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Caution reminders are most appreciated. Got careless with a 480 3phase panel. Learned my lesson !!! I survived and will NOT do that again. Please note caution as appropriate. Thank you John
Glad you made it. Our Heavenly Father loves His little children. Btw, making RF amps from power pole transformers? How many megawatts were you planning on running? I guess that you really wanted to be the "Channel master"!
What a coincidence... I was just hospitalized 2 days ago for having a bad electric shock. I know why (sorta) this happened but I don't know how in to ways. The root cause was that the neutral of my wall socket got disconnected due to age. The copper did not looked like copper anymore. But it was not burned... more like rusty. Story... my internet went down and I have more than just the ISP modem at home... so I wanted to look at my firewall box. That is a 12V media computer that does double duty. All metal case but 12V so no earthing (not directly). I wanted to unplug the HDMI cable to check the firewall side of that box. But when I had the HDMI cable in my left hand and the box in my right I got severely shocked. I somehow was freed, after what feeled like a eternity, of that cable and called the ambulance. After I got home again I stared investigating and somehow there are 230Volt in between the shield of the HDMI and the shield of the RJ45 Cable that goes to the box. Due to age of the building it's okay here to not have a separate earthing cable that goes to the wall socket. Instead the neutral and earth are boned in the wall socket. Regulations are "okay" with it... So... earth and neutral are bonded, neutral go severed before the bond and live is still available. How did it manage to set the earth to essentially live? I can power a good old fashioned light bulb between those two shields! My theory is... first of all... all my devices (except the TV with the HDMI cable) are connected via a proper switch that is earthed. (important!) My TV doesn't have an earth connection but is earthed through the cable TV socket. So... one of my devices power supply (maybe a capacitive dropper one?) somehow passed the live through neutral. Since neutral and earth is bonded in the socked earth is now live too. The earthed switch "lived" all connected devices including the media computer. I disconnected the HDMI and removed the last path to earth (the coax cable TV socket). Can anyone tell me if that's possible?
I’ve been in electronics for 40+years, the biggest safety problem is that people get complacent over time and not just with electricity, but as you mentioned mechanical things as well. We ALL need to be reminded about safety! Ron
Older gentleman I worked on garden tractors with told me older guys have more on their minds and are so accustomed to their work they get hurt. Nonchalantly cutting fingers off with skill saws. Or leaning down to indulge a potential tractor buyer and listen to the mowing deck which was silent as we always installed new spindle bearings and idlers as needed. When he did he balanced himself with his hand on the deck and curled his fingers over and got three smashed by the slow turning blades as the potential buyer had throttled the engine down to speak, but had not disengaged the PTO... Richy tractor boy L... You were a great teacher to me and a friend whom I much appreciated.
Yes, mechanical things too. I remember the old X-rated tale that ended up in a medical journal. A guy would stay in the shop at work during break & do inappropriate things with machines. He got careless with his guilty pleasure one day & was unaware of losing a testicle. He downplayed what happened and grabbed an industrial stapler and put himself back together. He finished the shift and returned to work for the next couple of days. However, 3-4 days later, he went to the ER. He had a bad case of infection by that point. The surgeon treated him and got him past the infection.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 -- Well, interestingly, some folks are the exceptions to that. A guy was working a temp job at a custom plywood plant. He was the press operator. The plywood is held together with epoxy, and microwaves are used to cure the glue. He was only there a couple of weeks when he reached into the cavity and got some nasty RF burns. A guy who had been there 3 years said he had never done that.
The most disturbing thing about your shock is not knowing what caused it. There must have been AC involved to lock you on. I had an interesting shock from a DC power supply running a high voltage and high frequency inverter. I didn't feel the high frequency or the DC. But I definitely felt the mains frequency ripple, even from a decent power supply. The human heart does seem to have the ability to resynchronize in many instances. The majority of fatal shocks seem to involve getting locked on in a manner where you can't fall away. I always stand at my bench.
I’m glad you survived the early years. If not, I’d never get to experience the level of Lab envy( now Shop envy) , that I do when ever I watch one of your videos. You do great work. Your work spaces seem to be the only places where the universe does not favor chaos. All that being said, this level of cleanliness and organization goes along way to promote safety. And always use the “one hand rule”. You’re one of the few humans that needs to live as long as possible. Thanks for all the great videos. I think I could give you a run for your money in the story department.
Yes, shocks from the mains frequency are bad. That is why electrocauteries operate at much higher frequencies, so they won't interfere with heart rhythms. If the sino-atrial node (the heart's natural pacemaker) is not damaged, the heart may be able to re-synchronize on its own. That is a very good practice, always keeping yourself in a position where you can use gravity to help you fall into a safe place.
Bless you Paul. You may never know if your story saved a life, but I suspect it will. Grandpa once told me, "Electricity, fire, and the sea are all related. They can be your best friend, or your worst enemy depending on how you treat them." 73
I've been shocked a few times. You are 100% correct on the feeling of getting shocked. When it happened to me my Vision was going as if a light was dimming slowly. Felt like minutes but was seconds. The feeling with the heart stopping has no way to describe. It's odd and scary as hell.
Similar thing happened to me at 11 when I opened up some kind of a circuit but it was live. Cause the plug was still in the outlet so i touched around 230 VAC that went through me i couldn't pull my finger off either. I was dumb back then. But i learnt a lesson as far as safety goes😂
Same here as I got locked on on 240V 50hz across my chest. Getting a shock is one thing but getting locked on is something else and I can only think of 2 or 3 people who've been locked on and they think their going to die like I did.
Paul I was arc welding one day burning a box of rods put new rod in could not get it to light off looking around my ground clamp fell off steel table .I set stinger with rod on said table when I went to put clamp on table guess what happened.yep burnt hole in hand could not let go was pushed to floor by same force you speak of..while lay there heard heart start beating again.just my story.we are lucky to be here.
Bad shocks are no joke and I'm glad you survived that one. When I was a senior in high school, I had just finished building an 1800 volt DC power supply for a high powered amateur radio RF amplifier. I usually practiced the 1 hand rule where one hand was in my pocket and the other on the meter probe. On this occasion I held the meter probe on the power supply output terminal and used my other hand to flip the metal handled toggle switch on. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the floor with stars filling my visual field. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened. When I examined the meter probe, I discovered the wire insulation where the lead exited the probe had a break in it and my hand was in contact with that bare spot. I counted myself lucky and from that day on I always make sure one hand is in my pocket or I use insulated gloves. I've made it to 75 without any more accidents like that one. I never told my parents because that would have ended my electronics hobby for sure.
I was once shocked by a homemade autotransformer-style induction coil(like a car ignition coil). The power grid of my country is split-phase so there are two live wires, 120 volts to ground and 240 volts between the two live wires instead of a live and neutral wire, this I think played a part in how I got shocked. A loose wire on my desk acted as a bridge, which then arced to my finger from my field of view. I soundly felt like I got hit by a truck, saw a tunnel of light, and blacked out for a fraction of a second. The next moment I see myself falling about a meter from the air in slow motion. Luckily my other hand was in the right place to stop me from bashing my head on the edge of my desk or else I would have got a concussion or worse. It was powered by a DC power adapter plugged into mains but somehow the high voltage was able to flow through it( it was unscathed in the incident) through the utility transformer on the pole, through the ground, and back through me( I was standing on the concrete on the first floor of the house, though my slippers were wet since I just went to the bathroom).
I used to experiment with battery powered xenon strobe circuits, the battery powered inverter circuit operates from 1,000hz to 18,000hz as it charges the capacitor, the circuit doesn't put out true AC. In the past I've been shocked by these circuits when I was younger
I read an article by Forrest M. Mims or Joseph Carr (i forgot who it was) they were building a DC voltage multiplier circuit and during testing this voltage multiplier fell onto his lap which caused his legs to spasm kicking him away from his workbench!
@@BTW... "No, it wasn't..." You are, by merely touching a device, able to communicate with someone thousands (or millions) of miles away. Illustrating the point; "It's a big universe out there"! With possibilities you haven't imagined. Let alone, dismissed.....
*MOTs primaries or the high amp winding anyway tells the angels to f off in outta here* Only Mister Doctor Sgt Carl Karlsson could make a good shock so interesting! and while yes God is stupid we are just all sacks of meat and potatoes (if you like potatoes as much as me), I think is figure of speech but who cares people internet is internet okly yell at the real trollz like Americanos.
As with tech's or trades people, It's not a matter of if we will get hurt or meet our demise - it's when. I'm sure I am not the only one here that is so glad that Mr. Carlson survived and is passing on his vast knowledge to us. As always THANK YOU Mr. Carlson.
Paul, I'm a State Licensed Journeyman Electrician with over 55 years in the trade and I was a Strategic Microwave Communications Technician in the U.S. Army StratCom USACC (Signal Corps) for almost 9 years. Fixed Station Microwave Radio Equipment , Operation and Repair Tech MOS 26V. And cross trained in Telephone Systems , Inside & Outside Plant Operations and Telephone Systems Lineman Installer School. So I have a good various background with schooling and on the job experience in Electrical & Electronics ! I also built and assembled many Heathkit Electronics to include several AM/FM Stereo Radio Systems, TMDE equipment and Televisions. I'm 73 years old and have always consider myself lucky all those years as I was never shocked other than a few times with 120 VAC while doing Residential Electrical Repairs or Upgrades. But I enjoy doing it all as I'm still doing Electrical Work now and then ! I'm also a Retired Federal Firefighter DOD with 30 years of Service. I grew up on my late beloved Dad's Quarter Horse farm and know how to train and break horses to ride.
My dad was a NASA electrical engineer, he is no longer with us, but to this day when I work on anything electric I hear his deep voice say under the right conditions that 6 volts will kill you. Helps me take a second look at my surroundings before. So glad that you survived Paul, you're a good guy to have around...and I like the shop, and the format of shop talk
At 14 I was excited to help my Amateur Radio Elmer, who was an AM/FM radio station chief engineer, replace the 1000 watt blown bulb at the top of the 248 foot radio tower. As the stations were on air, I was shown how to jump on to the tower insuring that I was off the ground before touching the hot (RF) tower. We used a wood broom handle through the tower to accomplish the task. Wearing gloves, I accented to about 100 feet without incident. However, I was not aware that the nitrogen-filled heliax cable that ran up the tower feeding the FM antenna was grounded and on porcelain stand-off insulators all the way up the tower. My gloved hand came into contact with the heliax and there was an instantaneous arc and the acrid smell of burning flesh. The RF had burned and cauterized a hole through my glove and finger. To this day I wear the scar from the accident. Needless to say I was not able to change the tower warning lamp. I’m older now and am extremely careful working around electronics. 73 K3PNI.
@@sgofberg Thanks for sharing...Wow this is powerful stuff...Can you use your hand normally today? I gues you had to undergo surgery? All the best. Per (Denmark)
@@nakfan Hello! No surgery. Only one finger was involved. No bleeding. Healed in time with no adverse effects just a noteworthy battle scar! I’m 76 and still an avid Ham operator. Thank you for your comment. Sheldon
6 volts can kill you if it gets into a wound or you get pricked by an energized wire. Your body's internal resistance is actually quite low, the epidermis has a lot of resistance that's why people don't normally die from 6 volts.
