hot wires

[sparky]

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work.

Er what? I've done that without adjusting anything. You just put it in 1st and attempt to start the engine.

I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?

Same reason why you can plug a clock radio into the same power outlet as a 3kW convector heater in your house.

I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver.

Try a thick spanner and watch the battery explode. Make sure you look very closely.

Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one,

Are we talking about his screwdriver or something else now?

but thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts.

I'm surprised you know how to drive a car.

This morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Nevermind the newsgroup, you're on the wrong planet.

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

A Glesga burd and a Weegie guy are in a bar when the girl notices something strange about the Nikes the guy is wearing.
She says, "Here mate, ah no' tryin tae take the piss ur any'hin lik' that, but how come you've goat an "L" oan wan ae yur gutties an' an "R" oan the other wan?"
So the guy smiles, puts down his bottle of cider and replies, "Coz I'm a bit thick so Ah huv tae huv an "L" oan ma left fit an' an "R" oan ma right wan."
"Aw, fo fuck's sake," exclaims the girl. "So that's how ma thongs've goat "C&A" oan thum!"

 

[PeterD]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:11:40 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com>
wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout

and Hucker responds to a poorly written troll...

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:23:31 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:11:40 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com
wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout

and Hucker responds to a poorly written troll...

I found it quite amusing. There are people that stupid you know.

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

A sign at the golf course detailing the dress code:
Guys: No Shirts, No Golf
Girls: No Shirts, No Green Fees

 

[sparky]

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:38:16 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:23:31 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:11:40 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com
wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout

and Hucker responds to a poorly written troll...

I found it quite amusing. There are people that stupid you know.

Listen up, Peter. I'm quite aware that if you ask a stupid question you can
only expect a stupid answer, and that's exactly what I got. However, though it
may have sounded like a stupid question to you, it didn't deserve a stupid
answer because I asked it in good faith. My boyfriend says it's all to do with
resistance to the current flow in the wire, and that if the wire is long and
thin enough it won't get hot. ('ro' x 'l') / 'a' where 'ro' is the resistivity
of the wire's material, 'l' is the length of the wire, and 'a' is the
thickness of it in metres. I'm still not sure exactly what it means, but at
least I now have something to go on in my google searches to find an answer.
You don't have to help me if it's beneath you to talk to a girl about
electricity. I'm used to that kind of intolerance from insecure men. Jeeze,
I'm glad I the foresight to change my name before embarrassing myself here.

 

[LL]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

1) You need to learn more about electricity before playing with
powerful car batteries.
2) Your boyfriend might not be treating you like a girl, he may be
treating you like someone who has no electrical training.
3) He may not be teaching you because,
He may not be a good teacher. Just because you know
something, doesn't mean you are good at explaining it.
or
He may not know enough to explain it.


The reason the meter doesn't melt has nothing to do with the wires.
It has everything to do with the meter that they are connected to.
The meter (in VOLT mode) has a high resistance.
The resistance will RESIST the flow of electricity.
This is done so that the meter will not "drag down" the voltage it is
measuring.
This is because the meter is connected ACROSS, or PARALLEL with the
circuit.


Be careful though.
If you put the meter in AMP mode, the meter then has a low resistance.
This will cause a LARGE amount of current to flow, just as if it were
only wires connected.
This is because the meter in AMP mode is connected IN LINE, or in
SERIES with the circuit. If the meter were resisting flow, it would
affect the circuit.

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:01:11 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 15:38:16 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:23:31 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 18:11:40 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com
wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout

and Hucker responds to a poorly written troll...

I found it quite amusing. There are people that stupid you know.

Listen up, Peter. I'm quite aware that if you ask a stupid question you can
only expect a stupid answer, and that's exactly what I got. However, though it
may have sounded like a stupid question to you, it didn't deserve a stupid
answer because I asked it in good faith. My boyfriend says it's all to do with
resistance to the current flow in the wire, and that if the wire is long and
thin enough it won't get hot. ('ro' x 'l') / 'a' where 'ro' is the resistivity
of the wire's material, 'l' is the length of the wire, and 'a' is the
thickness of it in metres. I'm still not sure exactly what it means, but at
least I now have something to go on in my google searches to find an answer.
You don't have to help me if it's beneath you to talk to a girl about
electricity. I'm used to that kind of intolerance from insecure men. Jeeze,
I'm glad I the foresight to change my name before embarrassing myself here.

