[HECnet] Number of nodes online a bit low?

You can touch a live wire here and provided it's just one hand and your feet aren't in salty water nothing much will happen. Higher frequencies will pass your skin more readily. I'd rather touch 230V/50Hz than 80V/1000Hz. Verzonden vanaf mijn BlackBerry 10-smartphone. Origineel bericht Van: Johnny Billquist Verzonden: maandag 26 januari 2015 17:49 Aan: hecnet at Update.UU.SE Beantwoorden: hecnet at Update.UU.SE Onderwerp: Re: [HECnet] Number of nodes online a bit low? On 2015-01-26 17:40, John Wilson wrote: From: Johnny Billquist <bqt at softjar.se> This is Europe, remember... Normal mains are 230V, and 3-phase are 410V phase to phase. All the DEC equipment around here are designed to run on that stuff. Sure ... I remember reading the back plate on a dryer at a laundromat once (in I forget which country) and suddenly not wanting to touch it any more. I just have trouble getting used to the fact that although you *already* run most things at what Americans would consider double voltage, you *still* double the voltage for the big toys (things which we grudgingly whip out the 230 VAC for). But then again, once it's lethal, I suppose it doesn't matter how lethal. And copper costs more than insulation so being able to use wimpier wire for the same wattage is good design. Less loss too. Plus, this is stuff you pretty much never unplug/replug, so your fingers are almost never near the live prongs. Still ... around here, it's hard to find wire that's insulated for more than 300V. Yeah... That "lethal" aspect have never been my issue. 110V or 230V. Who cares? If it comes to the wrong place, either will kill me. And just through two fingers on the same hand, they both just annoy the hell out of me, and I swear loudly for a few minutes... I am much more nervous about the (to my view) really crappy and scary plugs you use in the US. They actually have a fair chance of actually exposing me to contact... You really cannot touch the prongs when they have power on plugs around here... Johnny