Go here:
http://www.voltnet.com/stress/index.html

(Remember the furby ?)

one word...... Telemarketers

Why would we expect a consumer electronics device to withstand a 15000 volt test? How realistic is that?

Ed

Because a knucklehead ran off the road and through the electric pole and dropped the primary down on the telephone wire, the people who tried to call the authorities had their telephones promptly blow up.
True story. happened to my boss.

Trainwire

ps not to mention, big sparks are fun

Hi, Guys:
I particularly liked the Furby test. I hope you took time to play the short video clip that went with it. The audio portion is quite striking...(Blah, Blah, Blah...Bl -BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZ)!

...Deeply disturbing, but it's quite a way to lift your spirits!

Trainwire: Kinda interesting that you mentioned that. A similar situation occurred about three weeks ago near my house. Underaged driver, high on crack and formaldehyde (of all the ungodly things), crashed through a light pole and brought down a 12470 v. primary line and transformer bank into the middle of a major street in my town. Knocked out half power in town for about an hour, and fried the motherboard in my son's computer (smoke n' all). Pretty spectacular accident...tremendous flash of light, sparks and fire everywhere, dead transformers and wires (I hope) scattered about in the street.

I agree...big sparks are fun. :

Mike (mamills)

[This message has been edited by mamills (edited 08-01-2002).]

Sparky,

Is your suggestion that they next test Telemarketers?

Ed,

I don't think they are serious there. Looks like some bit of 'Techie' Humor.

Bill

They (probably) conducted the test improperly on the phone. Any electrical testing to phone equipment connected to outside plant wiring needs to include carbon blocks or gas tubes to ground as in a real installation. 'not saying your typical phone would survive, but it might not fail in such a spectacular manner. The 24-26 AWG wire outside the home would burn open under the stress when the carbon blocks clamp (at 200 - 600 VAC). As with the power company, the NEC is ignored by phone companies (don't expect to find fuses between the clamping devices and the outside wiring)

if only it were possible.....

(washes down valium w/coors & goes to 'happy place')

I think that sums it up... Not a serious site, but I think they really did do the um, uh, "tests"...

*buzzzzz POOF! Eureka!*

one really has to wander about Sparky....not only is his sense of humor perverse...but where does he find the time to dig these places (web sites) up?

Can't take all the credit...

Most of the bizzare stuff I find is found by someone else and compiled here .

I check Fark daily after going through the threads here... Just part of my evening (and sometimes morning or midday) routine.

I'm "sparky66wv" on that board too.

[This message has been edited by sparky66wv (edited 08-01-2002).]

Whoopee!! Pyrodex!! My favorite!!
I wonder what it would take to get hired on at this test lab? I'd even bring my own neon transformer