grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) (02/22/90)
Does anyone out there have some firsthand experience in destroying various electronic items for sick-minded amusement ? I would like to share some of mine and hear from others. CRT's : From TV's/monitors. Wonderful implosions if dropped into an open manhole or thrown inside a storm-drain tunnel. Vociferous THUD. Must drop on face. 25" color tubes are the best ! Once i chucked one into a concrete ditch, face-first, with 1-1/2" water. IT DIDNT BREAK ! Light bulbs & tubes : Similar to above, but have short POP followed by tinkling sound of glass. Sometimes emit small cloud of sparks if done in the dark. Light bulbs can be subjected to perversely-higher-than-normal voltage which results in the 'Xenon Effect'. Can also apply normal voltage, allow to heat, and dunk in water; makes a good 'Splort' sound. Fluorescent tubes : Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. Capacitors : Alltime favorite. Just make sure the applied voltage (usually 120 VAC) is 3+ times greater than the WVDC of the victim. Nice sparky explosion with smoke. One drawback to large (>1000uF) caps is that they pop the circuit breaker. Especially nice if you have 220/50A service. DON'T USE 'AC' CAPACITORS UNLESS THEY ARE MARKED 'NO P.C.B.'S'. Polychlorinated Bi-phenyls (PCB's) are an extreme environmental hazard. IC's : Nice pop with good orange/blue flames. Static memory chips are the best. Batteries : If you are patient, alkaline and zinc-carbon cells are quite amusing. Best to use a variac rated at 10+ amps and adjust from 0-120 VAC. Fresh batteries smoke and sizzle, while 'dead' batteries put-out nice green/blue/orange fireworks along with ample amounts of smoke. One victim popped out of its case with a loud 'suction-cup' noise. Still to be investigated are lead-acid and NiCd species. Resistors : Up to 10K-ohms and under 1 watt are susceptible to 120VAC. Depending upon value, they will heat-up, discolor, smoke, and flame-out, sometimes with a pleasant 'Bzzzzzztttttt-Phuffff' sound. Motors : No luck so far. Have tried running 60hz 3450 RPM motor at about 190Hz (~11000 RPM). Really screams. Desired effect was to cause armature to fly apart. Problem is that higher frequency operation requires higher voltage. To be investigated further this summer. Special case: Vacuum cleaner motors can be placed over a shallow pan of gasoline and energized. Can get 6-8 foot flame tower. Water and salt-water doesn't produce desired effect. Speakers : Ignite while playing music by Twisted Sister. Can also connect to lo-freq (5-20Hz) oscillator and use as a 'shake table'. Once, while 'inebriated' in a microprocessor class at UCLA, I filled it with wine-cooler and gawked at the various patterns while the speaker was driven by a radio tuned to KMET (Ah, yes, the MIGHTY MET 94.7, now defunct thanks to yuppies). Transformers : Remove iron core, unwind and tie one end across street. Hold bobbin with screwdriver, et-al. Wait for car. Good vibrating WIZZZZZZZ shakes your whole body while it unwinds. Leftover 'E' cores make so-so judo stars. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
levinesw@clutx.clarkson.edu (Steve W. Levine, ,,) (02/22/90)
From article <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>, by grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert): > Does anyone out there have some firsthand experience in destroying various > electronic items for sick-minded amusement ? I would like to share some of > mine and hear from others. > > Capacitors : Alltime favorite. Just make sure the applied voltage > (usually 120 VAC) is 3+ times greater than the WVDC of > the victim. Nice sparky explosion with smoke. One > drawback to large (>1000uF) caps is that they pop the > circuit breaker. Especially nice if you have 220/50A > service. DON'T USE 'AC' CAPACITORS UNLESS THEY ARE > MARKED 'NO P.C.B.'S'. Polychlorinated Bi-phenyls (PCB's) > are an extreme environmental hazard. > I have also had some fun with capacitors. A few friends and myself once made a kind of 'cannon' that had a capacitor mounted in one end. When the cap blew, the metal can would fly out like a projectile and go about 20-30 feet. Destructive and wasteful, but fun. > > Resistors : Up to 10K-ohms and under 1 watt are susceptible to 120VAC. > Depending upon value, they will heat-up, discolor, smoke, and > flame-out, sometimes with a pleasant 'Bzzzzzztttttt-Phuffff' > sound. > I find that resistances around 100 ohms are optimum. The larger the wattage, (up to about 1 watt), the longer the wait, but the more spectacular the results. I'll have to try the old batteries .... --Steve levinesw@clutx.clarkson.edu
ken@cs.rochester.edu (Ken Yap) (02/22/90)
|Fluorescent tubes : Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood | upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in the coating. Just to show I do have a sense of humor, I once destroyed a vacumn tube by breaking the seal under water, and then applying filament voltage. After a long time, steam starting coming out of the broken tip of the valve.
forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) (02/22/90)
In article <1990Feb22.021702.24662@cs.rochester.edu> ken@cs.rochester.edu writes: >|Fluorescent tubes : Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood >| upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. > >Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in >the coating. The tube contains metallic mercury. The coating sometimes contains beryllium compounds, which are very toxic. Jeff
rreiner@yunexus.UUCP (Richard Reiner) (02/22/90)
|Fluorescent tubes : Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood | upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. CRTs: satisfactory results can be achieved by placing these on a hard surface, flat side up, and dropping forged metal objects on them from heights exceeding ten meters (lower heights result in poor performance -- nothing but a gradual cracking). -- Richard J. Reiner rreiner@nexus.yorku.ca BITNET: rreiner@yorkvm1.bitnet (also rreiner@vm1.yorku.ca)
roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) (02/22/90)
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: > Light bulbs & tubes I once managed to knock something into a light bulb while it was turned off. Shattered the glass envelope but left the fillament intact. Figured I would see what happened if I turned it on. Hint: There *is* a reason why they bother going to the trouble of enclosing the fillament in an inert gas. > Fluorescent tubes I once had a temporary job when I was in high school helping out at a tennis club changing light bulbs. It was an indoor club, with the courts in a very high (40-50 ft?) ceiling structure, with banks of flourescent tubes up top. Changing the tubes is a bitch, so they wait until a fair percentage are out, then change them all. We had a mobile scaffolding, on which we climbed to take out the old tubes and put in new ones. The surface of the courts was that composition stuff; not what you'd call soft, but a lot softer than concrete or even asphalt. It's amazing what happens when you drop a tube from that height. The tube is fairly light for its cross section so it reaches terminal velocity pretty fast and sort of floats down, wobbling a bit. It probably only takes a second or so to hit, but it seems like a *lot* longer. Then you hear this little *pong* and in place of the tube there are zillions of bits of glass and a little cloud of dust. It's really pretty surrealistic. > Capacitors Take a big electrolytic, the kind about the size of a can of Fosters, with the big screw terminals on top. Say 450,000 uF at 35V. If you don't have one handy, there are probably some in the power supply of that 11/780 in the machine room that won't be missed. :-) Charge it up good, to about the rated voltage. Now you've got a couple of dozen coulumbs just waiting to to find some conducting surface. Like your neighbor's metal desk top, or the wall of an elevator. Be creative. -- Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy "My karma ran over my dogma"
mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun) (02/22/90)
In article <1990Feb22.033429.21504@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes: >In article <1990Feb22.021702.24662@cs.rochester.edu> ken@cs.rochester.edu writes: >>>Fluorescent tubes: Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood >>> upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. >>Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in >>the coating. >The tube contains metallic mercury. The coating sometimes contains >beryllium compounds, which are very toxic. I JUST NOW called the General Electric Lighting Information Center in Cleveland, Ohio, (216) 266-2121, which is open 8-5 on normal business days, and spoke with William Scully to learn the truth; most of the above is NOT true. Semi-quoting (I couldn't write it all down and I don't have a tape recorder attached to my phone), Mr. Scully said: Legally, a fluorescent bulb is ** NOT ** considered to be a hazardous item. If you break one and cut yourself while picking up the pieces, it is NO more dangerous than if you break a drinking glass and cut yourself while picking up the pieces. There has NOT been ** ANY ** beryllium in a fluorescent bulb for MANY, MANY ** YEARS **, but people who don't bother to ask keep spouting false "facts" decade after decade! In a four-foot fluorescent bulb there is an average of 100 MILLIgrams (0.1 grams; there are about 28.35 grams in an ounce, so this is about 0.0035 ounces) of elemental mercury, but it is NOT in the coating. When the bulb is hot, the mercury is in vapor form and, if a hot bulb is broken, the mercury dissapates in the atmosphere. If a cold bulb is broken, one MAY be able to find one or two pinhead-size droplets. So what? A thermometer contains considerably MORE mercury, and they some- times break, too. Just sweep either up and discard in a wastebasket. [Actually, I'd probably smear it on a dime as we often did years ago!] The phosphor coating is NOT poisonous. He wouldn't tell me just what is in it because the actual contents are proprietary, but he did say "it is a clay-like substance" roughly equivalent to talcum powder. There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. --Myron. -- #------------------------------------------------------------------------- # Myron A. Calhoun, Ph.D. E.E.; Associate Professor (913) 539-4448 home # INTERNET: mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (129.130.10.2) 532-6350 work # UUCP: ...{rutgers, texbell}!ksuvax1!harry!mac 532-7004 fax
forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) (02/22/90)
In article <25E3F9E6.6FFA@deimos.cis.ksu.edu> mac@harris.cis.ksu.edu (Myron A. Calhoun) writes: >In article <1990Feb22.033429.21504@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes: >>In article <1990Feb22.021702.24662@cs.rochester.edu> ken@cs.rochester.edu writes: >>>>Fluorescent tubes: Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood >>>> upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. > >>>Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in >>>the coating. > >>The tube contains metallic mercury. The coating sometimes contains ^^^^^^^^^ >>beryllium compounds, which are very toxic. > >I JUST NOW called the General Electric Lighting Information Center in >Cleveland, Ohio, (216) 266-2121, which is open 8-5 on normal business >days, and spoke with William Scully to learn the truth; most of the >above is NOT true. > >Legally, a fluorescent bulb is ** NOT ** considered to be a hazardous >item. If you break one and cut yourself while picking up the pieces, >it is NO more dangerous than if you break a drinking glass and cut >yourself while picking up the pieces. There has NOT been ** ANY ** >beryllium in a fluorescent bulb for MANY, MANY ** YEARS **, but people >who don't bother to ask keep spouting false "facts" decade after decade! I suspect he only speaks for GE fluorescent bulbs, besides if you noticed I said SOMETIMES contain beryllium. > >In a four-foot fluorescent bulb there is an average of 100 MILLIgrams >(0.1 grams; there are about 28.35 grams in an ounce, so this is about >0.0035 ounces) of elemental mercury, but it is NOT in the coating. When >the bulb is hot, the mercury is in vapor form and, if a hot bulb is >broken, the mercury dissapates in the atmosphere. If a cold bulb is >broken, one MAY be able to find one or two pinhead-size droplets. So >what? A thermometer contains considerably MORE mercury, and they some- >times break, too. Just sweep either up and discard in a wastebasket. Mercury does evaporate at room temperature and a small drop is enough to exceed OSHA's mercury vapor limit. > >[Actually, I'd probably smear it on a dime as we often did years ago!] Spread sulfer on it and sweep it up with a broom and a dustpan. Do not use a vacuum cleaner > >The phosphor coating is NOT poisonous. He wouldn't tell me just what >is in it because the actual contents are proprietary, but he did say >"it is a clay-like substance" roughly equivalent to talcum powder. Once again I presume he speaks for GE. I personally don't care to come in contact with any modern phosphor. Many contain heavy metals, which are rarely good to come into repeated contact. It is a question of being poisonous or toxic. > >There you have it, straight from the horse's mouth. Once again GE's mouth. >--Myron. Jeff Forbes, Ph.D. Chemistry
