2 ms·

> give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts Man, I'd say be very respectful to anything that might be running 120-240V, and be very sure about

> give very healthy respect to anything more than 500 volts Man, I'd say be very respectful to anything that might be running 120-240V, and be very sure about anything higher than that. Anything <50V can often just be fun tinker whatever assuming you're ok with breaking whatever you're playing with, up to a certain max amperage of your power source. High amperage but low voltage can still cause some serious messups if you don't have the right fuses in place. But I get other voltages are common in Europe.

moron4hire 1y ago
Nah, 120v ain't so bad. Hurts less than hitting your finger with a hammer.
- vel0city 1y ago
  I'm not necessarily talking about getting shocked (which can still end up being bad), I'm also referring to the fact a lot of those 120V circuits are probably only protected by something like 12-15-20A of circuit breakers that might take a while to actually blow and unless you're in a kitchen or a bathroom or whatever probably don't have GFCI protection. Messing something up can quickly lead to quite a fire.
  - theamk 1y ago
    Lots (all?) old devices have input fuses, and often those are right next to the plug. So most of the mistakes will cause this fuse to blow (unless you recklessly short it, or drop a screwdriver in the unlucky spot) That said, even something as simple as surge protector power strip is going to have a nice and fast circuit breaker in it. If you want to get fancier, get a GFCI extension strip from home depot. And if you get an isolation transformer, it'll certainly have a fuse or a breaker.
- zevon 1y ago
  I would not want to touch 120V with wet hands, for example...
prpl 1y ago
i’ve been hit by 350V trying to bias a tube amp but it was low current (B+). Woke me up
tuatoru 1y ago
DC, definitely. Above 60V is dangerous. AC, 120V will 'bite', 240V will make you shaky (remembers id10t maneuver yesterday, first in a decade). And burn you. In damp environments or with corrosion around, much worse things can happen.
cowboylowrez 1y ago
yeah I just treat any higher voltage like I would a snake, I stay away haha.

moron4hire 1y ago

Nah, 120v ain't so bad. Hurts less than hitting your finger with a hammer.

vel0city 1y ago
I'm not necessarily talking about getting shocked (which can still end up being bad), I'm also referring to the fact a lot of those 120V circuits are probably only protected by something like 12-15-20A of circuit breakers that might take a while to actually blow and unless you're in a kitchen or a bathroom or whatever probably don't have GFCI protection. Messing something up can quickly lead to quite a fire.
- theamk 1y ago
  Lots (all?) old devices have input fuses, and often those are right next to the plug. So most of the mistakes will cause this fuse to blow (unless you recklessly short it, or drop a screwdriver in the unlucky spot) That said, even something as simple as surge protector power strip is going to have a nice and fast circuit breaker in it. If you want to get fancier, get a GFCI extension strip from home depot. And if you get an isolation transformer, it'll certainly have a fuse or a breaker.
zevon 1y ago
I would not want to touch 120V with wet hands, for example...

prpl 1y ago

i’ve been hit by 350V trying to bias a tube amp but it was low current (B+). Woke me up

tuatoru 1y ago

DC, definitely. Above 60V is dangerous. AC, 120V will 'bite', 240V will make you shaky (remembers id10t maneuver yesterday, first in a decade). And burn you. In damp environments or with corrosion around, much worse things can happen.

cowboylowrez 1y ago

yeah I just treat any higher voltage like I would a snake, I stay away haha.