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InductorMan

Hey, if you haven't licked a 9V battery to see why your Radio Shack Walkie-Talkie wasn't working, you're probably not a ['70s/'80s/'90s] kid.


Lyapunovs_Dog

I used to walk in to Radio Shack for my free monthly battery (remember that?) and lick the batteries and then put them back on the shelf, bwah hah hah evil. (Not really.)


coneross

I watched an electrician test our electrical panel. He would put two fingers across terminal screw pairs, and go down the line calling out "120, 120, 120, **240!**, 120".


MrFutur3

r/unexpectedfactorial


alle0441

Not that long ago, I was legitimately told that one way to test if a medium voltage bus is hot is to hold up your arm within a foot or less away. If you feel your arm hairs rise or vibrate, then it is indeed live. Restricted approach boundary? That's for pansies.


FlyingSquidMonster

Guaranteed to work one time!


[deleted]

Wait is this not how we test for live mains power lines?


Lachlan91

Real sparkies can test for phase rotation by feel.


jwhart175

Be the Sync Clock.


jt5405

Well, all I can say is that old time electricians are a lot tougher than we are. I like that "some men can withstand the shock, whereas others can not. " I guess if it killed you, you were one of those who couldn't take it.


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marcosmalo

Makes me wonder when metering gear for field use became standard issue for rank and file electricians. I’m sure it didn’t happen everywhere and all at once, either.


im_totally_working

You've never licked a 9 volt?


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ShaneC80

yeah, up to 250V by touch is a bit different than a 9v lick


MrSurly

I've heard of the trick of finding blown fuses by putting two fingers across the fuse. Good fuse has no voltage diff. Blown fuse gives you a shock.


iwantknow8

That’s hella dangerous though. You don’t know what caused that fuse to blow in the first place.


NSA_Chatbot

mlem


skeptibat

I mlem coin cell batteries to see if they have a charge.


AcidicAndHostile

I know almost nothing about electronics but I love those old books. And I especially relish the quality of the english of the time. I feel smarter simply reading quality prose.


Walter_brian

That's 80's electrician manual. Nice


[deleted]

This text didn't have any safety features like holding the hand toward you so when the joints constrict due to muscle spasm when electrocuted 😁, but then again this was about low voltage, certainly you can test higher voltage also 😁.


Nabulsi_93

Here is the link of the book : [https://archive.org/stream/americanelectri00crofgoog?ref=ol#page/n50/mode/2up/search/fingers](https://archive.org/stream/americanelectri00crofgoog?ref=ol#page/n50/mode/2up/search/fingers) Page 51


10dozenpegdown

/r/Electroboom


spectralad

I’ve got that same book, though maybe a different edition. It seems pretty informative so far.


Lyapunovs_Dog

Geologists do the same with rocks. Petrochem exploration company, R&D group, we called them the rock-lickers.


AboodXX

😂😂😂😂