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Lick those speaker cables?


Colin

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If there is so much current or power available from mega-watt SS amplifiers even flea-powered tube amplifiers, then why can we hold both ends of the loudspeaker cable at the same time without feeling anything? What is the name of this law or principle?

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it's called voltage yo...there isn't enough electric potential for the current to travel through your body. however, once the electricity finds a path that the electric potential is strong enough to push it through, then the available current will flow. i believe the voltage coming out of most amps is somewhere between 3 and 15 volts (though i have no idea for sure).

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On 3/21/2003 1:59:28 PM justin_tx_16 wrote:

you got it.

about licking teh cables though, if you lick a Cat5 cable in say your office network... you will get quite a shock.

also, anyone ever put that creame/gel on the ends of their connectors? i am going to check it out today.
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I'm trying out that CAT5 thing, I will test in on my cat 6.gif - I wouldn't hurt sweet Wimpy (thats his name)

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it's watts (aka the current) that kills you. Know when you get those cool static electric shocks? there's like 12,000 volts in that sucker...a hundred times the volts put out in your wall outlet! however, a wall outlet has a huge amount of current running through it, and that's what kills you. all the voltage does is allow the current to flow through the path, once the path is established, the current flows hardcore. in a static shock, there is very littly current and thus no real damage occurs. with the wall outlet, there is practically an infinite source of current, which means lots of damage.

i wish i was more motivated to come up with some cool drawings and diagrams...it's really easy to demonstrate this using waterpipes. i really love the core concepts of electricity, it's amazing how much stuff depends on it and in so little time.

as far as the cat5 goes...that sounds interesting. what's the risk of damage to the computer equipment it's hooked up to? kenrat mentioned testing it on his cat, i wonder how my dog would respond 11.gif

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On 3/21/2003 1:59:28 PM justin_tx_16 wrote:

you got it.

about licking teh cables though, if you lick a Cat5 cable in say your office network... you will get quite a shock.

also, anyone ever put that creame/gel on the ends of their connectors? i am going to check it out today.

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I agree that it would be shocking to find someone in the office where Annette works, licking 5 cats! Did someone spill tuna on them?

It's fine to use creame/gel on the end of your connector (all over is nice, too), but you should lock the door, so no one barges in.

fini

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You could hold both ends of a speaker cable, and it would not hurt you as the voltage and amperage are relatively low. Your body has a very high resistance when it comes to conducting electricity, however you can get shocks from quite a few common items. I have gotten a shock from a leaking spark plug wire on a d.i.s. equipped vehicle, and let me tell you 50,000 volts, even at a low voltage is something you won't soon forget. My arm hurt for 2 days afterward, as I smacked my arm/hand on the hood hard as I recoiled from the offending wire that ( bit ) me.

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Have you ever tried putting a 9-volt battery on your tongue ? Because your tongue is wet with saliva, it conducts electricity well, and you subsequently get a shock. If you then place two dry fingers on the terminals of the battery, you will find that you will not get a shock as there is high resistance ( impedance ) to the flow of current and the voltage ( pressure ) is not high enough. I do NOT recommend putting the speaker leads on your tongue and cranking your amplifier up to see how much of a shock you will get. Hey, wait, maybe I have discovered a cheap electroshock therapy device ! Now all I need is a Krell amp, and some cheap zip cord...... any takers ? Dr. Hurd's electrocution, I mean electroshock therapy ..... Just bring your favorite music. LOL !

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A way to think about the relationship between voltage and current using water pipes (like DrWho mentioned) is to say that voltage is a measure of the water pressure between two points in the pipe ( (in circuits it's between any 2 components, like your speaker (resistor) and your receiver (EMF ??) ), the current is the measure of the actual water flow through the pipes. Without the pressure (voltage), there is no potential (another term for voltage) for water to flow (current).

A little off the subject, but is it really bad to bind bare speaker cables at your receiver and speakers as opposed to using real connectors ?? Sorry if this is a really newb question.

Matt

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