shocking...
#12
11-05-2006, 06:41 PM
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shocking...
Reading thru this thread I noticed that a comment has not been made about this being 12 Volt DC. One poster mentioned household current at 110 volts. This would be AC or alternating current with is a whole different ball game than the direct current used on the quad.
There is a very small, in my opinion at least, chance that something has gone wrong with the heater(s) or control system in the hand warmers which may allow them to act as a coil on an older style point and condenser ignition system. If, and this is a big if, this is happening you could get a collapsing field effect and the result would be a shock of the type you describe. The chances of you having this problem are remote to the extreme. Much better chance you just experienced a static discharge which can build up to some fairly remarkable levels given the right circumstances. Surprising and mildly uncomfortable seldom are static charges of this type really dangerous. The exception being if one occurs while handling flammable liquids, like filling your gas tank. Take standard precautions to avoid this problem.
Another reference was made about the small amount of current required to injure of kill a person. While being very true this again is very unlikely. Very small electrical charges can stop the heart muscle but the amount of resistance offered by normal skin and body tissues make this very unlikely to occur. The touching of one's tongue to a 9 volt battery is bypassing this limited natural barrier we have to transient electrical currents being inside our bodies. The tongue, like most of our internal parts, has a much lower surface resistance not only because it is moist but because of the inherent susceptibility to current flow. This added to the fact that the tongue is a remarkably sensitive organ easily explains the effect felt when a low voltage is passed across it.
If this were my machine I would check the amperage draw of the hand warmers at the various settings, if there are more than one, and compare these findings with the factory recommendations.
The trick of putting your fingers across the terminals of a battery, wet or dry, has been used for years to dispel the fears of people learning to work on 12VDC systems. I have never seen anyone that could even feel the current flow. With a really good ammeter you can show it does exist. You will get greater flow from one terminal to the other across the top of a moist, dirty battery.
There is a very small, in my opinion at least, chance that something has gone wrong with the heater(s) or control system in the hand warmers which may allow them to act as a coil on an older style point and condenser ignition system. If, and this is a big if, this is happening you could get a collapsing field effect and the result would be a shock of the type you describe. The chances of you having this problem are remote to the extreme. Much better chance you just experienced a static discharge which can build up to some fairly remarkable levels given the right circumstances. Surprising and mildly uncomfortable seldom are static charges of this type really dangerous. The exception being if one occurs while handling flammable liquids, like filling your gas tank. Take standard precautions to avoid this problem.
Another reference was made about the small amount of current required to injure of kill a person. While being very true this again is very unlikely. Very small electrical charges can stop the heart muscle but the amount of resistance offered by normal skin and body tissues make this very unlikely to occur. The touching of one's tongue to a 9 volt battery is bypassing this limited natural barrier we have to transient electrical currents being inside our bodies. The tongue, like most of our internal parts, has a much lower surface resistance not only because it is moist but because of the inherent susceptibility to current flow. This added to the fact that the tongue is a remarkably sensitive organ easily explains the effect felt when a low voltage is passed across it.
If this were my machine I would check the amperage draw of the hand warmers at the various settings, if there are more than one, and compare these findings with the factory recommendations.
The trick of putting your fingers across the terminals of a battery, wet or dry, has been used for years to dispel the fears of people learning to work on 12VDC systems. I have never seen anyone that could even feel the current flow. With a really good ammeter you can show it does exist. You will get greater flow from one terminal to the other across the top of a moist, dirty battery.