I'm intolerant of stupidity because I see stupid people every day. It gets tedious....

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

"A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history--with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila."

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:44:58 -0000, LL <NOSPAMldittoecom@comcast.net> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?


1) You need to learn more about electricity before playing with
powerful car batteries.
2) Your boyfriend might not be treating you like a girl, he may be
treating you like someone who has no electrical training.
3) He may not be teaching you because,
He may not be a good teacher. Just because you know
something, doesn't mean you are good at explaining it.
or
He may not know enough to explain it.


The reason the meter doesn't melt has nothing to do with the wires.
It has everything to do with the meter that they are connected to.
The meter (in VOLT mode) has a high resistance.
The resistance will RESIST the flow of electricity.
This is done so that the meter will not "drag down" the voltage it is
measuring.
This is because the meter is connected ACROSS, or PARALLEL with the
circuit.


Be careful though.
If you put the meter in AMP mode, the meter then has a low resistance.
This will cause a LARGE amount of current to flow, just as if it were
only wires connected.
This is because the meter in AMP mode is connected IN LINE, or in
SERIES with the circuit. If the meter were resisting flow, it would
affect the circuit.

Done that before. I have a crappy meter with seperate sockets for amps and volts. I have often switched the dial to volts and left the leads in the amps socket. New leads please!

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Some "chinese english" instructions (with software for a camera card). This is the contents of a file named "English installs the elucidation.doc", quoted in its entirety:

The high regard's customer:
How are you!
Thank youing can use the pico product of my company, and please press below the operation order install, and thank!
A,The software installs in proper order
1, install the good WIN2000 system;
2, open the software light the dish;
3, double click the SETUP.EXE
4, the model number of the choice gearing
a)PICO2000_104( PALApplication) this model number can at most support 4 roads see the frequency signal the importation
b)PICO2000_208( PALApplication) this model number can at most support 8 roads see the frequency signal the importation
c)PICO2000_416( PALApplication) this model number can at most support 16 roads see the frequency signal the importation
5, after finishing installing, three documents that light patch in the dish the catalogue descend: The msdxm.ocx, odbc32.dll, odbcint.dll beat arrives the c:\ windows\ system inside.
6, square version of usage hero , please double click the light the English Pack in the dish the document.
7, the copy resemble the regulating of appearance tone must install the VideoSetup software to proceed to regulate, install the procedure under the light dish root the catalogue VideoSetup the blank page clip setup.exe.
Plank card gearing
1.Insert the plank card arrive the main plank PCI the slot;
2.Start the calculator, and the auto install the plank card the drive to move the procedure( position:Light dish driver catalogue bottom)
Change the compression method
Beginning the ? circulate the ? the importation the " REGEDIT", and make sure the ?? enter the registration watch the editor, and open the HKEY ? CURRENT ? the USER\ software\ univision Canada Linited\ the pico2000 double click the " CODEC" can is worth this key to change to" MP42" or" IV50"
Note:
MP42 ?? the MPEG4 compress the way( suggestion adoption MPEG4 compress way, should compress the way the compression the rate to is high)
IV50 ?? the INDEO compress the way

 

[Jasen Betts]

On 2008-11-15, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

Listen up, Peter. I'm quite aware that if you ask a stupid question you can
only expect a stupid answer, and that's exactly what I got. However, though it
may have sounded like a stupid question to you, it didn't deserve a stupid
answer because I asked it in good faith.

on occasion we get people pretending to be dumb asking dumb questions,
yours was borderline.