@@sgofberg Yeah the smell of burning flesh, it smells like roasting fish. I know this because I got burnt by a 12-volt Slayer-Exciter Tesla coil, it arced to my finger when I was trying to untangle the high-voltage wire because it stuck to my hand. But I managed to pull away, so major damage was done.
That story actually teared me up... You're such a kind hearted person and I appreciate you and your channel so, so much! I am planning on going back into HV territory, building a tesla coil and working on three phase power. You just reminded me of how easy it can be to loose your life. After some time, it seems like we're forgetting that we're working with huge forces. Whether that's electrical, chemical, mechanical, etc. I hope that this video can serve as a reminder for others too, as it most certainly did for me! 💚
Holy crap, Paul. The worst shock I ever got was from a valve Quadraphonic system I was building as a teenager, 1200VDC at 200mA. It threw me backwards against my bedroom door. I shook for about three hours. But that was nothing compared to what you went through. We are lucky you are still here. Keep up with the safety advice. And the stories. ❤
This brings back memories when I was a metrologist in a electronics lab while calibrating a piece of equipment. I was hit with 1000 VDC that knocked me out of my chair and across the room. It turned out that one of the test leads had a faulty insulation that exposed bare copper wire. That was 45 years ago. I'm glad that you are here to share your experience.
Paul, you are an international treasure and a delight to learn from. So glad you are around so that we can continue to find that out for ourselves. You are such a Swede! My relevant experience is the story of an 8 year old with a screwdriver and a 1950's television. Home alone! Must have been suicidal. B eing thrown across the room broke my connection to that circuit, and there are some who said I was "never the same" I am 71 and the jury is still out.
I experienced a shock that was bad. Not as bad as the one described by Mr. C. I remember feeling very depressed right after and didn't want to do anything. Wasn't my first shock nor my last. I went to my room from the basement and laid in my bed. Didn't sleep either. I've had heart arrhythmia as long as I can remember. Not sure if it's related. Seems it would be unlikely. Most important not to lay down and sleep without being monitored after such an event or when feeling odd and exceptionally tired or ill. Heart attack happens and no one knows. I lost a friend to such an event. Also very common instructions suggest you do electronics work with another person present. Just found out an hour ago of a man in his forties a friend of my friend's daughter died by electrocution welding under his car. I really want to know more. I wonder if there was equipment failure causing primary utility power to leak through to the electrode? I know open circuit is typically 18 to 60 or even 72 volts. He was in a position suggesting he was shocked with substantial current and at a length of time. Very sad. I weld frequently enough and take several precautions, but I'm sure I'm not as careful as one should be...
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 Could water have been recent (and impatience present )- rain, early morning, washed car beforehand? Dry rubber shoes wouldn't help if laying in damp.
@@Don.Challenger it's a risk. They tell you not to weld on the wet ground. You must lie on a dry surface such as a sheet of plywood. This is very recent. A friend of a friend's daughter.
Recently saw Big Clive mention your comment about electrical shocks and I have a Tektronic oscilloscope story. In 1975 or so I Was 14, a high school freshman and the school had been gifted a Big Tektronic oscilloscope once owned by Motorola GED in Scottsdale where my Uncle worked as an aerospace engineer. Uncle Dick told me they had given away all the huge, well used scopes to various schools around Phoenix when they got new digital scopes. I couldn't fix it at school because Dad wouldn't let me take our tube tester and such to school. At home one night I had gotten the schematics and such for this huge monster and Dad told me to pull each tube, check each one and make sure they were the correct tube number and in the correct sockets; Dad was a Ham and a TV Tech, I should have listened to Dad! Well, I checked about half of them and found several bad tubes, changed them then started trying to circuit trace the problem. Power supply and Diodes and Filter caps looked good and as I started checking voltages, I decided to check plate voltages... about 900 VDC... ZZZzzzap! I screamed like a girl, ended up jumping about ten feet back and smelled burnt hair and flesh, that smell stayed with me for 3 days. Dad said, "remember I told you about checking voltages over 300 volts and to use the second anode, High Voltage probe, it's right there, Ronald!" Dad never called me that, Dad was so right, he always was. Turns out a horizontal oscilator amo tube had been inserted one pin out of rotation, once I finally did what Dad told me to do in the first place, it came to life and I aligned it. I sure do miss Dad, N7JWF/AE7AD went silent key in Nov. 2020. I really Love this channel. 73s from KD7CKT.
Glad you are here with us, In my first factory job we built huge transformers. I was a tester at the time, and somehow got hand to hand 660vac. Time stood still, was full aware of what was happening, no one around. somehow, through some force, I managed to let go. guy across the shop had a shocked, pun, look on his face. Whole new level of respect for electricity. thank you for your content.
I'm glad that you survived this kind of shock and you are still with us! #1: When I was kid, I came home and for my surprise the door was locked. I tried to ring the doorbell, but the mercury filled button was broken and I got only option to push the iron needle in the button to make a contact. I've got shocked, but I was lucky to have insulating rubber shoes and holding stair handrail from the wooden part to reach the doorbell knob; #2: About 15 years ago I was changing phone line wires. While I was holding wires, the 45 VDC did not feel on any way, but someone called to the phone line and I had 90 VAC shock for a second :D; #3: About 8 years ago I had IT system administrator job at the Industrial Education Centre. The workstation PC did not start from the power button, so I decided to turn it to the side on the table, while the AC power cord was connected to the outlet. I grabbed the computer case with both hands and got nice shaking shock (235 VAC). The reason was a mistake in the cabling made by local electrician so that this made the ground line hot. (Never trust the cabling that is not at your home!) My uncle had once the 325 VAC shock when he was fixing industrial AC-motors. (325 VAC comes from the 60-degrees potential difference between 2 phases in the 3-phase power-lines in the EU).
Thanks for sharing! This was a fun side-track from the normal content and it'd be nice to hear some more Mr. Carlson's Shop Stories! Also, super glad you made it through that one.
@@nyccollin if you watched the video, you'd know he almost didn't make it through that shock. You realise what was described was the heart going into fribrillation and that usually requires medical intervention to get past. Paul was very lucky his heart recovered from that, it is not common for the heart to self recover from that state
Never under estimate the power of Electricity, you never get a second chance, if you get it wrong! That's the first thing they told me on day one , as an electrician . A great story Paul, and keep pushing safety. Somebody was definitely looking over you that day, my friend. 40ma is all it takes to stop a human heart.
Paul, I've been watching your videos for the past 15 years. I've played with/built a few tube amps, because of your videos. Your emphasis on safety, for all of the old equipment, has always rang through my head while I'm working on those. Thank you for every video you post, and never apologize for safety. The people that complain about safety, shouldn't be working on old electronics. It's incredibly dangerous, incredibly rewarding, and completely worth learning about it.
EVERYONE who has been "shocked" always reminds others about safety and what is dangerous! The way you talk about it was evident that you encountered a serious issue some time ago!!! While you were talking, I was also admiring your radio collection also! Keep up the great work AND sharing your stories!!!
When I talk with people about safety (or whatever other subject) It is always like: "yeah yeah yeah".... Until they get zapped, shocked or bitten themselves. Goes to show that even in these occasions for most people, they need to experience it themselves.
I've never been drawn to electronics like I have with mechanical and automotive tech. But your presentations and especially the way you explain things without being condescending keep me checking in from time to time. I especially enjoyed this shop talk, very thankful you lived obviously, and I look forward to more videos like this. Thank you Paul!
Paul, one of my worst "pull a stupids" when I was much, much younger - got across the plate connection (when transmitting) of a 100W GE Prog Line base station. Threw me back a few feet and knocked me on my backside. I, too, remember my heart doing some strange things for a few minute afterward, but thankfully it never completely stalled. Glad you survived, thanks for sharing!
As a guy who has been in the electronic business for going on forty years, you cannot emphasize safety too much, Paul! I won't bore you or other readers with my shock stories, but I must say yours is more impressive than all mine put together! Ross Hull, one of the great lights of amateur radio in the thirties, was killed when he got across and pole pig whilst doing experiments in television. I found the article about how he died in a QST article from 1938, and it has haunted me for years. I always think about it when working around high voltage, which I do often as I am a vacuum tube-head like you. Keep up the fine work, you are a real gentleman and a true inspiration to us all! 73, KG6CLA
That is the best description I ever heard. I had a close call with a 26" TV damaged HT lead I passed out at around 10:30am & came round at 4:30pm when my mum came home with loss of feeling in my right hand/arm. Also my T-Shirt was still wet from sweat. I did not feel well so staggered in but did not tell her the whole story of losing a day. She said I look very ill and still sweaty. I got the use of my arm/hand back shortly but with pins & needles. Also a big lump on my head from being thrown back against shelving. Also other bruising. The pins& needles took three days to clear. I dumped the 26" TV and did a lot less TV repair for a while. What gets me is seeing a couple of TH-camrs commentating on Adrian Black fuss too much about safety which I always comment on as you can NEVER be too careful & need to treat CRT with great respect. I am glad you pointed out your incident as I know what it is like to nearly not be here. Love your work.
Paul, I had a similar experience in my late teens before GFCI was common. A heavy tube power supply which I had designed and built gave me a shock across the heart. It had no cover on the bottom and when the power switch was in the off position the two unterminated connections near the bottom of the chassis were live. I picked it up with the line connected to the wall and one finger slipped inside touching the contacts. With 240V ac across my heart my muscles from the waist up were frozen. What seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds I decided to fall sideways to break the connection. This experience taught me two important lessons, one about design (the switch connection and covers), two generally about electrical safety.
Yowch. I guess it is good to give forethought to what you might try if worse came to worst. Get your whole body as far as you can from the area by whatever means necessary if your hands won't obey.
The manual for the 150-in-1 electronics kit I used in the 80s had a quote: "There are old technicians, and there are bold technicians, but there are NO old, bold technicians." It's always stuck with me, and I thik it's helped keep me safe over the years. Fantastic story, Paul, and an important cautionary tale. Thanks for sharing!
Dear Paul, Your not only a brilliant electro technician, you are also a wonderful story teller! Did you ever managed to find out what drove you out of that chair and basicly saved your life? Was it your own body contracting into massive spasm, or some sort of higher power? Thank God you made it and share all your wisdom!
@@TD75 Yes, true as I have witnessed this few times in my 24 years of doing electrical work. I do pray that it never happens to me, got only few years before retirement.
@@MrCarlsonsLab I would expect that you must have contemplated about that "strong push" quite a bit in the time since the event. I'm most emphatically not a religious person, but that would certainly have given me some pause for thought. I guess you didn't get the chance to find out what happened to cause the incident -- that seems like a fairly interesting thing to figure out... I'm so glad you made it through the incident. I'm a (mostly) retired electrical engineer, with backgrounds and quite broad experience in audio, robotics, and a lot of industrial control (there's some mean stuff there - how about the guts of a 600V 500 HP variable frequency drive?). It seems like every one of your videos captures me for the entire hour or so, despite my best intentions to get working on one backed-up project or another. About every two minutes there's another gem of knowledge - worth every cent of the Patreon fee.
