Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
Moderator
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2004
- Messages
- 38,525
Yes, I know my comment sounded a bit snarky, but electricity isn't something casual. Troubleshooting can have even more issues. I always recommend that anyone not completely familiar with electricity and electric circuits stay completely away fro working on them. Not only are you at risk, but setting a meter on the wrong setting and testing a circuit/component can end up in smoke (or a blown internal fuse if you are lucky).
Electrical story:
Back in the '70's when I did electronics for NAVELEX I was at Cherry Point converting the transmitters and receivers to modern electronic units. I did 90% of all wiring myself instead of dealing with base public works, which greatly shortened the length of the whole job. I had run all new power, communication, and RF cables to the new cabinets and had the new units sitting behind the old units. My plan was to shut down the base airfield at 12:01AM and have it back online in 6 hours. We got a bunch of Marines to help with the physical moving of the cabinets ( 6'X2'X2' and weighing about 500-600 pounds each with the equipment in them). I had the cabinets numbered and the new power cables run up to the main power panel. I had already connected them to the old cabinets while hot so as not to disturb any communications. This had allowed me to pull all the old power lines out of the cable trough ahead of the change over. All I had to do was pull the power cable off the old cabinets, switch the cabinets, and reconnect them to the new equipment. I rehearsed it with the crew to get it all down - I would call to the fellow at the power panel to shut of cabinet X, we would unbolt and switch the cabinets, I'ld hook up the RF and other cables, and hook the power cable last ... all in less than 10 minutes. As I went to the next cabinet the process would be repeated while the RAATC guys were getting the equipment in the previous cabinet turned on and checked out with the crew in blue room and control tower.
We were all ready to go and I called out to shut down cabinet number 1. I went to disconnect the power cable and got the heck shocked out of me. I mean it was a real pants wetter. I yelled at the guy at the power cabinet and told him to turn of the f*****g cabinet ... he said he already had. I climbed out from the back of the cabinets and went to the power panel. He had shut off breaker #1, not cabinet #1 (the breakers and cabinets were all labeled on the panel door.) I had shown him the list and where the correct breakers were in the drill, but in the excitement of "showtime" he forgot and flipped the wrong breaker. I replaced him with a person who understood electric circuits and the rest of the night went well.
Electrical story:
Back in the '70's when I did electronics for NAVELEX I was at Cherry Point converting the transmitters and receivers to modern electronic units. I did 90% of all wiring myself instead of dealing with base public works, which greatly shortened the length of the whole job. I had run all new power, communication, and RF cables to the new cabinets and had the new units sitting behind the old units. My plan was to shut down the base airfield at 12:01AM and have it back online in 6 hours. We got a bunch of Marines to help with the physical moving of the cabinets ( 6'X2'X2' and weighing about 500-600 pounds each with the equipment in them). I had the cabinets numbered and the new power cables run up to the main power panel. I had already connected them to the old cabinets while hot so as not to disturb any communications. This had allowed me to pull all the old power lines out of the cable trough ahead of the change over. All I had to do was pull the power cable off the old cabinets, switch the cabinets, and reconnect them to the new equipment. I rehearsed it with the crew to get it all down - I would call to the fellow at the power panel to shut of cabinet X, we would unbolt and switch the cabinets, I'ld hook up the RF and other cables, and hook the power cable last ... all in less than 10 minutes. As I went to the next cabinet the process would be repeated while the RAATC guys were getting the equipment in the previous cabinet turned on and checked out with the crew in blue room and control tower.
We were all ready to go and I called out to shut down cabinet number 1. I went to disconnect the power cable and got the heck shocked out of me. I mean it was a real pants wetter. I yelled at the guy at the power cabinet and told him to turn of the f*****g cabinet ... he said he already had. I climbed out from the back of the cabinets and went to the power panel. He had shut off breaker #1, not cabinet #1 (the breakers and cabinets were all labeled on the panel door.) I had shown him the list and where the correct breakers were in the drill, but in the excitement of "showtime" he forgot and flipped the wrong breaker. I replaced him with a person who understood electric circuits and the rest of the night went well.