My boyfriend says it's all to do with
resistance to the current flow in the wire, and that if the wire is long and
thin enough it won't get hot.

yeah but it's more to do with what's inside the meter. if you were to put
one of the meter wires across the battery there'd be a small explosion and
the wire would turn to ash and molten copper and you'd probably lose your
eyebrows, burn your hands etc.

inside the meter there's a resistor that stops all the energy from the
battery from rushing through the wires and only lets enough through to
give an indication of how full it is. (and not the best indication
either) if you go to a car battery shop they'll have a tester with
big fat cables that tests the battery by seeing how much strength it
(something like this perhaps: http://www.batterymart.com/p-acc-sb-5.html )

 

[John]

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here. LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver. Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.
And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him. You need to at the very least understand the concepts
of voltage, current, resistance, power and a relationship known as
Ohm's law. Remember, Google is your friend. Include words like
'tutorial' in your searches.

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John


PS: Sorry guys if I've upset you by encouraging a 'blond' but I happen
to know several intelligent blonds. Some are quite smart in their own
fields and even able to learn. This one is at least asking questions
(albeit a little late in the piece...)!

 

[sparky]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here.

Hey thanks. My reason for posting here was because I thought I might be flamed
less than I've been at home. When I ask my BF to explain anything about
electrics since finding an interest in it after seeing it "limp" my car off
the road, he starts off by saying, "How can you be so stupid? I've already
told you about ......" Oh well, I've got my own meters now. The voltmeter goes
up to 15v and the amp meter goes up to 2 amp. I've bought a reel of red wire
and reel of black, a dozen banana connectors to make my own leads for my
meters, red and black crocodile connectors, 3 fuse holders, 4 batten holders,
6 x 6v bulbs, some switches and a variable power supplier which used to be my
dad's train controller. I'm all set to go, and I've been playing around with
these things and some other stuff laying around in the garage for a couple of
days now. Great fun!

LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

Not arf! Thanks LL. I had the damaged one replaced yesterday, and I've washed
it with soap now and made up some connecting leads with a neat little fuse
holder for the red one. A 20 amps fuse should do it.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

I can't believe how stupid I was when doing that. I can understand why he got
so annoyed with me now. Electricians, he says, aren't allowed to make
mistakes.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver.

Lolita. Yes, I'm sure he called that one Lolita. I'm joking, of course, but I
wouldn't put it past him.

Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.

He used to be a car mechanic/electrician before my dad gave him a proper job.
I asked him why he disconnected that thick rubbery lead before using the
starter motor to move the car off the road, and he says it's essential that I
learn how to do that in case the engine starts up unexpectedly and runs away
with me. I'm far too small to push a car, and I have a habit of putting my
foot on the accelerator when turning the ignition key. He has explained the
basics to me now, and I've had quite a bit of help from my dad. In fact, I've
learned how to connect the switch side of a relay using my dad's train
controller so that a larger current can flow through it to power a headlamp
bulb from the damaged car battery. The train controller doesn't have the
muscle to power the bulb, but it does have enough to switch the relay so that
the car battery can light it. I've made my own lamp out of a peanut butter jar
as well with a small tilt switch connected to the batten holder. When the jar
is placed upside down on its lid, the small 9 volt battery from a fire alarm
goes through the switch and lights the bulb. Brilliant!

And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him.

What? I don't want to have to go through all that again, listening to him
groveling down the phone at 3 in the morning. I suppose I could eBay all his
snapon tools though. He doesn't need them anymore, anyway. ;-)

You need to at the very least understand the concepts
of voltage, current, resistance, power and a relationship known as
Ohm's law. Remember, Google is your friend. Include words like
'tutorial' in your searches.

Yep, I've learned Ohm's law already, and I can find the resistance of a lit
bulb by measuring the voltage and current running through it with my meters. I
shall buy myself a multi meter with a ohms function on it today so that I can
find out why the resistance changes so much when I apply more voltage to it.
I'll be sure to turn off the power beforehand.

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John

Okay John, I promise to keep away from the man's stuff.

PS: Sorry guys if I've upset you by encouraging a 'blond' but I happen
to know several intelligent blonds. Some are quite smart in their own
fields and even able to learn.