Thank you for sharing Paul. I've had a few close calls and a few bad shocks myself. Electricity is always waiting there for you to make a mistake so it can find a path through you. Watching your videos, you are more cautious and meticulous than me and it still got you. I'm glad you survived and are here to share with us.
"Electricity has some magic fingers that you can't always see"... this was a quote from an old journeyman electrician that trained me. Thanks for the story, it's a good reminder.
Holy beans man! Glad you're still with us! The way it all unfolded and getting blown backwards somehow gives me visions of you playing the part of Doc in Back to the Future. I'm an extra class HAMster that still doesn't feel brave enough to open up an amplifier and hopes to someday take your electronics course. So many times I forget to disconnect AC power before jumping into a repair...for example a furnace (accidentally welded a gas ignitor/heater to the frame) and a washing machine, (luckily tripped the GFCI while replacing a water inlet solenoid valve). Even car batteries make me nervous when I work with them. I do always somehow remember to drain all capacitors before though...when fixing a microwave, and fixing a central air conditioner. As far as actually getting shocked, that only happened while growing up on a farm and had a few accidental run-ins with the electric cattle fences. I can relate to the not letting go part, and having to learn to let yourself fall to the ground assuming your legs are still relaxable.
You must..... Must! If you're troubleshooting then possibly power is applied and you're testing or observing operation. Disassembling or changing parts then you must disconnect power. That's how it must be! Good luck and stay safe! You can do it!
My electrical safety education occurred when I was 12. I had built a Jacobs Ladder and was adjusting the parallel electrodes with both hands when my friend plugged it in. 15000 volts at 40 ma. Wow! Threw me backwards about five feet. It didn't stop me from building more electrical projects including additional Jacobs Ladders and some pretty large Tesla coils. Learning the One Hand Rule early on may have saved my life. Nowadays, and 58 years later as an Extra class Ham, it's mainly RF burns I'm watching out for. Thank you for the life story and the great channel. All the best.
Wiring a milling machine in, I had a GOOD wallop from 380v 3 phase once and the 50hz buzz through me was terrifying... Glad you made it through, the world would be a lesser place without you , Paul 😎👍☘️🍺
Wow Paul. Amazingly sobering story. Thank God you were ok through all of these close calls. Thanks for always reminding us. It only takes one bad mistake. 73's
Thank you so much for sharing. We all need to hear stories like this from time to time to keep ourselves safe. So glad you survived, I've learned so much from you, I owe a lot to you for getting me started in electronics!
Thank you Paul for this excellent video. I appreciate very much the fact that you put safety first and repeat again and again warnings about safety. Keep up the excellent work that you do and stay safe.
Thank you for sharing this story. I've never had anything quite that severe, but I've been bitten a few times and had enough close calls to make me understand why your repeated warnings about safety are so important!
Good ole Dak 9 I use for CB chatting and some LSB. I know there is high voltage present and yes you have to work on those things very cautiously indeed. 73
I was in a similar situation once. The absolute silence of missing your own heartbeat is pretty scary. It blew my mind, since you wouldn't hear your own heart normally but you feel the silence if it isn't beating.
Great share Mr. C.. Glad you made it through the incident and have the humility to share it. That’s crazy that you don’t know what caused the situation. Look forward to more of your stories.
Thanks for sharing your experience. The Scary part is not knowing how it happened!!! We all have made mistakes that we learned what NOT to do. But if you don't know, you have no idea how to prevent it 😵💫. Glad you're still with us and sharing your knowledge on electronics. Please never apologize for bringing up safety.
I was an electrician in the navy. A name given to the 110vac power system was the “Deadly Shipmate”. There was a good reason for the name. I briefly met this “shipmate” a few times and it wasn’t pleasant. So your story is interesting as well as informative. I hope visitors to your channel just starting out in the electronic/electrical trades take heed from your experiences. Thanks for sharing, Paul. 👍🏻😊
@@nyccollin yup, I experienced it the first time at around 5 years of age and many time since then around the house. Problem with Navy vessels is well, there made of steel. More chances to make the complete contact, foot to hand, hand to hand, etc. they didn’t call it the deadly shipmate for nothing.
Well thank goodness you survived Paul where would we all be now without this great channel!. I have been a sparkie on industrial controls for 20 years and never had a shock like that. Ive had a few bangs and flashes that have you blinking for a few minutes but luckily no big shakers. I saw another sparkie connecting up a 3 phase 400 Amp Fuse Board and he had managed to get a short to earth somewhere inside and didnt check it properly before switching it on. The bang and flash was very impressive and the copper in the feed cable lost a good few ounces as it vaporized before the fuse let go he was forever known as Johnny bang bang after that. I have just retired and am trying to get back into electronics but im starting with cmos logic and working up from there but Im still wary around my power supplies. Thanks for sharing your story!
Interesting - my Dad is a retired electrician and he has a coffee can in his garage with several screwdrivers that are half melted and one has a actual terminal and chunk of wire that was welded to the screwdriver shaft. I enjoy your shop talk, these stories are fascinating.
Thank you Mr. Carlson. By sharing your knowledge about vintage electrical devices like old vacuum tube radios and televisions; there is a significant danger and risk of possible death due to an electrical shock. You have always warned people in every one of your videos that if you wish to persue the hobby of repair and, or restoration of these electronic devices that you are doing so at your own risk. Thank you for this video post. You may be saving lives.
I have been watching your videos for quite a while now and have never thought you are too cautious. Not respecting electricity is like not retrospecting the sea - nature will always win. Thanks for this story - you are so professional in your videos and it is nice to get to know a little about you.
This shop talk is amazing. Whenever you talk Paul, I feel a "Bob Ross" ease coming over me. Am very glad your okay, and that instead of slacking down on safety due experience you actually take it more and more serious. So do we want more stories? I think I don't need to say yes once more do I? Thanks Paul, much love!
WOW Paul, that is an amazing story of a close call. You are very blessed to be here. And we are blessed by you being here. I had a close call once with raw 240 from a commercial line feed. Long story but, only by the grace of God I did not get shocked where I should have been killed from that event. I love your stories, please keep them coming.
Hej Paul, there is a trajectory for this. I started in electronics in my childhood, got zapped a few times mostly from anode caps on old crts etc. It was not until I graduated that I actually got electrocuted.. this is a whole other story in comparison to getting zapped (shocked) and your story literally transplants into mine with the only exception being I was not the only one, I had coupled to the guy who got the original shock by leaning on the bus bar dis box he was working on. I remember just thinking that I never got to say goodbye which sucked as we had just brought my daughter into the world. Well 26 years later still here, and like you my incidents with the funky chicken dance have reduced considerably. Thanks for your content bud, I love the vintage vids as it takes me back to when I started out many many years ago
So not electrocuted but a close call. I've had life threatening shocks as well, but working in the role of support engineer for satcoms systems, I have heard of some horrendous accidents on transmitting equipment, sometimes the reaction to an EHT shock is what causes the damage rather than the shock itself. 10kV at 1.7A is one supply I've had to work on live, you definitely have to be careful around that especially as the filament transformer is at -10kV.
If I had a quid for every time someone told me they have actually been electrocuted I'd have a least a fiver by now lol safe to say they survived the 'cution' part
Thanx Paul for that 'candid' description of what happened to you. As an 'Industrial Electrician' for my 37 years in the 'Pulp and Paper Industry', we experienced many sobering experiences of electrical shocks. One occurrence made the CBC news when 5 guys were burned at Powell River. They survived, but it was a tragic experience. A man I spoke with about another episode was 'hung up' on 2300 volts and survived because someone 'kicked him off' of the switch gear.
I've been knocked against the wall several times in the 40+ years of servicing electronics. It's not a good feeling... I think you getting knocked out of the chair was by a guardian angel, possibly. You were not meant to die at that moment because you were destined for a greater good. Enjoyed your story, Thanks for sharing. ❤
You might be right about the guardian angel. I thought the same thing. It was just not his time to leave. Sorry Mr. Carlson. You will be stuck with us for many years to come but we enjoy your lessons 🙂
Hello Paul VE7ZWZ from Arie PE1KRX, I am also 71 years old. I have seen a lot of the world to solve special malfunctions in machines there. Over the years known very bizarre security problems. Still alive and kicking. This episode was enjoyable to watch. Something different, nice for a change.
Sounds like divine intervention at its finest throwing you out of your chair! Amazing testimony and glad you made it past that experience to bring us a wealth of knowledge over the years!!
The scary aspect of getting a shock is when you think you're being careful, but there's something you've completely overlooked. Quite worrying for those of us who do this stuff alone...
I'm not familiar with electronics, but as an Engineer (Civil, roading side) I can't underestimate safety as being No.1. I've watched a lot of your videos (some of which go over my head 🙂, but that fine) and just find it fascinating in renovating older electrical equipment. I have a 1976 Seeburg jukebox that I'm looking to renovate but of course, I have to deal with the electrical side too. I treat the dreaded electrons with the greatest respect. Had a few zaps in my time, and a few close calls, some from being young, some from complacency/stupidity. Keep up the fantastic work sir.
I know that buzzing feeling! My life almost ended at about age 6 thanks to an exposed wire on an ancient vacuum cleaner. I'll never forget it. None of the shocks I've had in my electronic adventures since then even came close.
Greetings Vic - I got mine as a helper for a window air air conditioning installer/repairman. Put my hand where it didn't belong. I woke up on the ground seconds later. Mr. Mahoney my boss just laughed.
Me too, prob aged 8 though. Trying to 'fix' a old tube radio. When I came back my tounge was numb and I had spark burns on my tshirt. My cousin said the sparks came out of my mouth, but idk about that haha.
@@nyccollinwill kill you dead under the right conditions. I think it's 40 milliamperes going through the heart will cause cardiac arrhythmia or arrest. So it's not about the voltage only. Acid on your fingers can give 12 volts automotive electric power the ability to really make you feel pain. So be careful!
I remember my high school electronics teacher telling me a story of when he was a tv repair man in the 60’s he got hit with the full flyback and found himself waking up on the other side of the room. So your story of suddenly being thrown back is pretty spot on.
Hi Paul... The worst shock I ever experienced was when I was a lot younger and playing around with surplus WS19 transceivers. I wondered why the socket for the cw key was so heavily insulated. I found out why when I plugged in a key which had a metal shell jack plug while holding on to the chassis with my other hand. I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest and I remember seeing a small flame coming from the end of my finger before I was launched across the room, presumably because all my muscles contracted. I now know that the key is connected to the 540V tx HT. And there was a hole burned in the end of my finger. You can't be too careful with electricity. Don't work on powered equipment unless it's unavoidable. If you must work on powered equipment!, keep one hand in your pocket. 73 de Malc M0IYI.
Probably the most important advice ever given: absolutely do not use both hands on energized equipment-keep the non-dominant hand in your pocket. The only thing that saved my life after foolishly grabbing two separate ends of a flex conduit while standing on a barstool was that I passed out and fell out of the circuit, all because I had forgotten the above sage advice of an old electrical engineer. I had the same post-shock experience as Paul: I stood up and realized that my heart had not returned to beating, and then it suddenly did. The fall damaged my L1 vertebrate, specifically a compressive fracture that took a long time to heal. Nevertheless, falling out of the circuit almost certainly saved my life. The problem with these situations is that you don't have the time to think clearly. I could have escaped the muscular lock from the 110 AC by simply hopping off the stool, which would have pulled the conduits out of my hands. Perhaps Paul's body and subconscious realized what was happening and reflexively jumped off the stool he was sitting on. It's as if your brain-body connection is somewhat frozen in time. The very best thing you can do is to take every precaution to keep yourself physically out of any live electrical circuit.
