>> Hmm. It's like natural selection, but backwards: the kids who get 
>> bored quickly enough don't figure out how to do it and survive to 
>> reproduce! :-D
> 
> That explains a lot, actually ... :)

Hmm... how depressing! :-S

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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> "It is, in principle, possible to insert a Europlug into a BS 1363 
> socket by inserting another object (such as a screwdriver or key) into 
> the earth hole first."
> 
> :-)
Back on my holidays in Ireland I've just used the native plug of some 
hotel room equipment upside down :) Then jammed the europlug in the 
mains holes.

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"Warp" <war### [at] tagpovrayorg> wrote in message 
news:48f38551@news.povray.org...
> Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
>> Nope. As the Wikipedia article explains, there are sprung-loaded plastic
>> covers that only move out of the way as the earth pin is inserted.
>
>  Is it guaranteed that the difference in potential between the earth pin
> and the physical ground is always very close to zero?
>
>  Because AFAIK there may be surprisingly large potential differences
> between the earth pins of neighboring buildings at some places.

When I was at university, there was a noticable potential difference between 
the earth pins on different floors of the same building. It played hell with 
the coax network cable...

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"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message 
news:48f381e2$1@news.povray.org...
> Gail wrote:
>> Next thing I was sitting with my back to the wall of the server cupboard
>
> Wow. I'm glad we only use half the voltage here. I've been shocked a few 
> times in the US, and while it leaves you shaking a bit, I can't imagine it 
> being bad enough to knock you down.

It didn't really. I was sitting on the floor fiddling with the server. It 
knocked me back about half a metre

When I said server cupboard, I meant it. It was a 'room' about 2.5 m long 
and just over 1 m wide

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Gail wrote:

> When I said server cupboard, I meant it. It was a 'room' about 2.5 m 
> long and just over 1 m wide

Gee, that sounds just like *my* server room...! o_O

Tell me, is it also freezing cold in there?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v8 wrote:
> ...which reminds me of the time I stood on an upturned BS1363 plug,
> barefoot.
> 
> Trust me, it hurt.
> 
> It hurt *almost* as much as a split second later, when I grabbed a
> red-hot gas fire griddle to support myself as I hopped around in pain.
> 
> I had a griddle pattern on the skin of my hand for, like, a month after
> that...
> 

...

Dear god.

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Nicolas Alvarez wrote:

> ...
> 
> Dear god.

...and *then* everybody was mad at me for yelling my head off at, like, 
6 AM on a Sunday. O_O

I mean hell, if you spiked your foot and then burned your hand, would 
*you* care what time of day it is???

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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On Mon, 13 Oct 2008 21:26:05 +0200, "Gail" <gail (at) sql in the wild (dot) co
[dot] za> wrote:

>
>"Darren New" <dne### [at] sanrrcom> wrote in message 
>news:48f381e2$1@news.povray.org...
>> Gail wrote:
>>> Next thing I was sitting with my back to the wall of the server cupboard
>>
>> Wow. I'm glad we only use half the voltage here. I've been shocked a few 
>> times in the US, and while it leaves you shaking a bit, I can't imagine it 
>> being bad enough to knock you down.
>
>It didn't really. I was sitting on the floor fiddling with the server. It 
>knocked me back about half a metre

You probably threw yourself back and it wasn't the electric shock. Working in
the business I have had more shocks than I can remember from 110 Vac tingles to
a 660 Vac wallop from a 3 phase distribution board. The most painful was when a
loose strand of wire pricked my finger with the power off and I hurt my hand
against the case getting it out of there. I knew the power was off but try
telling that to your reactions :)
I once got a 500 Vdc belt that lifted my feet off the ground even though I was
standing on a rubber mat and wearing insulating boots. As we all know ac throws
you off and dc makes you grab on so it was a reaction that made me jump
incidentally breaking the contact with the supply. It sure does waken you up ;)
Here are a couple of tips for everyone when working on live equipment. Wear
insulating footwear and keep one hand in your pocket. That way the current is
less likely to find a path through your body.

Incidentally when you see medics using that "Stand Clear, Stand Clear" electric
defibrillator. They are not starting the heart but stopping it. Think on :)
-- 

Regards
     Stephen

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Stephen wrote:

> Incidentally when you see medics using that "Stand Clear, Stand Clear" electric
> defibrillator. They are not starting the heart but stopping it. Think on :)

It's like rebooting a computer. Gotta shut it down to make it start back 
up again in normal working order. ;-)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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>> Nope. As the Wikipedia article explains, there are sprung-loaded plastic
>> covers that only move out of the way as the earth pin is inserted.
>
>  Is it guaranteed that the difference in potential between the earth pin
> and the physical ground is always very close to zero?

The Earth wires in your house (in the UK at least) are connected to the 
physical ground at your house, usually by being connected to the mains water 
pipe or some similar big lump of metal in the ground.  So I don't think 
there can be much of a difference, there is probably some building standard 
that gives limits on the resistance.  I assume these limits are set so that 
any potentially dangerous Earth voltage would result in the current in the 
defective device blowing a fuse.

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