Huh?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4

This one is at least asking questions
(albeit a little late in the piece...)!

Better late than never.

 

[PeterD]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor.

First, what your BF did was not a terribly bight thing to do. This
type of move often times will ruin the starter, and even can cause a
fire. That is not terribly bright, IMHO.

He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here.

Hey thanks. My reason for posting here was because I thought I might be flamed
less than I've been at home. When I ask my BF to explain anything about
electrics since finding an interest in it after seeing it "limp" my car off
the road, he starts off by saying, "How can you be so stupid? I've already
told you about ......"

Between you and I and about a million other Internet users, I'd
personally say it is time for a new BF... He won't get better as time
goes along, but worse, until he gets seriously abusive. You can
probably do much better.

Oh well, I've got my own meters now. The voltmeter goes
up to 15v and the amp meter goes up to 2 amp. I've bought a reel of red wire
and reel of black, a dozen banana connectors to make my own leads for my
meters, red and black crocodile connectors, 3 fuse holders, 4 batten holders,
6 x 6v bulbs, some switches and a variable power supplier which used to be my
dad's train controller. I'm all set to go, and I've been playing around with
these things and some other stuff laying around in the garage for a couple of
days now. Great fun!

Work with small batteries (flashlight) and small light bulbs... Much
safer than playing with the car battery.

LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

Not arf! Thanks LL. I had the damaged one replaced yesterday, and I've washed
it with soap now and made up some connecting leads with a neat little fuse
holder for the red one. A 20 amps fuse should do it.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

I can't believe how stupid I was when doing that. I can understand why he got
so annoyed with me now. Electricians, he says, aren't allowed to make
mistakes.

OK, my rating of that BF went up a tiny bit. He's right about that,
often times it is one mistake, then a nice sending away party.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver.

Lolita. Yes, I'm sure he called that one Lolita. I'm joking, of course, but I
wouldn't put it past him.

Find a local technical school. Sign up for some classes in both
electricty and auto mechanics. Worth their weight on 'gold' so to
speak.

Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.

He used to be a car mechanic/electrician before my dad gave him a proper job.
I asked him why he disconnected that thick rubbery lead before using the
starter motor to move the car off the road, and he says it's essential that I
learn how to do that in case the engine starts up unexpectedly and runs away
with me. I'm far too small to push a car, and I have a habit of putting my
foot on the accelerator when turning the ignition key. He has explained the
basics to me now, and I've had quite a bit of help from my dad. In fact, I've
learned how to connect the switch side of a relay using my dad's train
controller so that a larger current can flow through it to power a headlamp
bulb from the damaged car battery. The train controller doesn't have the
muscle to power the bulb, but it does have enough to switch the relay so that
the car battery can light it. I've made my own lamp out of a peanut butter jar
as well with a small tilt switch connected to the batten holder. When the jar
is placed upside down on its lid, the small 9 volt battery from a fire alarm
goes through the switch and lights the bulb. Brilliant!

And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him.

What? I don't want to have to go through all that again, listening to him
groveling down the phone at 3 in the morning. I suppose I could eBay all his
snapon tools though. He doesn't need them anymore, anyway. ;-)

YES! Do that... Please... <bg>

You need to at the very least understand the concepts
of voltage, current, resistance, power and a relationship known as
Ohm's law. Remember, Google is your friend. Include words like
'tutorial' in your searches.

Yep, I've learned Ohm's law already, and I can find the resistance of a lit
bulb by measuring the voltage and current running through it with my meters. I
shall buy myself a multi meter with a ohms function on it today so that I can
find out why the resistance changes so much when I apply more voltage to it.
I'll be sure to turn off the power beforehand.

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John

Okay John, I promise to keep away from the man's stuff.

Not "man's" stuff, but stuff you should know about first. Gender has
*nothing* to do with it.

PS: Sorry guys if I've upset you by encouraging a 'blond' but I happen
to know several intelligent blonds. Some are quite smart in their own
fields and even able to learn.