The WS19 key is connected to *some* high-ish voltage, but it shouldn't be the 540v. Got bit by it too, a couple of times, but that definitely was not the full 540vdc HT. If it would have been, i wouldn't have been bit again by it. It wasn't too bothersome, just made me think 'Bitch why'd you bite me?!' I browsed the manual - mk3, page 41 - the key switches the screen grid voltage of the 807 as well as some other fairly current-limited tubes. I remember measuring the key current - out of the top of my head it was no more than 10mA or so. But it's already years ago. One other nasty habit of the WS19 is biting you with the T/R relay induction. Good lord, that solenoid packs a punch when you release the voltage to it! For some reason mine would rattle the T/R relay when plugging in the big multipin cable and cause a bunch of induction spikes between the radio's GND and the metal plug itself. Measured that current too - the digital meter said 30mA but the spike is of course too short for the meter to properly register the peak current. But if the digital meter already says 30, you can be sure it's a good whallop. By now i've gotten rid of the thing. Such an unwieldy piece of kit. I loved it, but it was just too hard to use on the modern, overfull 80 and 40m bands. Now i have a AN/GRC-9 to satisfy my need for the smell of surplus electronics. Another nasty device is the D. Mk. V field telephone. The instructions are literally 'Lick your fingers, touch terminals A and B, press buzzer - a current should be felt'. Let me tell you, that current was felt halfway to my shoulder. I measured it at an average current of 10mA at 100ish volts, but the spikes from the buzzer are way higher of course. I think that was the worst shock i've ever gotten - but stupidly enough i got it because i followed the instructions.
That is quite a scary story. My dad once grabbed a plate cap in a Heathkit transmitter while on and came to on the other side of the room. I’ve had some good zaps, one on my thumb where I lost the feeling for a few weeks in it and it suddenly came back. Being shocked is a very scary experience.
Thank-you Paul for emphasizing the need for safety. I know exactly the feeling you encountered. When I was just starting my working career I was repairing a Bruel and Kjaer tube amplifier. I had two of them open on the bench and was having trouble with the B+ on one of them. I was pretty used to working on these and with the power on and I proceeded to to put one back in its case. Without thinking I went to tuck a wire I had attached to the B+ away so it wouldn’t short to the case. Well the B+ was 400 volts and it dropped me to the floor. That was a life lesson that I will never forget. Please continue to emphasize the need for safety. It really is important...
I, for one, welcome any and all safety talk... in the shop, around power tools and spinning things, at the rifle range - all of it. Keep talking safety!
I retired five years ago from a Fortune 100 electric company. Newbies often took safety lightly; the old timers didn't. Maybe the safety talk by the lineman with two prosthetic hands had something to do with it.
Very good video, :), glad you're still with us. Having worked at Tektronix for 32 yrs as a tech'n, been shocked pretty good many many times, usually on backlight circuits, or other HV circuits, power supplies etc, but I'm certain every tech'n in the industry has been zapped, but never so it was enough to send to the hospital, just shake it off. Also had large electrolytics blow up , wakes you up, sounds like 12G shotgun. :) I love your troubleshooting methods, and relive the work I did in my career. Thank you.
Wow, I can highly relate to your shocking experience. When I was in my late teens, we found this old 1930's GE radio chassis with a 12" electromagnet speaker. I was trying to see if I could restore the radio, had powered it up and was checking it out. For some reason I had placed my L and R hands on the chassis and the Speaker frame at the sametime and got the shock of my life from 450vdc. Not knowing water damage to the electromagnet had caused shorting the B+ to speaker frame. For some reason the DC current going through my arms caused my muscles to contract violently that the chassis and speaker fell to the floor. And found myself setting on the floor. Felt nervously/weakly strange after that, after a while I got feeling back to normal. From then on I was much more careful around dangerous voltages. I still have all the parts to the radio and turned the chassis into a Vacuum tube regulated Power supply. I feel like we each have a guardian Angel looking after us in these kind of situations.
Thank you for relating your story. You are truly fortunate and amazing. I am thankful you are still with us, and working to help us better understand the world of electronics and radios safely.
Thanks for sharing your story, Paul. I can remember that buzzing sensation from being shocked by 240 AC about 30 years ago. Also been shocked by ignition coils a bunch of times. When I started working on 575 V, more than 25 years ago, I took safety a lot more seriously. With electricity, I try to imagine the motor (i.e. mechanical) than could be powered by the electricity present, and I ask myself “would I put my hand this close to a spinning motor shaft?”.
@@bryandraughn9830100% most painful hit I've taken. Mercury outboard Thunderbolt ignition from the 80's, as a teenager trying to do some diagnosis & pulled one plug wire at a time on the running engine. First one, nothing & no change in the engine. Second one... hit hard & couldn't let go. Had to let my legs go limp to fall away from the engine, finally hit the ground & got away from it. They quit making that ignition because it ran upward of 60kv & tended to burn up plugs & wires lol.
He plays a good character to try and teach people. (Btw, I hope people know he's not shocking himself and shorting out power cords all the time, it's added comedy to try and educate people and get uninterested people to learn a bit) Lack of understanding with what you are dealing with is what gets people killed by playing around with things like microwave transformers with no knowledge.
@@volvo09Mostly yes, but there’s one time he actually almost got a big, potentially lethal, shock from a Jacob’s ladder falling on him, connected to a MOT.
Safety matters. Paul came really close to not making this channel on that day. Whatever stray muscle contraction saved you, I'm glad for it. Keep preaching safety. I've come close to shuffling off the mortal coil after a hit-and-run bicycle accident (large wad of scar tissue in my palm still in the way of a few nerves to my fingertips, and the obligatory plate and screws in my arm; had the car clipped my leg, I wouldn't have been able to find help before bleeding out), so now I never hit the road without high viz yellow and retroreflective tape. Mike Rowe had a habit of saying "Safety Third" on _Dirty Jobs._ I disagree; we all need to take responsibility for our own safety and make that our highest priority. If we don't, we deserve our Darwin Awards.
Happy you are still here and to remind everyone to be safe. I know some of those shocking moments & one still makes me wonder how I survived it. Keep teaching us and as everyone says today, "be safe."
Paul, i praise God that you did not get killed. I honestly think that an Angel saved you. I hope that you are a Christian. Thank you for teaching everyone about safety.
Great video. I loved the story with hopefully more to come. As a power electrical engineer for 40 years, I’ve seen what a mistake can do to a person. Keep preaching, Paul.
Safety is no joke! So, good for you for emphasizing its importance. Too many accidents happen everyday that could easily be prevented if people only took the time to be safe.
Most people mis-use the term electrocute, but in your case, due to the seriousness of the shock, I don't think it is incorrect. It was just a failed electrocution. Glad you're still with us, this is one of my favorite channels.
WOW! what a experience. Im thankful that God pushed you out of that chair and your here to enjoy learning from. I once touched the plate connector in the finals on my Dad's Tempo One and got thrown back off the chair. My arm hurt for about a week after that one and I am always carful around high voltage now. Great video and thanks so much for sharing that experience with us all.
Wow, what a story ! Scary thing is that it is true. I have been in electronics for many years. The scariest power supply I worked on could deliver 8000 volts at 8 amperes. Could easily be deadly! I respect your cautions about working around high voltages. Thank you for sharing.
Paul... Glad you're still around ! Mine was a degaussing coil... The M Coil on a WWII USN Destroyer. M coil raps longitudinal around the entire ship's hull. Junction Box mounted to inside hull of ship. Had to reach so left hand holding the metal hand rail when the ship rolled, right hand went into the uninsulated connections inside. Thankfully muscle reaction push me away and broke my connection.
Wow, scary stuff Paul..! Yikes..! Glad you're still around, and sharing all your fab electronics info for us greenhorns to learn from..Take care ..Ed..uk..😀
Incredible story and thank you for always including safety tidbits in your videos. If people get irritated by hearing it over and over again, well just too bad --- that's why there's a FF button. Safety can never be over-emphasized and please continue to discuss it often. All the best...
Words cannot express how grateful that you are here among us and survived. I also, "in my youth," somehow connected with 500 volts from an amp I was working on and felt as if a "big hand" pushed me to the ground. I am eternally grateful to that "hand" that pushed me but I certainly would not want to take the chance to "shake it in gratitude." All the best, Paul!"
To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
so did u live? hahah my bad had to say it lol ...... lucky sum of a b .
Could i ask Some help paul
Caution reminders are most appreciated. Got careless with a 480 3phase panel. Learned my lesson !!! I survived and will NOT do that again. Please note caution as appropriate. Thank you
John
Glad you made it. Our Heavenly Father loves His little children.
Btw, making RF amps from power pole transformers? How many megawatts were you planning on running? I guess that you really wanted to be the "Channel master"!
What a coincidence... I was just hospitalized 2 days ago for having a bad electric shock.
I know why (sorta) this happened but I don't know how in to ways.
The root cause was that the neutral of my wall socket got disconnected due to age. The copper did not looked like copper anymore. But it was not burned... more like rusty.
Story... my internet went down and I have more than just the ISP modem at home... so I wanted to look at my firewall box. That is a 12V media computer that does double duty. All metal case but 12V so no earthing (not directly).
I wanted to unplug the HDMI cable to check the firewall side of that box. But when I had the HDMI cable in my left hand and the box in my right I got severely shocked. I somehow was freed, after what feeled like a eternity, of that cable and called the ambulance.
After I got home again I stared investigating and somehow there are 230Volt in between the shield of the HDMI and the shield of the RJ45 Cable that goes to the box.
Due to age of the building it's okay here to not have a separate earthing cable that goes to the wall socket. Instead the neutral and earth are boned in the wall socket.
Regulations are "okay" with it...
So... earth and neutral are bonded, neutral go severed before the bond and live is still available.
How did it manage to set the earth to essentially live? I can power a good old fashioned light bulb between those two shields!
My theory is... first of all... all my devices (except the TV with the HDMI cable) are connected via a proper switch that is earthed. (important!)
My TV doesn't have an earth connection but is earthed through the cable TV socket.
So... one of my devices power supply (maybe a capacitive dropper one?) somehow passed the live through neutral. Since neutral and earth is bonded in the socked earth is now live too. The earthed switch "lived" all connected devices including the media computer. I disconnected the HDMI and removed the last path to earth (the coax cable TV socket).
Can anyone tell me if that's possible?
I’ve been in electronics for 40+years, the biggest safety problem is that people get complacent over time and not just with electricity, but as you mentioned mechanical things as well. We ALL need to be reminded about safety!
Ron
Electric shock reminders are a right of passage. No big deal. If you’ve never been shocked, you’re not doing it right.