peg@psuecl.bitnet (PAUL E. GANTER) (02/23/90)
In article <1990Feb22.033429.21504@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu>, forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes: > In article <1990Feb22.021702.24662@cs.rochester.edu> ken@cs.rochester.edu writes: >>|Fluorescent tubes : Best if thrown like a javelin. Very loud if stood >>| upright and allowed to fall on hard surface. >> >>Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in >>the coating. > > The tube contains metallic mercury. The coating sometimes contains beryllium > compounds, which are very toxic. > QUESTION FOR THE EXPERIMENTERS: Do you folks CLEAN UP the broken glass, tube parts, xformer wire, etc. that you scatter in ditches, storm drains, manholes, streets, etc? I don't want to spoil your fun (I have fried some parts, too) but you may be endangering other people (drivers, telephone repair people who go into manholes, children...) while you have fun. As for the vacuum cleaner/gasoline trick: think I'll pass. After having a container of flash powder blow up in my hands, I am wary of extreme burn hazards... Paul
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/23/90)
In article <1990Feb22.033429.21504@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes: >>[flourescents] >>Be careful with these, they contain poisonous compounds of mercury in >>the coating. > >The tube contains metallic mercury. The coating sometimes contains beryllium >compounds, which are very toxic. I believe they stopped using beryllium-based phosphors after some early bad experiences taught everyone how toxic beryllium compounds are. I'd still be cautious, though... -- "The N in NFS stands for Not, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito) (02/23/90)
In article <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> Gregory Ebert writes: >Batteries : If you are patient, alkaline and zinc-carbon cells are > quite amusing. Best to use a variac rated at 10+ amps and > adjust from 0-120 VAC. Fresh batteries smoke and sizzle, > while 'dead' batteries put-out nice green/blue/orange > fireworks along with ample amounts of smoke. One victim > popped out of its case with a loud 'suction-cup' noise. > Still to be investigated are lead-acid and NiCd species. THE EXPLOSION OF A LEAD-ACID CAR BATTERY IS ENOUGH TO HURL THE HOOD OF THE CAR OVER 50 FEET! I HAVE SEEN IT. IF YOU CAN DO THESE, AND THE OTHER LISTED "EXPERIMENTS" UNDER CONDITIONS WHERE YOU DESTROY ONLY YOURSELF, FINE. How about moving this crap to rec.jerks? Rich -- Hitting baseballs and writing software are two professions where you can become a millionare with a 75% performance failure rate. rsd@sei.cmu.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------
brian@ucsd.Edu (Brian Kantor) (02/23/90)
A most satisfactory bang can be had by placing a TV picture tube (19" or greater for best results) onto the hood of a car in the middle of the parking lot, dusting it liberally with talcum powder or gypsum, and throwing an axe at it. For best results, use a Porsche or Mercedes. - Brian
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) (02/23/90)
I almost forgot 2 other, quasi-related victims. Our first specimen was a potato. My buddy Art and I put 2 nails into it, and plugged 'er into 220 VAC. After awhile, it started to get warm. Then we graduated to a lemon. Hmmmm, lemons are a bit acidic -- should be a few eager hydronia to mingle about ! So, we plugged it in, and got some hissing, along with some steam coming out by the electrodes. POP !! So much steam built up that the nail got pushed out. Try as we may, we could never get a lemon to explode. Once, Art put the nails too close to eachother, and it shorted-out. Got this really neat yellow light (OK, you 'hack' players, I encountered an exploding yellow-light !) which looked just like a light bulb! I've also boiled water with 120 VAC: 5 gallon bucket, drop-in a plugged-in extension cord. Nothing happens. Oh, I know, lets throw in some salt. Sizzle,sizzle. Lets pour in some more. Burble, burble,burble. Lets pour in a lot !! Zzzzz, Zapp, bubble, pop-pop, bzzzzzz, CLICK ! Oh my, there goes the 20 amp breaker. Better use the 220 V/50A circuit for the arc-welder !! Pop-pop, burble..... Hey, what's that green and brown scum ?? KABOOM !! Must have been the hydrogen/oxygen buildup detonating by a spark. A few minutes later the bucket started to get soft from the heat.... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Any fishermen out there ? I heard that you can get worms to crawl to the surface of soggy dirt by pounding a metal bar into the ground and connecting it to the AC line (the more juice, the better) Anyone try it ? I don't have lotsa worms where I live - and I don't mean 'anymore'.
mjj@stda.jhuapl.edu (Marshall Jose) (02/23/90)
In article <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: >CRT's : From TV's/monitors. Wonderful implosions if dropped into an open > manhole or thrown inside a storm-drain tunnel. Vociferous THUD. Must > drop on face. 25" color tubes are the best ! Once i chucked one into > a concrete ditch, face-first, with 1-1/2" water. IT DIDNT BREAK ! While most of the other items here are pretty harmless, I think the CRT bashing belongs in the kids-don't-try-this-at-home category. The forces and velocities associated with an imploding 25" CRT are difficult to comprehend, though subsequently leave a lasting impression on the mind of the smasher. AND, if the smasher fails to keep a prudent distance, can make a lasting impression on the tissues and organs of the smasher. C'mon, guys, we're talking about razor-sharp fragments flying in an uncontrolled radial pattern here. The word "grenade" comes to mind. When RCA was first making color CRTs, they frequently proof-tested them with a large pressure chamber, raising the pressure until the CRT imploded. The chamber apparatus altogether weighed something like 4000 lbs, yet would still jump off the floor at the moment of implosion. Let's be careful out there. I don't want to spoil anybody's fun, but before you do-in a CRT, think beforehand about where the shards will travel. Marshall Jose WA3VPZ mjj@aplvax.jhuapl.edu || ...mimsy!aplcen!aplvax!mjj
cook@stout.ucar.edu (Forrest Cook) (02/23/90)
Hmmm, and I thought I was the only one that did that kind of thing :-)
There was no mention of ICs, so I thought I'd throw in my 2c
Back in high school I built the model CS-1 Chip Sacrificer:
It consists of an AC line cord, a double pole double throw knife switch
with lots of exposed metal, and two pieces of solid 12 gauge copper wire
that are spaced about 0.3 inches apart.
The IC is slid inbetween the two rails and forms the "load".
DO NOT BUILD THIS DEVICE, IT IS DANGEROUS!
Well, with that out of the way, here's how the CS-1 was used:
Find an IC that caused you lots of grief, preferrably something that
you spent a lot of time finding and extracting from a piece of equipment.
Slide the IC in between the rails, pins 1,2,3,4,5,6, and 7 on one rail,
pins 8,9,10,11,12,13, and 14 on the other rail (14 pin dip).
Open the knife switch, Plug the CS-1 into a source of 110VAC.
Close the switch, being careful not to touch the hot leads.
DO NOT OPERATE THIS DEVICE, IT IS DANGEROUS!
If you get a good chip in an epoxy case, you will be rewarded with
a resounding FFFFFFFFZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAP, a cloud of toxic black
smoke, and a 360 degree shower of flaming silicon.
The less exciting sacrifices just go Pop!
DO NOT SACRIFICE IC's INDOORS, A FIRE HAZARD EXISTS!
