Well I almost kicked the bucket today... near death story inside.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Well I almost kicked the bucket today... near death story inside.

Posted: 10/10/2007 9:56:33 PM EDT

So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project I've been working on. I was replacing a resistor to see if I could get a certain power rating... blah blah blah.

Basically I grabbed two electrodes that were putting out about 20mA in constant current mode on the power supply (though the supply may have switched over to constant voltage and saved my ass when I grabbed them... I'm not sure). Anyways, after words I felt extremely light headed and disorientated. Went to the hospital immediately. Doc says there's no permanent damage and I may feel "woozy" for the next few hours.

Lesson of the story... ALWAYS... ALWAYS check to make sure the circuit is OFF before working on it. Double check it... complacency leads to danger.

Posted: 10/10/2007 9:57:52 PM EDT

[#1]

damn. Good to hear your'e going to be ok though.

Posted: 10/10/2007 9:59:24 PM EDT

[#2]

you're supposed to use the tongue test

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:02:40 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:
So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project .

UAV - un-manned aireal vehicle?

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:05:02 PM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project .

UAV - un-manned aireal vehicle?

Yup... I designed most of the fly by computer vision system including an algorithm to help detect static objects (such as buildings and shit). The main issue we're hitting right now is power dissipation and supplying enough power to the flight computer and servos without weighing down the plane too much. On our current system we only get about 10 minutes of flight time.... maybe its time for a bigger plane... who knows?

ETA: Before making any transceivers... make sure you're operating on a free frequency.

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:08:13 PM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
you're supposed to use the tongue test

This would have been safer than what I did since the current went across my chest...

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:09:15 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project .

UAV - un-manned aireal vehicle?

Yup... I designed most of the fly by computer vision system including an algorithm to help detect static objects (such as buildings and shit). The main issue we're hitting right now is power dissipation and supplying enough power to the flight computer and servos without weighing down the plane too much. On our current system we only get about 10 minutes of flight time.... maybe its time for a bigger plane... who knows?

ETA: Before making any transceivers... make sure you're operating on a free frequency.

Glad you didn't check out.

Thanks for your work on this great tool in the arsenal that allows our men and women to fight the GWOT

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:10:32 PM EDT

[#7]

And to think, for a second there, you really had potential...

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:11:05 PM EDT

[#8]

same thing happened to a friend of mine.

3 days later, DEAD...

I call your guns

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:13:05 PM EDT

[#9]

You had better let me hold onto your guns for safekeeping, ya know, just until things settle down from today's excitement. IM me for shipping details.

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:13:32 PM EDT

[#10]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project .

UAV - un-manned aireal vehicle?

Yup... I designed most of the fly by computer vision system including an algorithm to help detect static objects (such as buildings and shit). The main issue we're hitting right now is power dissipation and supplying enough power to the flight computer and servos without weighing down the plane too much. On our current system we only get about 10 minutes of flight time.... maybe its time for a bigger plane... who knows?

ETA: Before making any transceivers... make sure you're operating on a free frequency.

nanotubes ftw

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:30:33 PM EDT

[#11]

Glad to hear yer allright----did the same thing working on a strobe system a couple years back, 'cept it was 15 instead of 20. Not at all fun. That two hands deal with 15mA going through the chest was a heck of a lot worse (as far as I can remember) than a childhood incident where I plugged a lamp into a wall socket with my bare foot and had my big and index toes in contact with the prongs as they went in the socket.

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:40:35 PM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:
So I was breadboarding a circuit for this UAV project I've been working on. I was replacing a resistor to see if I could get a certain power rating... blah blah blah.

Basically I grabbed two electrodes that were putting out about 20mA in constant current mode on the power supply (though the supply may have switched over to constant voltage and saved my ass when I grabbed them... I'm not sure). Anyways, after words I felt extremely light headed and disorientated. Went to the hospital immediately. Doc says there's no permanent damage and I may feel "woozy" for the next few hours.

Lesson of the story... ALWAYS... ALWAYS check to make sure the circuit is OFF before working on it. Double check it... complacency leads to danger.

When signal tracing my way across a circuit board, I'll isolate myself by stuffing one hand in my pocket and use the other to place the o-scope probe.

But you're right about complacency: I've managed to only get bit once, by an IFF tranceiver power supply, when I set my hand on top of a connector while leaning acoss to switch test equipment settings.

Posted: 10/10/2007 10:54:37 PM EDT

[#13]

don't ever ever ever take apart one of those disposable cardboard cameras with the built in flash without first discharging the flash capacitors...them suckers give a helluva wallup!! I think I saw God and jerked around like I was being defibrillated by a paramedic team. I had actual cauterized burns on my finger tips from the electrodes....

glad you're Okay!

Posted: 10/10/2007 11:02:01 PM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Double check it... complacency leads to danger.

I learned as a AO in the Navy that "Complacency Kills"

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Well I almost kicked the bucket today... near death story inside.

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