Huh?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4

This one is at least asking questions
(albeit a little late in the piece...)!

Better late than never.

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:20:51 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John

Okay John, I promise to keep away from the man's stuff.

Not "man's" stuff, but stuff you should know about first. Gender has
*nothing* to do with it.

Actually it does. The female brain and the male brain work in slighly different ways. Women are generally better at some things, and men better at others. This has been scientifically proven.

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Q: If you have a mothball in one hand and another mothball in the other hand, what would you have?
A: The undivided attention of a very large moth!

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 -0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

PS: Sorry guys if I've upset you by encouraging a 'blond' but I happen
to know several intelligent blonds. Some are quite smart in their own
fields and even able to learn.

Huh?
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=SjxY9rZwNGU
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=39qdhbkTko4

Brilliant!

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Q: If you have a mothball in one hand and another mothball in the other hand, what would you have?
A: The undivided attention of a very large moth!

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 -0000, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here. LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver. Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.
And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him.

Are you suggesting she leave her boyfriend over this? Or did you mean she should flick his ear?



--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Don't take life so seriously, it's not permanent.

 

[PeterD]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:39:11 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com>
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:20:51 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John

Okay John, I promise to keep away from the man's stuff.

Not "man's" stuff, but stuff you should know about first. Gender has
*nothing* to do with it.

Actually it does. The female brain and the male brain work in slighly different ways.
Women are generally better at some things, and men better at others.
This has been scientifically proven.

Which doesn't explain your problems, right? Gender has *nothing* to do
with it, a woman is just as capable of doing electronics and
electrical work as a man.

 

[PeterD]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:39:37 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com>
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 -0000, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here. LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver. Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.
And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him.

Are you suggesting she leave her boyfriend over this? Or did you mean she should flick his ear?

If the BF is abusive, yes, leave him...

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:34:17 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:39:11 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:20:51 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

Please, for safety sake, do not experiment with high voltage (like the
wall outlets) or high current (like car battery) devices until you
understand clearly what you were doing wrong. There's no magic
involved. But there are some potentially lethal hazards.

John

Okay John, I promise to keep away from the man's stuff.

Not "man's" stuff, but stuff you should know about first. Gender has
*nothing* to do with it.

Actually it does. The female brain and the male brain work in slighly different ways.
Women are generally better at some things, and men better at others.
This has been scientifically proven.

Which doesn't explain your problems, right? Gender has *nothing* to do
with it, a woman is just as capable of doing electronics and
electrical work as a man.

Most are not. As I said above, their brains work differently.

--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together?

 

[Peter Hucker]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:38:42 -0000, PeterD <peter2@hipson.net> wrote:

On Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:39:37 -0000, "Peter Hucker" <none@spam.com
wrote:

On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 -0000, John <john_shaw@hotmail.com> wrote:

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky <me@privacy.net> wrote:

I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic trying
to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp
it" out of the way using the starter motor. He pulled out a thick rubbery lead
from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all
the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the
battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this powerful
battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in it?
I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one
of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that I
ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask
anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but
thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot
and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he
refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This
morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an
experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his
pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could
disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some
cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It really
was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to
melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop them
getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends
treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to
me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am I
in the right newsgroup?

Hi,

Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here. LL
is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing
with car batteries. A lot more.

People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream
of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may
be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a
lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.

Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you
just destroyed a favourite screwdriver. Then ask him if he'll spend
some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may
not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's
not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.
And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this
forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to
help, flick him.

Are you suggesting she leave her boyfriend over this? Or did you mean she should flick his ear?

If the BF is abusive, yes, leave him...

What I don't understand is women who are with obviously thuggish blokes. Then they complain when they get drunk and bet them up.


--
http://www.petersparrots.com http://www.insanevideoclips.com http://www.petersphotos.com

Intercourse prevents divorce.

 

[geoff]

Peter Hucker wrote:

I'm intolerant of stupidity because I see stupid people every day.
It gets tedious...

Well stop looking in the miorror when you do your teeth then !

geoff.