The procedure is best performed near the repaired gear as a warning
to the other ICs not to fail :-)
^ ^ Forrest Cook - Beware of programmers who carry screwdrivers - LB
/|\ /|\ cook@stout.ucar.edu (The preceeding was all my OPINION)
/|\ /|\ {husc6|rutgers|ames|gatech}!ncar!stout!cook
/|\ /|\ {uunet|ucbvax|allegra|cbosgd}!nbires!ncar!stout!cookphil@aimt.UU.NET (Phil Gustafson) (02/23/90)
In article <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>, grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: > > I almost forgot 2 other, quasi-related victims. > > Our first specimen was a potato. My buddy Art and I put 2 nails > into it, and plugged 'er into 220 VAC. After awhile, it started > to get warm.. It's possible to cook hot dogs quite effectively by sticking a nail in each end and connecting line voltage across it. Use appropriate care and avoid galvanized nails -- your MDR of zinc is very low, and much more is bad for you. In the sixties there was a home appliance using this principle -- it connected six or so hot dogs in parallel between two spiked bus bars with an interlock to keep your fingers from getting zapped. ----- At the place I worked as a summer technician a favorite trick was to shut off the power strip at another's desk and connect devices across the unused AC sockets. When the victim came in and turned on his bench, they blew up. Diodes made a nice snap, resistors more of a pop and fizz. Considerable testing proved sixty-eight ohm, one-watt resistors to be the most satisfying. ----- siderable experimentation -- Phil Gustafson, Graphics/UN*X Consultant {uunet,ames!coherent}!aimt!phil phil@aimt.uu.net 1550 Martin Ave, San Jose, Ca 95126
henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) (02/23/90)
On a tamer note, a friend of mine once discovered what happens if you plug an EPROM into an EPROM programmer rotated 180 degrees. He reports: "the little light under the quartz lid goes on -- briefly". You didn't know EPROMs had lights, did you? :-) :-) (Actually, modern all-singing-all-dancing EPROM programmers will detect this error and tell you to turn the chip around, but this was a cheapie.) -- "The N in NFS stands for Not, | Henry Spencer at U of Toronto Zoology or Need, or perhaps Nightmare"| uunet!attcan!utzoo!henry henry@zoo.toronto.edu
yarvin-norman@CS.YALE.EDU (Norman Yarvin) (02/23/90)
In article <6203@ae.sei.cmu.edu> rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito) writes: >THE EXPLOSION OF A LEAD-ACID CAR BATTERY IS ENOUGH TO HURL THE HOOD OF THE >CAR OVER 50 FEET! I HAVE SEEN IT. IF YOU CAN DO THESE, AND THE OTHER >LISTED "EXPERIMENTS" UNDER CONDITIONS WHERE YOU DESTROY ONLY YOURSELF, FINE. > >How about moving this crap to rec.jerks? How about posting the details? Destruction is neat. Fires are interesting to watch, and explosions even more so. Setting them off teaches one about materials science in the nonlinear regime, and arranging the experiments is a challenge in itself. Safety -- of oneself and others, as well as of property -- is no more and no less than an absolute constraint. Legality is peripheral; it applies only when one might get caught. Anything relevant in the law regards safety, and must be considered from a safety point of view whether or not the law exists. Military weapons are neat, in the same way. They involve the same element of incredible instantaneous power, with the added facet of being super-accurate in their application of this power. It is of course a pity that these magnificent creations are used against human beings. An antitank weapon's precise performance takes on a quite different feel when the tank is occupied. All the same, this does not and can not lessen the appeal of their destructive powers. You may not find destruction interesting, but don't insult those who do. Norman Yarvin yarvin-norman@cs.yale.edu "Obviously crime pays, or there'd be no crime." -- G. Gordon Liddy
swine@softway.oz (Peter Swain) (02/23/90)
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: >Does anyone out there have some firsthand experience in destroying various >electronic items for sick-minded amusement ? I would like to share some of >mine and hear from others. Old tubes (in ancient gear you're about to junk ...): crack the nipple off underwater (or hacksaw a small hole if it's a really big, old beast with nipple on bottom). This fills the beast with water. Now put it back in situ, and turn on. Water boils & bubbles & electrolyses for a long time, until the level gets down to the heater. This burns out, igniting the H2 & O2 filling the tube. POP! glass shatters, usually in a neat crack around the base .. You've stirred ancient memories, I haven't done this for 20 years! -- Peter Swain - Softway Pty Ltd (swine@softway.oz) 79 Myrtle St, Chippendale, NSW, Australia PHONE: +61-2-698-2322 UUCP: uunet!softway.oz!swine FAX: +61-2-699-9174 INTERNET: swine@softway.oz.au
kline@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (02/23/90)
> Actually, I'd probably smear it on a dime as we often did years ago!
I'm probably showing my tender age here, but what DOES
this accomplish, anyway?
_____
Charley Kline, University of Illinois Computing Services
c-kline@uiuc.edujharkins@sagpd1.UUCP (Jim Harkins) (02/24/90)
In article <1990Feb23.041918.27178@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >On a tamer note, a friend of mine once discovered what happens if you >plug an EPROM into an EPROM programmer rotated 180 degrees. He reports: >"the little light under the quartz lid goes on -- briefly". You didn't >know EPROMs had lights, did you? :-) :-) Actually, when I was a tech on a production line I once had a problem with a CPU card. I put it on an extender, then poked around for a few minutes with a scope probe. I then looked over at the EPROMS and the little chips of silicon were glowing cherry red. We were short on EPROMS so I just popped the puppies out, turned them around, and turned the board back on. Worked fine, got shipped, and I never did find out how long they lasted in the field. Note I was not working at Scientific Atlanta when this happened, and I like to think this company is more interested in quality control than the other one was. -- jim jharkins@sagpd1 "I've found by and large that when the flu gets you, the best thing to do (other than go to bed, which is boring) is to go conquer something." -Jerry Pournelle
ken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) (02/24/90)
In article <1990Feb23.041918.27178@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes:
: On a tamer note, a friend of mine once discovered what happens if you
: plug an EPROM into an EPROM programmer rotated 180 degrees. He reports:
: "the little light under the quartz lid goes on -- briefly". You didn't
: know EPROMs had lights, did you? :-) :-)
Hm, the light that indicates that a XXX dollar device is changing into a
10 cent fuse? :-) :-) :-) Must have looked like that blue flash I saw
when I trusted the physical plant people to put the correct voltage on
a line they installed for a PDP11/34. Anyone wanna guess what happens
when you drive a 110V single phase PDP11/34 with 220V 3 phase? :-(
--
Kenneth Ng: Post office: NJIT - CCCC, Newark New Jersey 07102
uucp !andromeda!galaxy!argus!ken *** NOT ken@bellcore.uucp ***
bitnet(prefered) ken@orion.bitnet or ken@orion.njit.eduken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) (02/25/90)
In article <1556@argus.UUCP>, ken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) writes: > In article <1990Feb23.041918.27178@utzoo.uucp>, henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: : Hm, the light that indicates that a XXX dollar device is changing into a : 10 cent fuse? :-) :-) :-) Must have looked like that blue flash I saw : when I trusted the physical plant people to put the correct voltage on : a line they installed for a PDP11/34. Anyone wanna guess what happens : when you drive a 110V single phase PDP11/34 with 220V 3 phase? :-( And to answer everyone who has been asking, *YES* the PDP *STILL* WORKED after that, although I'm not all too sure what they replaced, if anything. We got the PDP's on donation, and wanted to test out the power before they came in and certified the machines for the maintenance contract. I don't think we told them what happened the previous night. -- Kenneth Ng: Post office: NJIT - CCCC, Newark New Jersey 07102 uucp !andromeda!galaxy!argus!ken *** NOT ken@bellcore.uucp *** bitnet(prefered) ken@orion.bitnet or ken@orion.njit.edu
darus@chinet.chi.il.us (james wygralak) (02/25/90)
I think the greatest fireball I ever created was the time I plugged the 8 ohm secondary of an audio transformer into the 120V line. (I mistook it for a power xfmr) It was an audio transformer from an old TV set. I was fairly large. When I applied the power, the windings got real hot real fast. This must have vaporized the varnish, wax, and whatever else was in there, which then ignited. BZZZZZZT! FOOM! Another note of caution: Beware of shrapnel from exploding capacitors. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ darus@chinet.chi.il.us BSEET looking for a gig.
