Repetitive Strain Injury

[Dirk Koopman]

Peter Corlett wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 15, 2007 at 04:28:56PM +0000, Andrew Beattie wrote:
> [...]
>> I found myself wondering what I might do with a 1Farad capacitor:
> 
> The canonical thing to do with large caps is to charge them up to a few
> hundred volts and leave them lying around for people to pick up and play
> with.
> 

Or attach a wire to each terminal and throw them to someone saying 
"catch". The only problems with this is:-

* decent 400v 8 uF (+) paper capacitors aren't easily available anymore.
* this particular playful act can (and has) kill(ed).

More fun would be to take this 1F (or any similar large can shaped 
electrolytic of decent capacity and more than say 3" long x 1" in 
diameter), carefully align it vertically (say in an old television or 
radio) and wire it across the mains.

Place unit outside on a long extension lead and apply mains.

Alternatively (as happened at school many years ago [and not by me]) 
leave in store room of physics lab, wait for bang, go into store room 
after a safe interval and marvel at the daylight coming through the 
ragged hole in ceiling and roof above.

Dirk