Older gentleman I worked on garden tractors with told me older guys have more on their minds and are so accustomed to their work they get hurt. Nonchalantly cutting fingers off with skill saws. Or leaning down to indulge a potential tractor buyer and listen to the mowing deck which was silent as we always installed new spindle bearings and idlers as needed. When he did he balanced himself with his hand on the deck and curled his fingers over and got three smashed by the slow turning blades as the potential buyer had throttled the engine down to speak, but had not disengaged the PTO... Richy tractor boy L... You were a great teacher to me and a friend whom I much appreciated.
Yes, mechanical things too. I remember the old X-rated tale that ended up in a medical journal. A guy would stay in the shop at work during break & do inappropriate things with machines. He got careless with his guilty pleasure one day & was unaware of losing a testicle. He downplayed what happened and grabbed an industrial stapler and put himself back together. He finished the shift and returned to work for the next couple of days. However, 3-4 days later, he went to the ER. He had a bad case of infection by that point. The surgeon treated him and got him past the infection.
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 -- Well, interestingly, some folks are the exceptions to that. A guy was working a temp job at a custom plywood plant. He was the press operator. The plywood is held together with epoxy, and microwaves are used to cure the glue. He was only there a couple of weeks when he reached into the cavity and got some nasty RF burns. A guy who had been there 3 years said he had never done that.
Indeed, as my risk engineer wife says " if your hearing a safety briefing, your one of the luckier ones"
The most disturbing thing about your shock is not knowing what caused it. There must have been AC involved to lock you on. I had an interesting shock from a DC power supply running a high voltage and high frequency inverter. I didn't feel the high frequency or the DC. But I definitely felt the mains frequency ripple, even from a decent power supply.
The human heart does seem to have the ability to resynchronize in many instances. The majority of fatal shocks seem to involve getting locked on in a manner where you can't fall away. I always stand at my bench.
Thanks for stopping by Clive!
I’m glad you survived the early years. If not, I’d never get to experience the level of Lab envy( now Shop envy) , that I do when ever I watch one of your videos. You do great work. Your work spaces seem to be the only places where the universe does not favor chaos.
All that being said, this level of cleanliness and organization goes along way to promote safety. And always use the “one hand rule”. You’re one of the few humans that needs to live as long as possible. Thanks for all the great videos. I think I could give you a run for your money in the story department.
Yes, shocks from the mains frequency are bad. That is why electrocauteries operate at much higher frequencies, so they won't interfere with heart rhythms. If the sino-atrial node (the heart's natural pacemaker) is not damaged, the heart may be able to re-synchronize on its own.
That is a very good practice, always keeping yourself in a position where you can use gravity to help you fall into a safe place.
Bless you Paul. You may never know if your story saved a life, but I suspect it will. Grandpa once told me, "Electricity, fire, and the sea are all related. They can be your best friend, or your worst enemy depending on how you treat them." 73
Gravity is getting the best of me.
@@robertschaeffer5861 gravity is getting the best of joe biden for sure
I've been shocked a few times. You are 100% correct on the feeling of getting shocked. When it happened to me my Vision was going as if a light was dimming slowly. Felt like minutes but was seconds. The feeling with the heart stopping has no way to describe. It's odd and scary as hell.
Similar thing happened to me at 11 when I opened up some kind of a circuit but it was live. Cause the plug was still in the outlet so i touched around 230 VAC that went through me i couldn't pull my finger off either. I was dumb back then. But i learnt a lesson as far as safety goes😂
Same here as I got locked on on 240V 50hz across my chest. Getting a shock is one thing but getting locked on is something else and I can only think of 2 or 3 people who've been locked on and they think their going to die like I did.
I'm so glad you're here to tell these stories and have turned these experiences into a positive influence for your viewers! Thank you!
You are so welcome!
Paul I was arc welding one day burning a box of rods put new rod in could not get it to light off looking around my ground clamp fell off steel table .I set stinger with rod on said table when I went to put clamp on table guess what happened.yep burnt hole in hand could not let go was pushed to floor by same force you speak of..while lay there heard heart start beating again.just my story.we are lucky to be here.
Bad shocks are no joke and I'm glad you survived that one. When I was a senior in high school, I had just finished building an 1800 volt DC power supply for a high powered amateur radio RF amplifier. I usually practiced the 1 hand rule where one hand was in my pocket and the other on the meter probe. On this occasion I held the meter probe on the power supply output terminal and used my other hand to flip the metal handled toggle switch on. The next thing I knew, I was sprawled out on the floor with stars filling my visual field. It took me a few seconds to realize what happened. When I examined the meter probe, I discovered the wire insulation where the lead exited the probe had a break in it and my hand was in contact with that bare spot. I counted myself lucky and from that day on I always make sure one hand is in my pocket or I use insulated gloves. I've made it to 75 without any more accidents like that one. I never told my parents because that would have ended my electronics hobby for sure.
I was once shocked by a homemade autotransformer-style induction coil(like a car ignition coil). The power grid of my country is split-phase so there are two live wires, 120 volts to ground and 240 volts between the two live wires instead of a live and neutral wire, this I think played a part in how I got shocked. A loose wire on my desk acted as a bridge, which then arced to my finger from my field of view. I soundly felt like I got hit by a truck, saw a tunnel of light, and blacked out for a fraction of a second. The next moment I see myself falling about a meter from the air in slow motion. Luckily my other hand was in the right place to stop me from bashing my head on the edge of my desk or else I would have got a concussion or worse. It was powered by a DC power adapter plugged into mains but somehow the high voltage was able to flow through it( it was unscathed in the incident) through the utility transformer on the pole, through the ground, and back through me( I was standing on the concrete on the first floor of the house, though my slippers were wet since I just went to the bathroom).
I used to experiment with battery powered xenon strobe circuits, the battery powered inverter circuit operates from 1,000hz to 18,000hz as it charges the capacitor, the circuit doesn't put out true AC. In the past I've been shocked by these circuits when I was younger
I read an article by Forrest M. Mims or Joseph Carr (i forgot who it was) they were building a DC voltage multiplier circuit and during testing this voltage multiplier fell onto his lap which caused his legs to spasm kicking him away from his workbench!
Thank you for sharing that fascinating and frankly horrific experience Paul. Thanks as well to whatever guardian angel kicked you out of that chair.
No, it wasn't a matter of a devine miracle, potato head.
It was a matter of FACT - gravity assist.
@@BTW... You weren’t there. Paul can tell us better I’m sure.
@@BTW... I was OBVIOUSLY speaking metaphorically. Whatever it was that caused him to fall out of the chair I am thankful for.
@@BTW... "No, it wasn't..."
You are, by merely touching a device, able to communicate with someone thousands (or millions) of miles away.
Illustrating the point; "It's a big universe out there"! With possibilities you haven't imagined. Let alone, dismissed.....
*MOTs primaries or the high amp winding anyway tells the angels to f off in outta here* Only Mister Doctor Sgt Carl Karlsson could make a good shock so interesting!
and while yes God is stupid we are just all sacks of meat and potatoes (if you like potatoes as much as me), I think is figure of speech but who cares people internet is internet okly yell at the real trollz like Americanos.
As with tech's or trades people, It's not a matter of if we will get hurt or meet our demise - it's when.
I'm sure I am not the only one here that is so glad that Mr. Carlson survived and is passing on his vast knowledge to us.
As always THANK YOU Mr. Carlson.
@@GGPCTU pfft..
Is gravity is an invention of the Devil too?
People wonder why technical people often swear a lot. It's because what we're working with can kill us in so many ways.
@@bigclivedotcom Also the cusin' helps the object understand we shall prevail over it's obvious reluctance to function properly.
Same with serial cheaters.
Paul, I'm a State Licensed Journeyman Electrician with over 55 years in the trade and I was a Strategic Microwave Communications Technician in the U.S. Army StratCom USACC (Signal Corps) for almost 9 years. Fixed Station Microwave Radio Equipment , Operation and Repair Tech MOS 26V. And cross trained in Telephone Systems , Inside & Outside Plant Operations and Telephone Systems Lineman Installer School. So I have a good various background with schooling and on the job experience in Electrical & Electronics ! I also built and assembled many Heathkit Electronics to include several AM/FM Stereo Radio Systems, TMDE equipment and Televisions. I'm 73 years old and have always consider myself lucky all those years as I was never shocked other than a few times with 120 VAC while doing Residential Electrical Repairs or Upgrades. But I enjoy doing it all as I'm still doing Electrical Work now and then ! I'm also a Retired Federal Firefighter DOD with 30 years of Service. I grew up on my late beloved Dad's Quarter Horse farm and know how to train and break horses to ride.
My dad was a NASA electrical engineer, he is no longer with us, but to this day when I work on anything electric I hear his deep voice say under the right conditions that 6 volts will kill you. Helps me take a second look at my surroundings before. So glad that you survived Paul, you're a good guy to have around...and I like the shop, and the format of shop talk
At 14 I was excited to help my Amateur Radio Elmer, who was an AM/FM radio station chief engineer, replace the 1000 watt blown bulb at the top of the 248 foot radio tower. As the stations were on air, I was shown how to jump on to the tower insuring that I was off the ground before touching the hot (RF) tower. We used a wood broom handle through the tower to accomplish the task. Wearing gloves, I accented to about 100 feet without incident. However, I was not aware that the nitrogen-filled heliax cable that ran up the tower feeding the FM antenna was grounded and on porcelain stand-off insulators all the way up the tower. My gloved hand came into contact with the heliax and there was an instantaneous arc and the acrid smell of burning flesh. The RF had burned and cauterized a hole through my glove and finger. To this day I wear the scar from the accident. Needless to say I was not able to change the tower warning lamp. I’m older now and am extremely careful working around electronics. 73 K3PNI.
@@sgofberg Thanks for sharing...Wow this is powerful stuff...Can you use your hand normally today? I gues you had to undergo surgery? All the best. Per (Denmark)
@@nakfan Hello! No surgery. Only one finger was involved. No bleeding. Healed in time with no adverse effects just a noteworthy battle scar! I’m 76 and still an avid Ham operator. Thank you for your comment. Sheldon
6 volts can kill you if it gets into a wound or you get pricked by an energized wire. Your body's internal resistance is actually quite low, the epidermis has a lot of resistance that's why people don't normally die from 6 volts.
@@sgofberg Yeah the smell of burning flesh, it smells like roasting fish. I know this because I got burnt by a 12-volt Slayer-Exciter Tesla coil, it arced to my finger when I was trying to untangle the high-voltage wire because it stuck to my hand. But I managed to pull away, so major damage was done.
That story actually teared me up... You're such a kind hearted person and I appreciate you and your channel so, so much! I am planning on going back into HV territory, building a tesla coil and working on three phase power.
You just reminded me of how easy it can be to loose your life. After some time, it seems like we're forgetting that we're working with huge forces. Whether that's electrical, chemical, mechanical, etc.
I hope that this video can serve as a reminder for others too, as it most certainly did for me! 💚
Holy crap, Paul. The worst shock I ever got was from a valve Quadraphonic system I was building as a teenager, 1200VDC at 200mA. It threw me backwards against my bedroom door. I shook for about three hours. But that was nothing compared to what you went through. We are lucky you are still here. Keep up with the safety advice. And the stories. ❤
This brings back memories when I was a metrologist in a electronics lab while calibrating a piece of equipment. I was hit with 1000 VDC that knocked me out of my chair and across the room. It turned out that one of the test leads had a faulty insulation that exposed bare copper wire. That was 45 years ago.
