Posted by WhiskeyPapa It merely detects the presence of electrical current. If you're worried about being caught with it, don't use it. I've seen some tight spaces where contacting bare wires is unavoidable.

Those current testers save lives

Posted by Neal Yo I'm taking a physics course this semester on electronics. Asked the professor what's more dangerous, low voltage high amps, or high voltage low amps. (Voltage before amps, right.). He said high amps. Though I'll eventually copy/paste some of this convo and print it out for him.

Electricity is dangerous. It's silly to make blanket statements about current vs voltage. High voltage usually means high amps. But very low amps can fuck your heart up too. It all depends on the circumstance.

Here's a good rule of thumb: if you touch live wires, especially mains (or transmission lines), you're fucked.

Posted by Neal He said it's easier to detect voltage than to measure current.

Kind of. It's easier to MEASURE voltage with, say, an oscilloscope or multimeter. But, in the case of detecting live wires, you'd want to use that Milwaukee Voltage/Current probe. It would be easier to DETECT current remotely, because current makes magnetic flux. That probe is actually detecting the magnetic field.

Posted by Neal Yo I'm taking a physics course this semester on electronics. Asked the professor what's more dangerous, low voltage high amps, or high voltage low amps. (Voltage before amps, right.). He said high amps. Though I'll eventually copy/paste some of this convo and print it out for him. He said it's easier to detect voltage than to measure current.

Dead is dead. 14 volts can kill. It takes roughly 26-120 milliamperes across your heart to destabilize it. Even with immediate CPR and a defib unit you might be dead.
480+ VAC expect burns, 3rd degree, perhaps to the bone. Burned inside out.

https://www.youtub...atch?v=4bBvmPRqfmo

https://www.youtub...atch?v=dPJtknGmsys


480V is nothing to play with, kiddies.

Posted by Piecat https://www.youtub...atch?v=4bBvmPRqfmo https://www.youtub...atch?v=dPJtknGmsys 480V is nothing to play with, kiddies.

Yeap.
Voltages much higher than 480 VAC can be found in many industrial facilities.
1+ KV can reach out and touch you... treat all circuits as hot.

You know what, what the physics professor says still stands.

High voltage is not an issue, high amps is.

480 VAC is high volts and high amps in buildings.

So car batteries are still dangerous to fuck with.

But there are things you do worth a lot more voltage.

He says if you rub your shoes on carpet and then touch a metal doorknob and spark a friction, that itself is worth thousands of volts, and not dangerous at all.

Posted by Neal You know what, what the physics professor says still stands. High voltage is not an issue, high amps is. 480 VAC is high volts and high amps in buildings. So car batteries are still dangerous to fuck with. But there are things you do worth a lot more voltage. He says if you rub your shoes on carpet and then touch a metal doorknob and spark a friction, that itself is worth thousands of volts, and not dangerous at all.

Unfortunately it doesn't matter because almost all HV has hundreds, or thousands of amps behind it. When shorted such a by a human body, the amperes can exceed the rated value exponentially depending on the circuit impedance.
Lightning is a form of static electricity...