Yeah. I never built something over 400 volts, this is the biggest voltage Ive tried on my own skin, nothing pleasureable.... But voltages over 500 volts you will touch just once.... Im a young heart...
950V sucks HARD even if it's just from a focusing electrode on an old scope... Highest practical voltage I ever use is 640V...
I remember when I "tried" 450 volts... I was at home alone testing my experimental power amp. I have disconnected one anode of powertube (I didnt know about it) so the voltage raised from 350 to 450 volts maybe. I had both hands near the amplifier. With one I have touched some B+ thing and with another the chassis - very dangerous.... I was squating and when I touched, I felt how the voltage tries to cramp my muscles. So I have tried to fall down which worked so I broke the connection.
And that was only 450 volts! Imagine even 10uF cap charged up to 700 volts... this is INSTANT DEATH.
Even 640V is enough to kill but if it is properly insulated no "prototype breadboard" its okay.
And I know that large amount of DIYers are not the youngest people.....
I was happy that my pants werent wet
Instant death is a stretch unless your hand is wet or something, but none too pleasant.
We used to take 10uF caps, charge them to 400VDC, and then toss them saying "Here! Catch!" The person who caught it would get a shock on their one hand, and quickly throw the cap lol
Those "joy buzzer" toys or the shocking stick of gum are way worse IMHO
We used to take 10uF caps, charge them to 400VDC, and then toss them saying "Here! Catch!"
The person who caught it would get a shock on their one hand, and quickly throw the cap lolThose "joy buzzer" toys or the shocking stick of gum are way worse IMHO
> this is INSTANT DEATH.
Actually it is often a slow death. At first your muscles just cramp. If you can't let-go, the continued current flow breaks-down the dry layers of your skin into damp mush. Current increases.
Assuming say 700V and skin resistance broken down to 700 Ohms we have 700 Watts. Will cook your hand pretty quick. Takes longer to cook your arm.
Some data suggests skin resistance can fall to 100 Ohms, which makes 4,900 Watts. 5 times more than my microwave, and actually twice the power of the oven I would bake meat in.
Early electric chairs were like this. Not knowing how to quick-stop heart or brain, many condemned men were burnt to death.
Actually it is often a slow death. At first your muscles just cramp. If you can't let-go, the continued current flow breaks-down the dry layers of your skin into damp mush. Current increases.
Assuming say 700V and skin resistance broken down to 700 Ohms we have 700 Watts. Will cook your hand pretty quick. Takes longer to cook your arm.
Some data suggests skin resistance can fall to 100 Ohms, which makes 4,900 Watts. 5 times more than my microwave, and actually twice the power of the oven I would bake meat in.
Early electric chairs were like this. Not knowing how to quick-stop heart or brain, many condemned men were burnt to death.
Now the real question in my mind is where to get output transformers that are insulated for what realistically should be something like 10kV to have a decent safety factor.
Part of me really wants to build a big push-pull amp using 811As or even 572Bs (readily available and in production for amateur radio usage), but finding the OPT is the trick.
Part of me really wants to build a big push-pull amp using 811As or even 572Bs (readily available and in production for amateur radio usage), but finding the OPT is the trick.
The lower mu audio variants are still somewhat available, are easy to work with and work well at more normal audio type voltages, with the usual transformers.
And they have that thoriated tungten look.
For me, if I'm going to use monstrous tubes like that, I'm going all-out with several kV on the plate and obnoxious output power to match.
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