Jump to content

So, this happened, then I decided to read the manual.


Wilbur
Go to solution Solved by JerrySTL,

Recommended Posts

2 hours ago, Wilbur said:

tesla.jpg

That is how they tested transformers at the Westinghouse plant my dad and I worked at. They tested them to make sure they could handle a lightning strike. A siren would sound just before they did that in case you wanted to hold your ears. It was loud.

  • Heart 3
  • Awesome 1
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Longjohn said:

That is how they tested transformers at the Westinghouse plant my dad and I worked at. They tested them to make sure they could handle a lightning strike. A siren would sound just before they did that in case you wanted to hold your ears. It was loud.

For a while when I was working for a calibration company one of my jobs was to calibrate the Hypots used to test insulation in devices such as transformers.  Some of these devices look like baby van de graaffs and generate 50,000 or so volts.  Unlike the spark machines though they also have enough current capability to hurt you.

On job had me doing such a calibration in an old mill building in Vermont.  The unit was inside a safety cage down in the sub basement in a small room at the bottom of a spiral stair case.  The lighting was dim and it was the sort of place where you expect to hear water dripping.............or not the sort of place that makes one comfortable fooling around with that much voltage.  At max power I could hear the ionization sizzle from my connecting wires as their insulation neared breakdown.  At that moment, down there in the dark, alone with canned lightning the only thing that came to mind was the movie Ghost, where the black shadows came up into the world of the living.

  • Heart 3
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...