I'm glad that you are here to share your experience.
Paul, you are an international treasure and a delight to learn from. So glad you are around so that we can continue to find that out for ourselves. You are such a Swede! My relevant experience is the story of an 8 year old with a screwdriver and a 1950's television. Home alone! Must have been suicidal. B eing thrown across the room broke my connection to that circuit, and there are some who said I was "never the same" I am 71 and the jury is still out.
I experienced a shock that was bad. Not as bad as the one described by Mr. C. I remember feeling very depressed right after and didn't want to do anything. Wasn't my first shock nor my last. I went to my room from the basement and laid in my bed. Didn't sleep either. I've had heart arrhythmia as long as I can remember. Not sure if it's related. Seems it would be unlikely. Most important not to lay down and sleep without being monitored after such an event or when feeling odd and exceptionally tired or ill. Heart attack happens and no one knows. I lost a friend to such an event. Also very common instructions suggest you do electronics work with another person present.
Just found out an hour ago of a man in his forties a friend of my friend's daughter died by electrocution welding under his car. I really want to know more. I wonder if there was equipment failure causing primary utility power to leak through to the electrode? I know open circuit is typically 18 to 60 or even 72 volts. He was in a position suggesting he was shocked with substantial current and at a length of time. Very sad. I weld frequently enough and take several precautions, but I'm sure I'm not as careful as one should be...
@@johnnytacokleinschmidt515 Could water have been recent (and impatience present )- rain, early morning, washed car beforehand? Dry rubber shoes wouldn't help if laying in damp.
@@Don.Challenger it's a risk. They tell you not to weld on the wet ground. You must lie on a dry surface such as a sheet of plywood. This is very recent. A friend of a friend's daughter.
I just seen this and I too have had 3 bad shocks, last time hurt my heart. Thanks for not quitting Paul!
Recently saw Big Clive mention your comment about electrical shocks and I have a Tektronic oscilloscope story. In 1975 or so I Was 14, a high school freshman and the school had been gifted a Big Tektronic oscilloscope once owned by Motorola GED in Scottsdale where my Uncle worked as an aerospace engineer. Uncle Dick told me they had given away all the huge, well used scopes to various schools around Phoenix when they got new digital scopes. I couldn't fix it at school because Dad wouldn't let me take our tube tester and such to school. At home one night I had gotten the schematics and such for this huge monster and Dad told me to pull each tube, check each one and make sure they were the correct tube number and in the correct sockets; Dad was a Ham and a TV Tech, I should have listened to Dad!
Well, I checked about half of them and found several bad tubes, changed them then started trying to circuit trace the problem. Power supply and Diodes and Filter caps looked good and as I started checking voltages, I decided to check plate voltages... about 900 VDC... ZZZzzzap! I screamed like a girl, ended up jumping about ten feet back and smelled burnt hair and flesh, that smell stayed with me for 3 days. Dad said, "remember I told you about checking voltages over 300 volts and to use the second anode, High Voltage probe, it's right there, Ronald!" Dad never called me that, Dad was so right, he always was. Turns out a horizontal oscilator amo tube had been inserted one pin out of rotation, once I finally did what Dad told me to do in the first place, it came to life and I aligned it. I sure do miss Dad, N7JWF/AE7AD went silent key in Nov. 2020. I really Love this channel.
73s from KD7CKT.
Thanks for sharing your story Ron! Your father sounds like a great guy.
Glad you are here with us, In my first factory job we built huge transformers. I was a tester at the time, and somehow got hand to hand 660vac. Time stood still, was full aware of what was happening, no one around. somehow, through some force, I managed to let go. guy across the shop had a shocked, pun, look on his face. Whole new level of respect for electricity. thank you for your content.
I know what you mean about time stands still. We have 50Hz in England, a pulse every 10ms, but you can feel every one with a short interval between.
Finally, someone with a real story.
@@ericrawson2909same with 120/60, very firm handshake if you grab a live wire.
I'm glad that you survived this kind of shock and you are still with us!
#1: When I was kid, I came home and for my surprise the door was locked. I tried to ring the doorbell, but the mercury filled button was broken and I got only option to push the iron needle in the button to make a contact. I've got shocked, but I was lucky to have insulating rubber shoes and holding stair handrail from the wooden part to reach the doorbell knob;
#2: About 15 years ago I was changing phone line wires. While I was holding wires, the 45 VDC did not feel on any way, but someone called to the phone line and I had 90 VAC shock for a second :D;
#3: About 8 years ago I had IT system administrator job at the Industrial Education Centre. The workstation PC did not start from the power button, so I decided to turn it to the side on the table, while the AC power cord was connected to the outlet. I grabbed the computer case with both hands and got nice shaking shock (235 VAC). The reason was a mistake in the cabling made by local electrician so that this made the ground line hot. (Never trust the cabling that is not at your home!)
My uncle had once the 325 VAC shock when he was fixing industrial AC-motors. (325 VAC comes from the 60-degrees potential difference between 2 phases in the 3-phase power-lines in the EU).
Thanks for sharing! This was a fun side-track from the normal content and it'd be nice to hear some more Mr. Carlson's Shop Stories! Also, super glad you made it through that one.
Why wouldn’t he have made it?
@@nyccollin if you watched the video, you'd know he almost didn't make it through that shock. You realise what was described was the heart going into fribrillation and that usually requires medical intervention to get past. Paul was very lucky his heart recovered from that, it is not common for the heart to self recover from that state
Never under estimate the power of Electricity, you never get a second chance, if you get it wrong! That's the first thing they told me on day one , as an electrician . A great story Paul, and keep pushing safety.
Somebody was definitely looking over you that day, my friend. 40ma is all it takes to stop a human heart.
Thank you for sharing your experience!!! WOW!
Paul, I've been watching your videos for the past 15 years. I've played with/built a few tube amps, because of your videos. Your emphasis on safety, for all of the old equipment, has always rang through my head while I'm working on those. Thank you for every video you post, and never apologize for safety. The people that complain about safety, shouldn't be working on old electronics. It's incredibly dangerous, incredibly rewarding, and completely worth learning about it.
Thank you, we all really appreciate your kindness, caring and brilliance!
Wonderful Paul.... you're finally opening up about your life and all the things that naturally happened along the way. Thanks for sharing. Cheers
I am so glad we didn't lose you that day. Thanks for telling the story.
EVERYONE who has been "shocked" always reminds others about safety and what is dangerous! The way you talk about it was evident that you encountered a serious issue some time ago!!! While you were talking, I was also admiring your radio collection also! Keep up the great work AND sharing your stories!!!
When I talk with people about safety (or whatever other subject) It is always like: "yeah yeah yeah".... Until they get zapped, shocked or bitten themselves.
Goes to show that even in these occasions for most people, they need to experience it themselves.
I've never been drawn to electronics like I have with mechanical and automotive tech. But your presentations and especially the way you explain things without being condescending keep me checking in from time to time. I especially enjoyed this shop talk, very thankful you lived obviously, and I look forward to more videos like this. Thank you Paul!
Paul, one of my worst "pull a stupids" when I was much, much younger - got across the plate connection (when transmitting) of a 100W GE Prog Line base station. Threw me back a few feet and knocked me on my backside. I, too, remember my heart doing some strange things for a few minute afterward, but thankfully it never completely stalled. Glad you survived, thanks for sharing!
As a guy who has been in the electronic business for going on forty years, you cannot emphasize safety too much, Paul! I won't bore you or other readers with my shock stories, but I must say yours is more impressive than all mine put together!
Ross Hull, one of the great lights of amateur radio in the thirties, was killed when he got across and pole pig whilst doing experiments in television. I found the article about how he died in a QST article from 1938, and it has haunted me for years. I always think about it when working around high voltage, which I do often as I am a vacuum tube-head like you.
Keep up the fine work, you are a real gentleman and a true inspiration to us all!
73, KG6CLA
That is the best description I ever heard.
I had a close call with a 26" TV damaged HT lead I passed out at around 10:30am & came round at 4:30pm when my mum came home with loss of feeling in my right hand/arm. Also my T-Shirt was still wet from sweat. I did not feel well so staggered in but did not tell her the whole story of losing a day. She said I look very ill and still sweaty. I got the use of my arm/hand back shortly but with pins & needles. Also a big lump on my head from being thrown back against shelving. Also other bruising. The pins& needles took three days to clear.
I dumped the 26" TV and did a lot less TV repair for a while.
What gets me is seeing a couple of TH-camrs commentating on Adrian Black fuss too much about safety which I always comment on as you can NEVER be too careful & need to treat CRT with great respect. I am glad you pointed out your incident as I know what it is like to nearly not be here.
Love your work.
Paul, I had a similar experience in my late teens before GFCI was common. A heavy tube power supply which I had designed and built gave me a shock across the heart. It had no cover on the bottom and when the power switch was in the off position the two unterminated connections near the bottom of the chassis were live. I picked it up with the line connected to the wall and one finger slipped inside touching the contacts. With 240V ac across my heart my muscles from the waist up were frozen. What seemed like minutes but was probably only a few seconds I decided to fall sideways to break the connection. This experience taught me two important lessons, one about design (the switch connection and covers), two generally about electrical safety.
Yowch. I guess it is good to give forethought to what you might try if worse came to worst. Get your whole body as far as you can from the area by whatever means necessary if your hands won't obey.
The manual for the 150-in-1 electronics kit I used in the 80s had a quote: "There are old technicians, and there are bold technicians, but there are NO old, bold technicians." It's always stuck with me, and I thik it's helped keep me safe over the years.
Fantastic story, Paul, and an important cautionary tale. Thanks for sharing!
Dear Paul,
Your not only a brilliant electro technician, you are also a wonderful story teller!
Did you ever managed to find out what drove you out of that chair and basicly saved your life? Was it your own body contracting into massive spasm, or some sort of higher power?
Thank God you made it and share all your wisdom!
I felt the (very strong) push on my upper body, something you never forget.
@@TD75 Yes, true as I have witnessed this few times in my 24 years of doing electrical work. I do pray that it never happens to me, got only few years before retirement.
@MrCarlsonsLab I can imagine! Man what an experience... never revisit though!
@@MrCarlsonsLab I would expect that you must have contemplated about that "strong push" quite a bit in the time since the event. I'm most emphatically not a religious person, but that would certainly have given me some pause for thought.
I guess you didn't get the chance to find out what happened to cause the incident -- that seems like a fairly interesting thing to figure out...
I'm so glad you made it through the incident. I'm a (mostly) retired electrical engineer, with backgrounds and quite broad experience in audio, robotics, and a lot of industrial control (there's some mean stuff there - how about the guts of a 600V 500 HP variable frequency drive?). It seems like every one of your videos captures me for the entire hour or so, despite my best intentions to get working on one backed-up project or another. About every two minutes there's another gem of knowledge - worth every cent of the Patreon fee.
Thank you for sharing Paul. I've had a few close calls and a few bad shocks myself. Electricity is always waiting there for you to make a mistake so it can find a path through you. Watching your videos, you are more cautious and meticulous than me and it still got you. I'm glad you survived and are here to share with us.