john@anasaz.UUCP (John Moore) (02/25/90)
In article <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes:
] Any fishermen out there ? I heard that you can get worms to crawl
] to the surface of soggy dirt by pounding a metal bar into the
] ground and connecting it to the AC line (the more juice, the
] better) Anyone try it ? I don't have lotsa worms where I live -
] and I don't mean 'anymore'.
Yes - it works fine. Use two large nails, one on each side of circuit.
Observe night crawlers RAPIDLY exiting their holes! Don't put
the nails to close together you will smell frying night crawlers.
WARNING: don't do this barefooted :-)
--
John Moore (NJ7E) mcdphx!anasaz!john asuvax!anasaz!john
(602) 951-9326 (day or eve) long palladium, short petroleum
7525 Clearwater Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85253
Support ALL of the bill of rights, INCLUDING the 2nd amendment!wtm@uhura.neoucom.EDU (Bill Mayhew) (02/26/90)
Many moons ago, I had a job at a certain 3-letter goverment agency. Somehow, I got assigned the job of giving tours to prospective new hires. One of my favorite labs to show off was the materials torture-testing lab. They had a neat display of the various ways electronic things could be abused, elxpoded, tortured, destoyed, etc. The idea was to see if army radios really could survice being dropped into a topical swamp or whatever. Also, it was useful to be able to blow things up when one was about to be over-run by the enemy army, lest the crytological gear fall into the wrong hands. Standard issue to embassies and outposts was an EPROM destructor -- the bottom business end of a waring blender with a stainless steel lid into which crucial EPROMs could be dropped. Cheap, but effective (one of the few government devices that was -- cheap and effective, that is). Bill -- Bill Mayhew Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine Rootstonw, OH 44272-9995 USA 216-325-2511 wtm@uhura.neoucom.edu ....!uunet!aablue!neoucom!wtm
ssj@sage.cc.purdue.edu (Anthony M. Dziepak) (02/26/90)
In article <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>, grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: > > I almost forgot 2 other, quasi-related victims. > > Our first specimen was a potato. My buddy Art and I put 2 nails > into it, and plugged 'er into 220 VAC. After awhile, it started > to get warm. Then we graduated to a lemon. Hmmmm, lemons are a bit > acidic -- should be a few eager hydronia to mingle about ! So, we > plugged it in, and got some hissing, along with some steam > coming out by the electrodes. POP !! So much steam built up that > the nail got pushed out. Try as we may, we could never get a lemon > to explode. Once, Art put the nails too close to eachother, and > it shorted-out. Got this really neat yellow light (OK, you 'hack' > players, I encountered an exploding yellow-light !) which looked > just like a light bulb! About a month ago Mr. Wizard was on the Tonight Show. I just caught the end of it, but it appeared as if he was doing similar things. He stuck two forks into a pickle or a cucumber, attached wires, and plugged them in. The pickle bubbled a little, and some juice ran out. Then he moved the forks closer together. The whole thing buzzed and lit up like a light bulb. It was really something to see. I haven't had a chance to try it yet.
P.A.Wilson@newcastle.ac.uk (P.A. Wilson) (02/26/90)
>In article <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: > >While most of the other items here are pretty harmless, I think the CRT >bashing belongs in the kids-don't-try-this-at-home category. The forces >and velocities associated with an imploding 25" CRT are difficult to >comprehend... When I was a kid, about 10, a couple of mates and I went scavenging on the local tip (strange past-time but we enjoyed it :-) ). It just so happened that we found an abandoned 24" CRT, and we decided to have a bit of target practice, luckily we were situated behind a wall about 20 yards away from the CRT. After about 5 minutes of fruitless pelting with house bricks (even what seemed to be direct hits would bounce off :-) ), one of us hit the screen dead centre. The resulting implosion was rather spectacular, LOUD noise, persistant russle of glass scything through grass, and then we heard a whistle and ducked. The electron gun had been blown clean through the tube and was flying towards us at a frightening rate of knots, it screamed overhead (parting hairs in the process) and embedded itself in the trunk of a tree a couple of yards behind us - we could not dislodge it. It strikes me now that , this could easily have been more memorable for far worse reasons. So have fun out there but be aware of the significant dangers involved. This is a really interesting thread lets keep it up.
elliott@optilink.UUCP (Paul Elliott x225) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb22.021543.10205@sun.soe.clarkson.edu>, levinesw@clutx.clarkson.edu (Steve W. Levine, ,,) writes: > Resistors : Up to 10K-ohms and under 1 watt are susceptible to 120VAC. > Depending upon value, they will heat-up, discolor, smoke, and > flame-out, sometimes with a pleasant 'Bzzzzzztttttt-Phuffff' > sound. One of my less dangerous diversions was to insert 8.2K, carbon film quarter Watt resistors into the switched 120VAC wall outlets in the engineering lab (I had a bag of them, see). When the power was switched on in the morning it would take a few minutes for the smell to be noticed, and the reaction was always amusing ("No, my board isn't smoking, it must be yours"). This was almost as much fun as wrapping the spools of solder with #22 tinned copper wire, and watching folks try to solder with it ("OUCH!"). -- Paul M. Elliott Optilink Corporation (707) 795-9444 {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!elliott "More human than human is our motto." -- Bladerunner
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) (02/27/90)
In article <3269@aimt.UU.NET> phil@aimt.UU.NET (Phil Gustafson) writes: > >At the place I worked as a summer technician a favorite trick was to shut off >the power strip at another's desk and connect devices across the unused AC >sockets. When the victim came in and turned on his bench, they blew up. Flashbulbs (cannibalized from flashcubes) are the best. SURPRISE !!!
