Post by thread:[OT:] More stupid electrical tricks...

OK, I've been quiet but this thread is just too good to leave alone. Back in college I had a part time job repairing the old-style pinball machines with 100's of relays, solenoids and contacts that would either get dirty or have their wires break. You get inside by sliding the glass off and then raising the bed like a car hood (bonnet). I was short so I would stand on a box at the front with most of my body hanging inside. I had been chasing a problem with the set of schematics and my non-technical boss insisted on standing next to me yammering away about something - I tried my best to ignore him. I found the broken wire, reached up for the soldering iron and proceeded to pick it up by the wrong end. After the seared flesh smell dissapaited, he decided that maybe he would go back to his office and let me concentrate. That is now my first level of testing a technician - hand them a soldering iron and see if they grab the right end. So far, I'm the only one to fail this. Only once, however. Steve -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

In message <spam_OUT404B45D8.8060605TakeThisOuTnycap.rr.com> Steve Nordhauser <.....digitalKILLspam@spam@NYCAP.RR.COM> wrote: > I found the broken > wire, reached up for the soldering iron and proceeded to pick it up by > the wrong end. Yee-OUCH! I've done that. The last time it happened was about six years ago - that was the incident that caused me to buy a soldering iron stand. Quick hint: the Antex all-plastic stands don't last very long. The ones with a weighted plastic base and a spring to hold the iron last ages IME. > After the seared flesh smell dissapaited, he decided > that maybe he would go back to his office and let me concentrate. Well, I suppose that's one way to get rid of your boss, even if it is an incredibly painful way. > That > is now my first level of testing a technician - hand them a soldering > iron and see if they grab the right end. So far, I'm the only one to > fail this. Only once, however. I've had: Numerous second-degree burns to my fingertips from various soldering irons Third degree burns from a short-circuited cable on a sealed lead-acid battery. Guess what - the fuse didn't go pop. Turns out there was a bit of wire stuck in the fuseholder. Second degree burns from the base of my thumb to the tip of my index finger on my right hand. Caused by picking up the soldering iron from the wrong end Two puncture wounds on the back of my right hand from a pair of falling tinsnips. Did I mention these tinsnips were 1.5kg heavy duty things dropping from a height of 7ft 6in? First degree (very minor) burns from a shorted lithium battery. Thankfully the battery was almost kaput. Minor cuts and puncture wounds from an exploding capacitor. Not a big one though. A few blood-blisters and cuts from a fan that decided to rapidly disassemble under power. One aluminium fan impeller straight into the side of my hand. Might as well have been a circular saw blade - it nearly took off one of my fingers! And that's just the ones I can remember! Not to mention the numerous first- and second-degree burns I got from overheating semiconductors. Beware the heat that lurketh in powered transistors, for it be very good at cooking flesh. Later. -- Phil. | Acorn Risc PC600 Mk3, SA202, 64MB, 6GB, philpemKILLspamdsl.pipex.com | ViewFinder, 10BaseT Ethernet, 2-slice, http://www.philpem.dsl.pipex.com/ | 48xCD, ARCINv6c IDE, SCSI ... "Bother", said Pooh, as he accidentally deleted his message base. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: [PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads

Hehehe, this reminds me of an incident that happend to a mate quite a few years ago. He came around one day with this long thin burn on his nose. It turns out that to test if his iron was hot he would bring it close to his nose, needless to say he never used that method again. :) jmh. {Quote hidden}>OK, I've been quiet but this thread is just too good to leave alone. >Back in college I had a part time job repairing the old-style pinball >machines with 100's of relays, solenoids and contacts that would either >get dirty or have their wires break. You get inside by sliding the >glass off and then raising the bed like a car hood (bonnet). I was >short so I would stand on a box at the front with most of my body >hanging inside. I had been chasing a problem with the set of schematics >and my non-technical boss insisted on standing next to me yammering away >about something - I tried my best to ignore him. I found the broken >wire, reached up for the soldering iron and proceeded to pick it up by >the wrong end. After the seared flesh smell dissapaited, he decided >that maybe he would go back to his office and let me concentrate. That >is now my first level of testing a technician - hand them a soldering >iron and see if they grab the right end. So far, I'm the only one to >fail this. Only once, however. > >Steve > >-- >http://www.piclist.com hint: PICList Posts must start with ONE topic: >[PIC]:,[SX]:,[AVR]: ->uP ONLY! [EE]:,[OT]: ->Other [BUY]:,[AD]: ->Ads -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

>-----Original Message----- >From: Hulatt, Jon [.....jhulattKILLspam.....MONSTEREUROPE.COM] >Sent: 08 March 2004 08:04 >To: EraseMEPICLISTspam_OUTTakeThisOuTMITVMA.MIT.EDU >Subject: Re: [OT:] More stupid electrical tricks... > > >I've never really been very good at catching things. However, >one time when I knocked the soldering iron off the desk, I >instinctively managed to catch >it- an outside chance. I fully regretted this rare show of >coordination, and vowed to be permanently uncoordinated from then on. > I reckon this is pretty common, it's certainly happened to me! Catching a falling soldering iron is an automatic reflex you "unlearn" very quickly! Regards Mike ======================================================================= This e-mail is intended for the person it is addressed to only. The information contained in it may be confidential and/or protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you must not make any use of this information, or copy or show it to any person. Please contact us immediately to tell us that you have received this e-mail, and return the original to us. Any use, forwarding, printing or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. No part of this message can be considered a request for goods or services. ======================================================================= Any questions about Bookham's E-Mail service should be directed to postmasterspam_OUTbookham.com. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