"Electricity has some magic fingers that you can't always see"... this was a quote from an old journeyman electrician that trained me. Thanks for the story, it's a good reminder.
Holy beans man! Glad you're still with us! The way it all unfolded and getting blown backwards somehow gives me visions of you playing the part of Doc in Back to the Future. I'm an extra class HAMster that still doesn't feel brave enough to open up an amplifier and hopes to someday take your electronics course. So many times I forget to disconnect AC power before jumping into a repair...for example a furnace (accidentally welded a gas ignitor/heater to the frame) and a washing machine, (luckily tripped the GFCI while replacing a water inlet solenoid valve). Even car batteries make me nervous when I work with them. I do always somehow remember to drain all capacitors before though...when fixing a microwave, and fixing a central air conditioner. As far as actually getting shocked, that only happened while growing up on a farm and had a few accidental run-ins with the electric cattle fences. I can relate to the not letting go part, and having to learn to let yourself fall to the ground assuming your legs are still relaxable.
You must..... Must! If you're troubleshooting then possibly power is applied and you're testing or observing operation. Disassembling or changing parts then you must disconnect power. That's how it must be! Good luck and stay safe! You can do it!
hey Buddy... if you are working on something electrical put the plug in your pocket...
My electrical safety education occurred when I was 12. I had built a Jacobs Ladder and was adjusting the parallel electrodes with both hands when my friend plugged it in. 15000 volts at 40 ma. Wow! Threw me backwards about five feet.
It didn't stop me from building more electrical projects including additional Jacobs Ladders and some pretty large Tesla coils.
Learning the One Hand Rule early on may have saved my life.
Nowadays, and 58 years later as an Extra class Ham, it's mainly RF burns I'm watching out for.
Thank you for the life story and the great channel.
All the best.
Wiring a milling machine in, I had a GOOD wallop from 380v 3 phase once and the 50hz buzz through me was terrifying...
Glad you made it through, the world would be a lesser place without you , Paul
😎👍☘️🍺
Wow Paul. Amazingly sobering story. Thank God you were ok through all of these close calls. Thanks for always reminding us. It only takes one bad mistake. 73's
Thank you so much for sharing. We all need to hear stories like this from time to time to keep ourselves safe. So glad you survived, I've learned so much from you, I owe a lot to you for getting me started in electronics!
I know absolutely nothing about electronics but I find Paul's video so compelling! That story sounds horrific - I'm so glad it had a good outcome 🙏
Thank you Paul for this excellent video. I appreciate very much the fact that you put safety first and repeat again and again warnings about safety. Keep up the excellent work that you do and stay safe.
That was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever heard! Thank you for sharing it and I’m so glad you’re OK
Thank you for sharing this story. I've never had anything quite that severe, but I've been bitten a few times and had enough close calls to make me understand why your repeated warnings about safety are so important!
Good ole Dak 9 I use for CB chatting and some LSB. I know there is high voltage present and yes you have to work on those things very cautiously indeed. 73
You're one awesome dude, Paul! Always so happy to see you post a new video! Glad you survived & are still with us!
We are blessed to still have you around! Scary story, happy outcome.
I was in a similar situation once.
The absolute silence of missing your own heartbeat is pretty scary.
It blew my mind, since you wouldn't hear your own heart normally but you feel the silence if it isn't beating.
All of us that watch your videos are very relieved that you survived your shock. Where else would we get such a precise education on electronics.
Great share Mr. C.. Glad you made it through the incident and have the humility to share it. That’s crazy that you don’t know what caused the situation. Look forward to more of your stories.
Thanks for sharing your experience. The Scary part is not knowing how it happened!!! We all have made mistakes that we learned what NOT to do. But if you don't know, you have no idea how to prevent it 😵💫. Glad you're still with us and sharing your knowledge on electronics. Please never apologize for bringing up safety.
I was an electrician in the navy. A name given to the 110vac power system was the “Deadly Shipmate”. There was a good reason for the name. I briefly met this “shipmate” a few times and it wasn’t pleasant. So your story is interesting as well as informative. I hope visitors to your channel just starting out in the electronic/electrical trades take heed from your experiences. Thanks for sharing, Paul. 👍🏻😊
110 is a joke. I’ve taken that so many times, starting as a kid.
not even 120 by adulthood? try 240 gramps, we are not the same 😎
meanwhile there is probobly that guy that got killed laughing at 60v
@@nyccollin yup, I experienced it the first time at around 5 years of age and many time since then around the house. Problem with Navy vessels is well, there made of steel. More chances to make the complete contact, foot to hand, hand to hand, etc. they didn’t call it the deadly shipmate for nothing.
@@billstoner5559 I was just thinking that. It's like doing repairs while in the bathtub.
Well thank goodness you survived Paul where would we all be now without this great channel!. I have been a sparkie on industrial controls for 20 years and never had a shock like that. Ive had a few bangs and flashes that have you blinking for a few minutes but luckily no big shakers. I saw another sparkie connecting up a 3 phase 400 Amp Fuse Board and he had managed to get a short to earth somewhere inside and didnt check it properly before switching it on. The bang and flash was very impressive and the copper in the feed cable lost a good few ounces as it vaporized before the fuse let go he was forever known as Johnny bang bang after that. I have just retired and am trying to get back into electronics but im starting with cmos logic and working up from there but Im still wary around my power supplies. Thanks for sharing your story!
Interesting - my Dad is a retired electrician and he has a coffee can in his garage with several screwdrivers that are half melted and one has a actual terminal and chunk of wire that was welded to the screwdriver shaft. I enjoy your shop talk, these stories are fascinating.
Thank you Mr. Carlson. By sharing your knowledge about vintage electrical devices like old vacuum tube radios and televisions; there is a significant danger and risk of possible death due to an electrical shock. You have always warned people in every one of your videos that if you wish to persue the hobby of repair and, or restoration of these electronic devices that you are doing so at your own risk. Thank you for this video post. You may be saving lives.
Wow, the shop has really come a long way! That wall of Tek is very impressive!
I have been watching your videos for quite a while now and have never thought you are too cautious. Not respecting electricity is like not retrospecting the sea - nature will always win. Thanks for this story - you are so professional in your videos and it is nice to get to know a little about you.
This shop talk is amazing. Whenever you talk Paul, I feel a "Bob Ross" ease coming over me. Am very glad your okay, and that instead of slacking down on safety due experience you actually take it more and more serious. So do we want more stories? I think I don't need to say yes once more do I? Thanks Paul, much love!
It's really nice to hear more about your life outside of Mr. Carlson's lab!
Glad you enjoyed it!
WOW Paul, that is an amazing story of a close call. You are very blessed to be here. And we are blessed by you being here. I had a close call once with raw 240 from a commercial line feed. Long story but, only by the grace of God I did not get shocked where I should have been killed from that event. I love your stories, please keep them coming.
Hej Paul, there is a trajectory for this. I started in electronics in my childhood, got zapped a few times mostly from anode caps on old crts etc. It was not until I graduated that I actually got electrocuted.. this is a whole other story in comparison to getting zapped (shocked) and your story literally transplants into mine with the only exception being I was not the only one, I had coupled to the guy who got the original shock by leaning on the bus bar dis box he was working on. I remember just thinking that I never got to say goodbye which sucked as we had just brought my daughter into the world. Well 26 years later still here, and like you my incidents with the funky chicken dance have reduced considerably. Thanks for your content bud, I love the vintage vids as it takes me back to when I started out many many years ago
So not electrocuted but a close call. I've had life threatening shocks as well, but working in the role of support engineer for satcoms systems, I have heard of some horrendous accidents on transmitting equipment, sometimes the reaction to an EHT shock is what causes the damage rather than the shock itself.
10kV at 1.7A is one supply I've had to work on live, you definitely have to be careful around that especially as the filament transformer is at -10kV.
If I had a quid for every time someone told me they have actually been electrocuted I'd have a least a fiver by now lol safe to say they survived the 'cution' part
Thanx Paul for that 'candid' description of what happened to you. As an 'Industrial Electrician' for my 37 years in the 'Pulp and Paper Industry', we experienced many sobering experiences of electrical shocks. One occurrence made the CBC news when 5 guys were burned at Powell River. They survived, but it was a tragic experience. A man I spoke with about another episode was 'hung up' on 2300 volts and survived because someone 'kicked him off' of the switch gear.
Thanks for sharing your story Dave!
I've been knocked against the wall several times in the 40+ years of servicing electronics. It's not a good feeling... I think you getting knocked out of the chair was by a guardian angel, possibly. You were not meant to die at that moment because you were destined for a greater good. Enjoyed your story, Thanks for sharing. ❤
You might be right about the guardian angel. I thought the same thing. It was just not his time to leave.
Sorry Mr. Carlson. You will be stuck with us for many years to come but we enjoy your lessons 🙂
Hello Paul VE7ZWZ from Arie PE1KRX, I am also 71 years old.
I have seen a lot of the world to solve special malfunctions in machines there.
Over the years known very bizarre security problems.
Still alive and kicking.
This episode was enjoyable to watch.
Something different, nice for a change.
Wow. That was a close call for sure. Thanks for surviving that and passing this info on. Take care man.
Sounds like divine intervention at its finest throwing you out of your chair! Amazing testimony and glad you made it past that experience to bring us a wealth of knowledge over the years!!
The scary aspect of getting a shock is when you think you're being careful, but there's something you've completely overlooked. Quite worrying for those of us who do this stuff alone...
I'm not familiar with electronics, but as an Engineer (Civil, roading side) I can't underestimate safety as being No.1. I've watched a lot of your videos (some of which go over my head 🙂, but that fine) and just find it fascinating in renovating older electrical equipment. I have a 1976 Seeburg jukebox that I'm looking to renovate but of course, I have to deal with the electrical side too. I treat the dreaded electrons with the greatest respect. Had a few zaps in my time, and a few close calls, some from being young, some from complacency/stupidity. Keep up the fantastic work sir.
I know that buzzing feeling! My life almost ended at about age 6 thanks to an exposed wire on an ancient vacuum cleaner. I'll never forget it. None of the shocks I've had in my electronic adventures since then even came close.
Greetings Vic - I got mine as a helper for a window air air conditioning installer/repairman. Put my hand where it didn't belong. I woke up on the ground seconds later. Mr. Mahoney my boss just laughed.
Me too, prob aged 8 though. Trying to 'fix' a old tube radio. When I came back my tounge was numb and I had spark burns on my tshirt. My cousin said the sparks came out of my mouth, but idk about that haha.
Nah. Your life was nowhere near ending. 110 just tickles.
@@nyccollin I agree. I've had so many 120VAC shocks that it almost doesn't bother me any more. What scares me is that tube plate voltage.
@@nyccollinwill kill you dead under the right conditions. I think it's 40 milliamperes going through the heart will cause cardiac arrhythmia or arrest. So it's not about the voltage only. Acid on your fingers can give 12 volts automotive electric power the ability to really make you feel pain. So be careful!
I remember my high school electronics teacher telling me a story of when he was a tv repair man in the 60’s he got hit with the full flyback and found himself waking up on the other side of the room. So your story of suddenly being thrown back is pretty spot on.