BCOLLINS@zaphod.axion.bt.co.uk (Bill Collins) (02/27/90)
From article <1990Feb24.225351.8797@chinet.chi.il.us>, by darus@chinet.chi.il.us (james wygralak): > > Another note of caution: Beware of shrapnel from exploding capacitors. > Way back in my schooldays, when I was first playing with radios, I bought an ex-army communications receiver, which needed an external power supply. Since the original ran off a vehicle battery, I knocked up a "cheap and cheerfull" power supply from my spares box to run it from the mains. All worked well until the fatefull day when I disconnected the power supply to use the LT heater output for another use. I forgot that off-load, the voltage on the HT output would rise from its normal 200v to about 400v ... (I had used a simple voltage dropper arrangement from a higher voltage transformer) Unfortunately, Murphy's Law decreed that the (large) smoothing capacitor was only rated at 250v ... After a while there was an almighty explosion, and the end cap blew off the capacitor with such force that it dented the tin-plate chassis that it was mounted in. It also created lots of evil-smelling smoke and covered the room in tiny scraps of waxy tin foil. This is not to be recommended :-) :-) (Since I had the receiver in my bedroom, my parents were none too pleased about it either ... ) Regards, Bill.
elliott@optilink.UUCP (Paul Elliott x225) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb22.021702.24662@cs.rochester.edu>, ken@cs.rochester.edu (Ken Yap) writes: > Just to show I do have a sense of humor, I once destroyed a vacumn > tube by breaking the seal under water, and then applying filament > voltage. After a long time, steam starting coming out of the broken > tip of the valve. When in elementary school, my best friend (hi, Martin!) and I were beginning to turn into electronics hackers (converting war surplus ARC-5 receivers, etc.). One day I cut off the top of a metal-case octal-based vacuum tube, ripped out the guts, and inserted a wired smoke bomb (saved from July 4, with a thin wire threaded through it), soldering it to the filament pins. I then went over to my friend's house and, while he was out of the room, replaced a tube in his TV set (in his room) with the prepared device. After what seemed like an eternity, he decided to turn on the set... IT WAS GREAT! His room was flooded with orange smoke, we had to open the windows, the place stank of sulphur for weeks. I don't recall if his parents cought on, or if I suffered any retributions (my mind is strangely blank on this). This stunt was quite mild compared to our other pyrotechnic exploits. I find that my experience is rather typical (although don't tell my kids that I said so). In retrospect, it seems rather amazing that we (I am referring here to most of the engineering community, perhaps all males in general, or perhaps all humans) ever survive adolescence. I wonder what the mortality rate is for related accidents. Is this behavior more typical of engineers or other "technical" types than, say, for lawyers? Sorry for rambling... -- Paul M. Elliott Optilink Corporation (707) 795-9444 {pyramid,pixar,tekbspa}!optilink!elliott "More human than human is our motto." -- Bladerunner
jeffc@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com ( Jeff Cook) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb24.225351.8797@chinet.chi.il.us> darus@chinet.chi.il.us (james wygralak) writes: > Another note of caution: Beware of shrapnel from exploding capacitors. I also doubt that the chemicals released will do your health any good. In one school project I did long ago, I had an electrolytic capacitor installed backwards. There was a loud pop, and I watched the casing bounce off the ceiling. This was followed by a mini-snowstorm of fuzzy debris from the cap's insulating material. Question: What was the fuzzy stuff? Might it have contained asbestos or PCP's? -- ===================================================================== Jeffrey L. Cook jeffc%ncr-fc@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.com NCR Microelectronics uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!ncr-fc!jeffc 2001 Danfield Court 72506.237@compuserve.com Fort Collins, CO 80525 Compuserve: 72506,237 "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." -- Mark Twain ---------------------------------------------------------------------
yahoo@unix.cis.pitt.edu (Kenneth L Moore) (02/27/90)
In article <1326@anasaz.UUCP> john@anasaz.UUCP (John Moore) writes: >In article <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: =>] Any fishermen out there ? I heard that you can get worms to crawl =>] to the surface of soggy dirt by pounding a metal bar into the =>] ground and connecting it to the AC line (the more juice, the =>] better) Anyone try it ? I don't have lotsa worms where I live - =>] and I don't mean 'anymore'. => =>Yes - it works fine. Use two large nails, one on each side of circuit. =>Observe night crawlers RAPIDLY exiting their holes! Don't put =>the nails to close together you will smell frying night crawlers. =>WARNING: don't do this barefooted :-) => => =>-- =>John Moore (NJ7E) mcdphx!anasaz!john asuvax!anasaz!john Yes it does work. I always water the lawn first. (and unplug before grabbing worms) Also, you only need one wire as the other side is GROUND. -- I don't yell and I don't tell and I'm grateful as hell: Benny Hill
dambrose@drivax.UUCP (David Ambrose) (02/27/90)
In article <1990Feb23.041918.27178@utzoo.uucp> henry@utzoo.uucp (Henry Spencer) writes: >On a tamer note, a friend of mine once discovered what happens if you >plug an EPROM into an EPROM programmer rotated 180 degrees. He reports: >"the little light under the quartz lid goes on -- briefly". You didn't >know EPROMs had lights, did you? :-) :-) > I once managed to misplug an EPROM by 1 pin where there were two sockets butted together. The little light inside stayed on for at least 5 minutes. After that, we called them IROMS for Incandescent ROM. There were also considerable comments about those dangerous "softheads" (programmers). -- Play it cool; play it cool; fifty-fifty fire and ice -- Joni Mitchell David L. Ambrose, -- Digital Research, Inc ...!amdahl!drivax!dambrose Don't blame DRI. They wouldn't approve of this anyway.
grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) (02/28/90)
In article <JEFFC.90Feb26103813@bach.ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com> jeffc@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com ( Jeff Cook) writes: >Question: What was the fuzzy stuff? >Might it have contained asbestos or PCP's? >-- Yeah, PCP's alright! Campus Police busted me for being inder the influence when one exploded in my face. Seriusly, though, PCB's (Poly-chlorinated Bi-phenyls) were used in older A.C. capacitors, and large *sealed* transformers (>5-10kW). The fuzzy stuff is the dielectric (paper/polypropylene)
hpoppe@bierstadt.scd.ucar.edu (Herb Poppe) (02/28/90)
In article <3176@optilink.UUCP> elliott@optilink.UUCP (Paul Elliott x225) writes: > >... >In retrospect, it seems rather amazing that we (I am referring here to >most of the engineering community, perhaps all males in general, or perhaps >all humans) ever survive adolescence. I wonder what the mortality rate is >for related accidents. Is this behavior more typical of engineers or other >"technical" types than, say, for lawyers? > The following story is not of an electronics nature, but is germaine to this hypotheses: After World War II many returning servicemen brought home souveniers of that conflict. Many homes in our neighborhood were decorated with those grim reminders. One of my eldest brother's friends, probably to raise his level of esteem within the "gang", "borrowed" a few of these items from his veteran dad, and passed them out at school. My brother received two rifle cartridges, about 30-30 gauge. He had a great curiosity, my brother did, and took them up to his bedroom. It was June and the windows were open. The window sill looked like a good place where you could do a little "materials research" without marring the furniture. This research was conducted with a hammer. The shrapnel from the resulting explosion severed the last joint of his thumb and forefinger and blinded one eye. He was 10 years old. I was only four at the time, but this incident made a big impression on me. I can still remember walking into the bathroom after my mother had whisked him off to the hospital, and finding the bloody remains of his fingers still sitting on the sink. The window sill had a 3-inch crater in it. My brother went on to become high school valedictorian, college Phi Beta Kappa, and nuclear physicist. My brother taught me a lot of things by example; I still have all my body parts. The only thing I remember (selective memory, no doubt) that I did, was to burn down the tree house that our dad built for us out of an old outhouse. (This came from the side effects of drilling out the end of a small CO2 cartridge, filling it with match heads, taping the cartridge to an arrow, and launching the affair with a bit of Jetex fuse.) I went on to become high school salutorian, college Phi Beta Kappa, and marine geophysicist cum software engineer. My little brother was too small to have profited by my oldest brother's misadventure. I remember the time we were playing in the kitchen and he took a scissors to the line cord on the electric clock. The resulting shock knocked him all the way across the room. (He also managed to get hit by a car when I chased him across the mouth of an alley in a game of tag; he bounced on the ground three times, just like a rubber ball.) My little brother became an ecologist. Our other brother never did any of these things. He went on to become an actor. QED -- Herb Poppe NCAR INTERNET: hpoppe@ncar.ucar.edu (303) 497-1296 P.O. Box 3000 CSNET: hpoppe@ncar.CSNET Boulder, CO 80307 UUCP: hpoppe@ncar.UUCP
phil@pepsi.amd.com (Phil Ngai) (02/28/90)
In article <3176@optilink.UUCP> elliott@optilink.UUCP (Paul Elliott x225) writes: |This stunt was quite mild compared to our other pyrotechnic exploits. I find |that my experience is rather typical (although don't tell my kids that I said |so). You mean you're not teaching your son how to do this -- cough, I mean teaching your son the proper safety precautions in case he decides to try something while both parents are out and there is no adult supervision? :-) I told my wife that I have to "encourage" our son in these matters so that he'll invite me to help him with his activities. If I discourage him he's more likely to do things unsupervised. I don't think she really bought it but I really do believe it. -- Phil Ngai, phil@amd.com {uunet,decwrl,ucbvax}!amdcad!phil A PC without DESQview is like Unix without ^Z.
jeffc@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com ( Jeff Cook) (02/28/90)
On 27 Feb 90 18:05:52 GMT, grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) said: > older A.C. capacitors, and large *sealed* transformers (>5-10kW). > The fuzzy stuff is the dielectric (paper/polypropylene) In article <819@gold.GVG.TEK.COM> grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert) writes: > In article <JEFFC.90Feb26103813@bach.ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com> jeffc@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com ( Jeff Cook) writes: >>Question: What was the fuzzy stuff? >>Might it have contained asbestos or PCP's? >>-- > Yeah, PCP's alright! Campus Police busted me for being inder the > influence when one exploded in my face. > Seriusly, though, PCB's (Poly-chlorinated Bi-phenyls)... Oops! I thought something looked funny there. Must have been what I was on when I blew that cap... -- ===================================================================== Jeffrey L. Cook jeffc%ncr-fc@ncr-sd.SanDiego.NCR.com NCR Microelectronics uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!ncr-fc!jeffc 2001 Danfield Court 72506.237@compuserve.com Fort Collins, CO 80525 Compuserve: 72506,237 "I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did. I said I didn't know." -- Mark Twain ---------------------------------------------------------------------
commgrp@silver.ucs.indiana.edu (02/28/90)
phil@pepsi.AMD.COM (Phil Ngai) writes: (previous excerpt deleted) >You mean you're not teaching your son how to do this -- cough, I >mean teaching your son the proper safety precautions in case he >decides to try something while both parents are out and there is >no adult supervision? :-) >I told my wife that I have to "encourage" our son in these >matters so that he'll invite me to help him with his activities. >If I discourage him he's more likely to do things unsupervised. I >don't think she really bought it but I really do believe it. Teaching kids about pyrotechnics might be the best way to keep them from doing it! Most kids hate all the stuff their parents like, and vice-virtue, e.g., Richard Feynman's son became a "goddam philosopher." A note on exploding electronics: Some military electronic devices, especially airborne ECM and crypto equipment (like the CRM-114 in _Dr. Strangelove_) contains destructive devices to keep the secret stuff from falling into enemy hands. A friend who was an airborne radar/ECM technician in B-17's in WW II said that their radar jammers were so equipped, and there were big red buttons in the cockpit for destroying the equipment. When the war ended, many of the buttons got pushed. The result was a bang, some smoke, and an expanded radio case. Equipment containing destruction charges is not supposed to be sold as surplus but sometimes it happens. I read an article in a ham radio magazine (QST or CQ) in the '60s by a guy who found one of the little bombs in a surplus radio he had bought. It looked a lot like a stud-mounted electrolytic capacitor. He detonated it in his backyard and it blew a 2-foot crater. -- Frank Reid W9MKV reid@ucs.indiana.edu
brian@ucsd.Edu (Brian Kantor) (03/01/90)
In article <7200051@silver> commgrp@silver.ucs.indiana.edu writes: >[...] >A note on exploding electronics: Some military electronic >devices, especially airborne ECM and crypto equipment (like the >CRM-114 in _Dr. Strangelove_) contains destructive devices to >keep the secret stuff from falling into enemy hands. When I was just getting into ham radio lo these many years ago, one popular surplus item was an IFF transponder (BC632??) that was pretty cheap and could be converted to 432 MHz without too much trouble. Problem was that the item was built on a magnesium/aluminum chassis and had thermite bombs in it. One surplus house apparently had sold a whole bunch of them without removing the thermite devices, and at least one ham had gotten a real surprise when he tried to hook up the 24v filament voltage for the tubes in the widget. The two that I had didn't have any thermite in them, but after stripping one of them for parts, we tossed the chassis into a bonfire at the beach. Bright and shiny it was, yes indeed! - Brian
petersd@spock (Dana Peters) (03/02/90)
Passing this message on for a friend (Glenn Robb)-
Re: Things that go BANG
Varistors: There are two advanced techniques -
1) Celestial Simulation
This recipe is for devices rated with a clamping voltage below
400 V. Source voltage: 600 V, Source impedence: as low as
possible, preferably less than 15 ohms. Apply high voltage leads
to leads on varistor, stand back, protect face, apply voltage.
