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re: voltage identification
24 apr 2000
duane c. johnson wrote:
>psyvertsen wrote:
>> i don't know if my garage is wired for 120 or 240.
>> is there a way i can tell other than using a voltmeter?
>try connecting 2 120vac light bulbs in series and use them as a tester.
good thought, and safer than human voltometry. yes, it's true: in the days
of italian physicists count alessandro volta (1745-1827) and dr. luigi
galvani (1737-1798), many people used their bodies to measure voltages.
this fad was not limited to frogs. a few of the foolhardy perished at
higher voltages, but the dc was fairly harmless.
i've seen modern electricians use two fingers on one hand to check if
a circuit is powered up, and i seem to recall from my battery-feeling
days that one can sense 1.5 volts with the tongue, 9 volts with the
moistened back of the wrist, and 90 volts on the dry topside.
have fun!
nick
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