Hi Paul...
The worst shock I ever experienced was when I was a lot younger and playing around with surplus WS19 transceivers. I wondered why the socket for the cw key was so heavily insulated. I found out why when I plugged in a key which had a metal shell jack plug while holding on to the chassis with my other hand. I felt like I'd been kicked in the chest and I remember seeing a small flame coming from the end of my finger before I was launched across the room, presumably because all my muscles contracted. I now know that the key is connected to the 540V tx HT. And there was a hole burned in the end of my finger.
You can't be too careful with electricity. Don't work on powered equipment unless it's unavoidable. If you must work on powered equipment!, keep one hand in your pocket.
73 de Malc M0IYI.
Probably the most important advice ever given: absolutely do not use both hands on energized equipment-keep the non-dominant hand in your pocket. The only thing that saved my life after foolishly grabbing two separate ends of a flex conduit while standing on a barstool was that I passed out and fell out of the circuit, all because I had forgotten the above sage advice of an old electrical engineer. I had the same post-shock experience as Paul: I stood up and realized that my heart had not returned to beating, and then it suddenly did. The fall damaged my L1 vertebrate, specifically a compressive fracture that took a long time to heal. Nevertheless, falling out of the circuit almost certainly saved my life.
The problem with these situations is that you don't have the time to think clearly. I could have escaped the muscular lock from the 110 AC by simply hopping off the stool, which would have pulled the conduits out of my hands. Perhaps Paul's body and subconscious realized what was happening and reflexively jumped off the stool he was sitting on. It's as if your brain-body connection is somewhat frozen in time. The very best thing you can do is to take every precaution to keep yourself physically out of any live electrical circuit.
The WS19 key is connected to *some* high-ish voltage, but it shouldn't be the 540v. Got bit by it too, a couple of times, but that definitely was not the full 540vdc HT. If it would have been, i wouldn't have been bit again by it. It wasn't too bothersome, just made me think 'Bitch why'd you bite me?!'
I browsed the manual - mk3, page 41 - the key switches the screen grid voltage of the 807 as well as some other fairly current-limited tubes. I remember measuring the key current - out of the top of my head it was no more than 10mA or so. But it's already years ago.
One other nasty habit of the WS19 is biting you with the T/R relay induction. Good lord, that solenoid packs a punch when you release the voltage to it! For some reason mine would rattle the T/R relay when plugging in the big multipin cable and cause a bunch of induction spikes between the radio's GND and the metal plug itself. Measured that current too - the digital meter said 30mA but the spike is of course too short for the meter to properly register the peak current. But if the digital meter already says 30, you can be sure it's a good whallop.
By now i've gotten rid of the thing. Such an unwieldy piece of kit. I loved it, but it was just too hard to use on the modern, overfull 80 and 40m bands. Now i have a AN/GRC-9 to satisfy my need for the smell of surplus electronics.
Another nasty device is the D. Mk. V field telephone. The instructions are literally 'Lick your fingers, touch terminals A and B, press buzzer - a current should be felt'. Let me tell you, that current was felt halfway to my shoulder. I measured it at an average current of 10mA at 100ish volts, but the spikes from the buzzer are way higher of course.
I think that was the worst shock i've ever gotten - but stupidly enough i got it because i followed the instructions.
Thanks, Paul, for that story. I too have been saved by my guardian angel at least two times that I know of. Glad you were too!
That is quite a scary story. My dad once grabbed a plate cap in a Heathkit transmitter while on and came to on the other side of the room. I’ve had some good zaps, one on my thumb where I lost the feeling for a few weeks in it and it suddenly came back. Being shocked is a very scary experience.
Thank-you Paul for emphasizing the need for safety. I know exactly the feeling you encountered. When I was just starting my working career I was repairing a Bruel and Kjaer tube amplifier. I had two of them open on the bench and was having trouble with the B+ on one of them. I was pretty used to working on these and with the power on and I proceeded to to put one back in its case. Without thinking I went to tuck a wire I had attached to the B+ away so it wouldn’t short to the case. Well the B+ was 400 volts and it dropped me to the floor. That was a life lesson that I will never forget.
Please continue to emphasize the need for safety. It really is important...
Thanks for sharing your story Larry.
I, for one, welcome any and all safety talk... in the shop, around power tools and spinning things, at the rifle range - all of it. Keep talking safety!
I retired five years ago from a Fortune 100 electric company. Newbies often took safety lightly; the old timers didn't. Maybe the safety talk by the lineman with two prosthetic hands had something to do with it.
Very good video, :), glad you're still with us. Having worked at Tektronix for 32 yrs as a tech'n, been shocked pretty good many many times, usually on backlight circuits, or other HV circuits, power supplies etc, but I'm certain every tech'n in the industry has been zapped, but never so it was enough to send to the hospital, just shake it off. Also had large electrolytics blow up , wakes you up, sounds like 12G shotgun. :)
I love your troubleshooting methods, and relive the work I did in my career. Thank you.
Wow, I can highly relate to your shocking experience. When I was in my late teens, we found this old 1930's GE radio chassis with a 12" electromagnet speaker. I was trying to see if I could restore the radio, had powered it up and was checking it out. For some reason I had placed my L and R hands on the chassis and the Speaker frame at the sametime and got the shock of my life from 450vdc. Not knowing water damage to the electromagnet had caused shorting the B+ to speaker frame. For some reason the DC current going through my arms caused my muscles to contract violently that the chassis and speaker fell to the floor. And found myself setting on the floor. Felt nervously/weakly strange after that, after a while I got feeling back to normal. From then on I was much more careful around dangerous voltages. I still have all the parts to the radio and turned the chassis into a Vacuum tube regulated Power supply. I feel like we each have a guardian Angel looking after us in these kind of situations.
Only 2 things you need to know about electricity: 1 It's invisible 2, It Kills you.
@@Bazzawombat Explain how come we are still alive to tell about our shocking experience encounters.
@@Bazzawombat 3: it will hurt the whole time you're dying.
I for 1 appreciate the safety talk. I have been an industrial electrician for 40 yrs. I am still alive.
Thank you for relating your story. You are truly fortunate and amazing. I am thankful you are still with us, and working to help us better understand the world of electronics and radios safely.
Thanks for sharing your story, Paul. I can remember that buzzing sensation from being shocked by 240 AC about 30 years ago. Also been shocked by ignition coils a bunch of times. When I started working on 575 V, more than 25 years ago, I took safety a lot more seriously. With electricity, I try to imagine the motor (i.e. mechanical) than could be powered by the electricity present, and I ask myself “would I put my hand this close to a spinning motor shaft?”.
Those ignition coils hurt SO BAD.
@@bryandraughn9830100% most painful hit I've taken. Mercury outboard Thunderbolt ignition from the 80's, as a teenager trying to do some diagnosis & pulled one plug wire at a time on the running engine. First one, nothing & no change in the engine. Second one... hit hard & couldn't let go. Had to let my legs go limp to fall away from the engine, finally hit the ground & got away from it. They quit making that ignition because it ran upward of 60kv & tended to burn up plugs & wires lol.
Thank you for taking the time to share! Nothing but little shocks for me, so glad you are OK...
Electroboom wants a word with you.
He plays a good character to try and teach people. (Btw, I hope people know he's not shocking himself and shorting out power cords all the time, it's added comedy to try and educate people and get uninterested people to learn a bit)
Lack of understanding with what you are dealing with is what gets people killed by playing around with things like microwave transformers with no knowledge.
@@volvo09Mostly yes, but there’s one time he actually almost got a big, potentially lethal, shock from a Jacob’s ladder falling on him, connected to a MOT.
@@nyccollin Now I’m happy I put it in there.
😂
@@volvo09 The irony is that on video with a microwave oven transformer he nearly ended himself
Mr Carlson, (Paul), is a Brilliant Person, we are all so grateful you were ok in the end, wow!
Safety matters. Paul came really close to not making this channel on that day. Whatever stray muscle contraction saved you, I'm glad for it.
Keep preaching safety. I've come close to shuffling off the mortal coil after a hit-and-run bicycle accident (large wad of scar tissue in my palm still in the way of a few nerves to my fingertips, and the obligatory plate and screws in my arm; had the car clipped my leg, I wouldn't have been able to find help before bleeding out), so now I never hit the road without high viz yellow and retroreflective tape.
Mike Rowe had a habit of saying "Safety Third" on _Dirty Jobs._ I disagree; we all need to take responsibility for our own safety and make that our highest priority. If we don't, we deserve our Darwin Awards.
What an incredible story, thanks for sharing! That was a very close call. Glad you are still with us.
Here from BigClive. Anyone else?
Happy you are still here and to remind everyone to be safe. I know some of those shocking moments & one still makes me wonder how I survived it. Keep teaching us and as everyone says today, "be safe."
A truly shocking experience.
Thanks for the shop talk. I like hanging out here. I've been watching your lab videos as inpiration to re-entering the electronics world.
Paul, i praise God that you did not get killed. I honestly think that an Angel saved you. I hope that you are a Christian. Thank you for teaching everyone about safety.
Great video. I loved the story with hopefully more to come. As a power electrical engineer for 40 years, I’ve seen what a mistake can do to a person. Keep preaching, Paul.
Holy shit dude. This is the kind of thing I'm always so paranoid working around higher voltages. Glad you're still with us!
Safety is no joke! So, good for you for emphasizing its importance. Too many accidents happen everyday that could easily be prevented if people only took the time to be safe.
Most people mis-use the term electrocute, but in your case, due to the seriousness of the shock, I don't think it is incorrect. It was just a failed electrocution. Glad you're still with us, this is one of my favorite channels.
WOW! what a experience. Im thankful that God pushed you out of that chair and your here to enjoy learning from. I once touched the plate connector in the finals on my Dad's Tempo One and got thrown back off the chair. My arm hurt for about a week after that one and I am always carful around high voltage now. Great video and thanks so much for sharing that experience with us all.
Wow, what a story ! Scary thing is that it is true. I have been in electronics for many years. The scariest power supply I worked on could deliver 8000 volts at 8 amperes. Could easily be deadly! I respect your cautions about working around high voltages. Thank you for sharing.
Paul... Glad you're still around !
Mine was a degaussing coil... The M Coil on a WWII USN Destroyer. M coil raps longitudinal around the entire ship's hull. Junction Box mounted to inside hull of ship. Had to reach so left hand holding the metal hand rail when the ship rolled, right hand went into the uninsulated connections inside. Thankfully muscle reaction push me away and broke my connection.
Wow, scary stuff Paul..! Yikes..! Glad you're still around, and sharing all your fab electronics info for us greenhorns to learn from..Take care ..Ed..uk..😀
Incredible story and thank you for always including safety tidbits in your videos. If people get irritated by hearing it over and over again, well just too bad --- that's why there's a FF button. Safety can never be over-emphasized and please continue to discuss it often. All the best...
Words cannot express how grateful that you are here among us and survived. I also, "in my youth," somehow connected with 500 volts from an amp I was working on and felt as if a "big hand" pushed me to the ground. I am eternally grateful to that "hand" that pushed me but I certainly would not want to take the chance to "shake it in gratitude." All the best, Paul!"