Yield is equivalent to only a 2 inch fire cracker, however,
pyrotechnical display rivals the best Fourth of July tantalum
capacitors.
2) Crash and Burn
The trick here is to over-watt them s l o w l y by applying a
voltage just on the "knee". This is best performed with a power
supply that approximates a constant current source. A 2.2 Ampere
setting is usually about right. Creates lots of pitch black fibrous
smoke and plenty of toxic gases. Sort of a mini tire fire.
_______
There is a wealth of information available to those wishing to
perfect their destructive techniques. In fact, a great number of
techniques are published as American National Standards. My
personal favorites are from Underwriters' Laboratories Inc. and
here are a few references:
Standard for Safety Number 1459 Issue 2 "Telephone Equipment",
Sections 50 and in particular 50A. What's really great about this
standard is that the tests are supposed to represent real world
events. This standard is the source for the varistor recipe
above. I bet you never realized how dangerous your phone could be!
Standard for Safety Number 746C "Polymeric Materials - Use In
Electrical Equipment Evaluations". To make best use of this
standard, you will be required to obtain the companion standards;
UL 746A&B and UL94. UL 746C contains such goodies as the 5 inch flame
test (section 26) and includes a schematic for the simply
wonderfull "Surge Generator Circuit" (figure 52.2) which is used
for the 6KV Voltage Transient Test (par. 52.6).
Warning: These standards are not to be used by the weak-hearted,
or the casual enthusiast, and are intended for the
professional engaged in serious study / investigation.
--
Glenn Robb
uunet!mitel!spock!robbgken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) (03/03/90)
In article <JEFFC.90Feb26103813@bach.ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com>, jeffc@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com ( Jeff Cook) writes: : In article <1990Feb24.225351.8797@chinet.chi.il.us> darus@chinet.chi.il.us (james wygralak) writes: : > Another note of caution: Beware of shrapnel from exploding capacitors. : I also doubt that the chemicals released will do your health any good. : In one school project I did long ago, I had an electrolytic capacitor : installed backwards. There was a loud pop, and I watched the casing bounce : off the ceiling. This was followed by a mini-snowstorm of fuzzy debris : from the cap's insulating material. Question: What was the fuzzy stuff? : Might it have contained asbestos or PCP's? Probably mylar and aluminium foil. The big (ie power line) capacitors may have pvc's in them, especially the older ones.
phillip@bartal.CRLABS.COM (Phillip M. Vogel) (03/03/90)
Yeah, well I swore I wasn't gonna get into this, but we all know I can't be trusted.... Back in the good old days, I was working in a motorcycle shop. One of the tricks we used to play on newcomers was this: You take a pull off a lead from a spark plug. Hold the case of a 'condensor' (a few uf capacitor) against the exposed plug terminal. Hold the lead a fraction of an inch away from the other end of the condensor. Start the engine. The ignition system will arc through the capacitor, charging it up to some rather high voltage (no, I don't know how high, but trust me). Now you hand the charged cap to the new mechanic and tell him to return it to the parts department. It will take a few seconds before he touches both ends, but when he does..... Believe me, this was done at least a dozen times in my years in the business, and it NEVER failed. And yes, they got me with it when I was the new guy. This reminds me of the (possibly only good) line in the movie 'War Games' when the officer says "I'd piss on a spark plug if I thought it would help". ouch. Phillip -- Phillip M. Vogel, President | #include <standard_disclaimer.h> Bartal Design Group, Inc. Englewood, NJ | (201)567-1343 FAX:(201)568-2891 UUCP: pyrnj!bartal!phillip | Domain: phillip@bartal.crlabs.com
phillip@bartal.CRLABS.COM (Phillip M. Vogel) (03/03/90)
Having read this whole thread, I find it rather amazing that any of us are still alive to tell about it. Like the time we put dry ice into screw top bottles. Kenny was blind for three days. I just got yelled at alot.
ken@argus.UUCP (Kenneth Ng) (03/05/90)
In article <60@bartal.CRLABS.COM>, phillip@bartal.CRLABS.COM (Phillip M. Vogel) writes:
: Having read this whole thread, I find it rather amazing that any of us are
: still alive to tell about it. Like the time we put dry ice into screw top
: bottles. Kenny was blind for three days. I just got yelled at alot.
Could it be that only the ones that lived are here to talk about
it? 1/2 :-)mjj@stda.jhuapl.edu (Marshall Jose) (03/06/90)
In order to further dilute the content of this newsgroup :-), as well as help straighten out some misnomers which have been seen here, I have assembled the following list: PCB: Poly-chlorinated biphenyl Additive to transformer coolant oil, reduces vapor pressure; carcinogenic if ingested. -or- Printed circuit board PCP: Phencyclidine powder Veterinary anaesthetic and abused substance PCV: Positive crankcase Hydrocarbon-emission reduction ventilation technique; routes ring-blow-by gases to carburetor PVC: Poly vinyl chloride Plastic popular for its light weight and stability PPB: Parts per billion Unit of concentration Hope this helps, and have a nice day. Comments and corrections to: Marshall Jose WA3VPZ mjj@aplvax.jhuapl.edu || ...mimsy!aplcen!aplvax!mjj