same goes for knives though i have managed to learn without actually learning the lesson ;-> -----Original Message----- From: pic microcontroller discussion list [@spam@PICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Michael Rigby-Jones Sent: Monday, March 08, 2004 7:19 PM To: KILLspamPICLISTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU Subject: Re: [OT:] More stupid electrical tricks... {Quote hidden}>-----Original Message----- >From: Hulatt, Jon [RemoveMEjhulattTakeThisOuTMONSTEREUROPE.COM] >Sent: 08 March 2004 08:04 >To: spamBeGonePICLISTspamBeGoneMITVMA.MIT.EDU >Subject: Re: [OT:] More stupid electrical tricks... > > >I've never really been very good at catching things. However, >one time when I knocked the soldering iron off the desk, I >instinctively managed to catch >it- an outside chance. I fully regretted this rare show of >coordination, and vowed to be permanently uncoordinated from then on. > I reckon this is pretty common, it's certainly happened to me! Catching a falling soldering iron is an automatic reflex you "unlearn" very quickly! Regards Mike ======================================================================= This e-mail is intended for the person it is addressed to only. The information contained in it may be confidential and/or protected by law. If you are not the intended recipient of this message, you must not make any use of this information, or copy or show it to any person. Please contact us immediately to tell us that you have received this e-mail, and return the original to us. Any use, forwarding, printing or copying of this message is strictly prohibited. No part of this message can be considered a request for goods or services. ======================================================================= Any questions about Bookham's E-Mail service should be directed to TakeThisOuTpostmasterEraseMEspam_OUTbookham.com. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

Jon, On Mon, 8 Mar 2004 08:03:54 -0000, Hulatt, Jon wrote: > I've never really been very good at catching things. However, one time when > I knocked the soldering iron off the desk, I instinctively managed to catch > it- an outside chance. Ouch! I'm terminally clumsy, which means I'm forever dropping things or knocking them of tables. This means that I have a lot of practice catching things, so I've got very good at it! But I have also developed a very fast go/no go decision process. As something is falling I have the ability to decide, usually in time, whether to try to catch it (if it's not dangerous and if there's time), whether to try to get one of my feet underneath it to break its fall (light, fragile things fall under this category - I've saved a wineglass like this before now) or whether to move everything out of the way and let it hit the floor (soldering irons, hammers, chisels, knives - anything hot, heavy or sharp fits this!). I've never been very good at physical skills, but this one is pretty useful and it surprises me how successful I am at it. I still drop things, though :-) Cheers, Howard Winter St.Albans, England -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

>-----Original Message----- >From: Hulatt, Jon [RemoveMEjhulattTakeThisOuTMONSTEREUROPE.COM] >Sent: 08 March 2004 08:04 >To: PICLISTEraseME.....MITVMA.MIT.EDU >Subject: Re: [OT:] More stupid electrical tricks... >I've never really been very good at catching things. However, >one time when I knocked the soldering iron off the desk, I >instinctively managed to catch it.... This story might well be apocryphal, or at least wildly inaccurate, but there is a story form the past where I work, about a lad who was working one hot afternoon at his bench. Being hot weather, he was wearing shorts, and like some of you guys have also done, he dropped his iron. Not wanting the iron to hit the floor he caught it......between his thighs. I think if true, this must surely have brought tears to his eyes. All the best....Mike. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The list server can filter out subtopics (like ads or off topics) for you. See http://www.piclist.com/#topics

Back in high school (this will date me) lots of people wore big round haircuts ("afros" or what have you) there was one guy "Giesky" whose hair was a mess- just an excuse for not combing, and we gave him endless trouble over it which he took good-naturedly. One day he fell asleep with his head on the bench, and his matt of unruly hair was such a good insulator that he did not discover he was laying on a hot soldering iron until he woke up from the smell... -- Lawrence Lile Mike Hawkshaw <EraseMEmikeSPIKEY-MIKE.COM> Sent by: pic microcontroller discussion list <RemoveMEPICLISTEraseMEEraseMEMITVMA.MIT.EDU> 03/08/2004 10:00 AM Please respond to pic microcontroller discussion list To: RemoveMEPICLISTspam_OUTKILLspamMITVMA.MIT.EDU cc: Subject: Re: [OT:] More stupid electrical tricks... >{Original Message removed}

On Tuesday, Mar 9, 2004, at 11:54 US/Pacific, Peter L. Peres wrote: > You cannot beat dropping molten solder between the toes, > while wearing sandals. It's not EE anymore, but when we were kids, my brother managed to have a broken piece of sparkler (the hand-held firework) fall between his toes while wearing sandals. The piece continued to burn for a bit :-( We sued and lobbied to have sparklers made illegal and... no, that's not right... Oh yeah - we made a new family rule: no sandals while using fireworks. BillW -- http://www.piclist.com#nomail Going offline? Don't AutoReply us! email RemoveMElistservTakeThisOuTspammitvma.mit.edu with SET PICList DIGEST in the body