn't ignite easily. So one trick to get an old laser to work is to reverse anode and cathode. Stupid of me not to realise that the cathode is usually also connected to -case- ground.
I think I was lucky it was only a hair that made contact, because it could easily have costed my life. I was jolted with 3kV, and I had a flesh burn in one finger.
Nowadays, I'm workin in Switchmode Power Supplies R&D. As is often the case when new concepts are tried, things go wrong, and they explode.
Rule in the lab is: When something explodes, first check if the personnel is still alive and unharmed. If so, there shall be applause according to the quality of the explosion
I love my work
Does this qualifiy?
Tried to rig a monster vac out in the garage. Long time ago, I discovered a pile of vacuum motors at the local scrap yard. They had been tossed, with tags describing exactly why, so I was able to buy them by the pound for things like "stripped mounting threads" etc. It was a young tinkerer's dream come true.
I got six of them, wired them in parallel to my 120v garage wiring, and connected them all to a gang manifold of two inch pvc drain pipe before I made any attempt at all to flip the switch. Yes, it actually did do exactly what I had anticipated - for about four seconds. The vacuum produced would probably have taken my hand up the tubing if the wiring had not shuffled off it's mortal vinyl and proceeded to burn bright red before finally (belatedly) tripping the basement mains (which turned out to be far too big for the job). Call it youthful excess and be happy that noone was hurt.
Another one that gives me shivers years later (again circa fifteen yrs old) was my attempt to make a shredder/mulcher. I built the whole thing up from scrap metal and a five horse electric motor and was proudly showing it off to my older brother and his buddy by tossing leaves and twigs into it's gaping maw when his friend grabbed me by the arm and with a "whoa there" yanked me clear of the pully and belt - which had just begun to wind the end of my shirt-tail into its workings.
Jesus - how did we survive some of this stuff?
Tried to rig a monster vac out in the garage. Long time ago, I discovered a pile of vacuum motors at the local scrap yard. They had been tossed, with tags describing exactly why, so I was able to buy them by the pound for things like "stripped mounting threads" etc. It was a young tinkerer's dream come true.
I got six of them, wired them in parallel to my 120v garage wiring, and connected them all to a gang manifold of two inch pvc drain pipe before I made any attempt at all to flip the switch. Yes, it actually did do exactly what I had anticipated - for about four seconds. The vacuum produced would probably have taken my hand up the tubing if the wiring had not shuffled off it's mortal vinyl and proceeded to burn bright red before finally (belatedly) tripping the basement mains (which turned out to be far too big for the job). Call it youthful excess and be happy that noone was hurt.
Another one that gives me shivers years later (again circa fifteen yrs old) was my attempt to make a shredder/mulcher. I built the whole thing up from scrap metal and a five horse electric motor and was proudly showing it off to my older brother and his buddy by tossing leaves and twigs into it's gaping maw when his friend grabbed me by the arm and with a "whoa there" yanked me clear of the pully and belt - which had just begun to wind the end of my shirt-tail into its workings.
Jesus - how did we survive some of this stuff?
I have had two blinding experiences with electricity:
1) When I was in school, I decided to build a little motor. I used coat hangers to rest the coil ends on, put a magnet beside the coil and hooked up a 9V battery to the coil. To my surprise, it jolted a bit. I figured if 9Vs is good, 120 would be awesome. I stripped back some wire on a cord and attached it to the coat hangers. There was a loud noise and a bright flash. I couldn't see anything for a few seconds. The coil was welded at the ends to the coat hangers. My roomate was standing at my door and he said he was moving out if I burnt the place down.
2) A few weeks a go, I shorted 350VDC to ground with a screwdriver (by accident). Again there was a loud noise and a bright flash. I was deaf and blind for a few seconds. Its a good thing I don't work with explosives.
1) When I was in school, I decided to build a little motor. I used coat hangers to rest the coil ends on, put a magnet beside the coil and hooked up a 9V battery to the coil. To my surprise, it jolted a bit. I figured if 9Vs is good, 120 would be awesome. I stripped back some wire on a cord and attached it to the coat hangers. There was a loud noise and a bright flash. I couldn't see anything for a few seconds. The coil was welded at the ends to the coat hangers. My roomate was standing at my door and he said he was moving out if I burnt the place down.
2) A few weeks a go, I shorted 350VDC to ground with a screwdriver (by accident). Again there was a loud noise and a bright flash. I was deaf and blind for a few seconds. Its a good thing I don't work with explosives.
hehe i got a reckless one, when we were at school (about 12 or so) we cut a power cable and stripped the ends bare. Then we took single strands of wire and twisted those accross the ends of the powercable.
when we plugged the power cable in, yippeee Instant lightening.
all this happened in the school darkroom, so what better way to enhance the flashes then take the really large lens out of the enlarger and put this over the wires. Boom bigger flash and parts of the lens vaporised.
i break out in sweats just thinking about this now
when we plugged the power cable in, yippeee Instant lightening.
all this happened in the school darkroom, so what better way to enhance the flashes then take the really large lens out of the enlarger and put this over the wires. Boom bigger flash and parts of the lens vaporised.
i break out in sweats just thinking about this now
Mine's good too
I was making a Hot Dog cooker for the invention convention at my school. So I took two nails, hammerd them through a plank of wood, (for some reason I cant remember) coverd the wood with tin foil (note: it was also touching the nails) and took an old extension cord, cut off the female end, stripped the wires, and looped them around the nails.
I first tested this in my kitchen, so I placed the hot dog onto the two nails, and plugged it in. To my suprise the "cooker" erupted into a puff of smoke, the tinfoil had vanished, the board was burnt, the wires melted, the outlet was black and the fuse had tripped rofl. BUT - After all this, the hot dog actually got warmed up =P
This was in the USA, so it was 120v
I was making a Hot Dog cooker for the invention convention at my school. So I took two nails, hammerd them through a plank of wood, (for some reason I cant remember) coverd the wood with tin foil (note: it was also touching the nails) and took an old extension cord, cut off the female end, stripped the wires, and looped them around the nails.
I first tested this in my kitchen, so I placed the hot dog onto the two nails, and plugged it in. To my suprise the "cooker" erupted into a puff of smoke, the tinfoil had vanished, the board was burnt, the wires melted, the outlet was black and the fuse had tripped rofl. BUT - After all this, the hot dog actually got warmed up =P
This was in the USA, so it was 120v
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