[AMPS] RE: Pencils and fiery inch-long arcs!

[George T. Daughters]

hi all,

dick wrote... (and others have, in a similar fashion)...

<snip>

> I STRONGLY urge that NO ONE get closer than a foot of very good insulation 
> to anything exceeding 120V ... and then only with one hand in a hip pocket. 
> If you MUST get inside your amplifier, PULL THE PLUG AND WAIT AT LEAST TWO 
> MINUTES BEFORE REMOVING THE COVER!
> 
> Then FIRST THING after opening the cover, short the HV line to chassis two 
> or three times with an HV-shorting stick,

i always do this, and use the hand-in-the-pocket method.  i have 
paraphrased what a shop teacher told his classes many years ago 
"every tool in here is waiting to make you bleed!" to...

"every voltage inside an amplifier is waiting to kill you!"

the truth of these is immutable.  i'll bet we've bled more 
frequently from screwdriver wounds than from table saw wounds.  and a 
little tiny shock from a 60v bias supply could cause a reflex jump, 
bringing you into contact with the HV.  so, always, every time...  
SAFETY FIRST!

73,

George T. Daughters, K6GT

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