[R-390] SAFETY

[Tom Norris]

Now it's Tom's time to rant about safety

>>Cecil sez --
>>No topic related to safety, yours or the equipments, is a waste of bandwidth.

Indeed Cecil. From before my early teens on, since I first started
to play with electronics and radios, all my "elmers" have told me
"Always assume that piece of gear in front of you will kill you"
Similar words anyway. They still teach such things regularly in
the labs where I have worked. Doesn't matter what the equipment
is, ALWAYS assume the gear is dangerous. Battery powered gear
is no exception -- a battery powered Megger or strobe or what
have you can give you enough of a jolt to knock it off a bench,
scrape or cut your arm as you yank it away, or jerk you arm into
a powered-up piece of equipment. The latter is more common than
you'd think.
Ask me about the tale of the powered-up 400Hz inverter that was
knocked into my lap from the next bench over. (actually DON'T
ask.. hehe)

At the very least, always practice the "one hand in the pocket"
method when servicing gear. If one hand is in your pocket, you
have less chance for current to flow across your chest and stop
you heart.

When it comes to safety *NEVER EVER EVER ASSUME ANYTHING
ANY EQUIPMENT IS SAFE*  This counts for both repair and normal
day to day use. Always check grounds, always check AC cordage, always
double check EVERYTHING. Always make sure gear is not over-fused.
If the equipment calls for a 1/2 amp fuse, replace it with a 1/2 amp
fuse.

I think the power cordage issue was hashed out pretty well the other
day, so I'll not fuss about it here.

As for the variac, there *are* isolated variacs out there, such as
the Standard "Adjust a Volt" supplies, but unless you know it's
REALLY isolated, ALWAYS use an isolation transformer with any
variac.

73

Tom NU4G