Ear buds and sliding boards

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MoreCowbell
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Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by MoreCowbell »

I was reading the article about building the electronic stethoscope and it reminded me of an incident I had recently. I was at a playground with my son and I was listening to music on an ipod with ear buds. I decided to go down the sliding board with him, and when I did I got an obscenely loud electronic clacking in my ears and several electric shocks in both ears! Fortunately it was a short sliding board. My son couldn't figure out why I looked so dazed after that little bitty slide! Was that electrostatic charge arcing from my ears to the driver coils in the ear buds? Never ride a sliding board with ear buds!
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dacflyer
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by dacflyer »

must have been a plastic slide and dry air..
you never have that problem with the old fashion steel slides we had as kids..lol
although in the summer you might suffer 3rd degree burns from the sun on the steel...
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haklesup
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by haklesup »

A plastic slide can definitely generate loads of ESD on a dry day as I have observed my toddler grandson but I have never heard of it coupling into ear buds. Besides the discomfort, I'm surprised the iPod didn't get zapped. It would have to use a very high impedance amplifier output otherwise the ESD should have been dissipated in the driver IC protection circuits (which generally can't handle zaps that a person would find uncomfortably large).
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Janitor Tzap
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by Janitor Tzap »

I had something similar happen too me.
Only I was traveling with some friends in their van.
I had my Walkman with me, so I could listen too some Brian Eno.
We stopped to get gas, I decided to hit the rest room.
As I step out of the Van, I heard and felt a loud Crack/Snap from my head phones.

It turns out the guy who owned the van got new tires, before going on the trip.
These tires had more carbon in them for better grip.
But, as you drove down the road, the van would build up a static charge.
So had the people in the van.

Thus, the next time anyone had to get out of the van.
They'd be touching some metal part of the door frame first before stepping out.
Otherwise the person would get shocked from a 1/2 inch to 1 inch spark.


Signed: Janitor Tzap
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jwax
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by jwax »

In days past, I recall seeing on many vehicles, a rubbery grounding (conductive) strap dragging on the ground from the vehicle chassis. Seldom see it today. ??
Maybe our tires are better conductors today?
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MicroRem
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by MicroRem »

for me nothing says static electricity liking working underneath a helicopter during a hoist. All those blades swinging through the air can generate a very healthy charge charge that can arc quite spectacularly to whatever or whomever it contacts first. Most bestest is the CH 47 Chinook, with 6 rotor blades each bigger than the wing of a Piper Cub. Best to let that hook touch the ground first, lest the be smitten.
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dacflyer
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by dacflyer »

maybe these ear plugs would be handy...they are at least cool looking..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJOKCtVwI1E DIY 40 CAL Bullet Earplugs
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Lenp
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by Lenp »

I see a lot of school buses with dangling chains but rarely are they touching the ground to discharge, except maybe on bumps... or if the charge can make it through several inches :razz: !
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Lenp
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Post by Lenp »

Post deleted because....

What I said must have been really important, it double posted!!!
Len

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"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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haklesup
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by haklesup »

Dangling chains are a notable cause of roadside brush fires in the west (also lawnmowers and weed whackers). Last year or maybe the year before I recall a story of a string of fires along a bay area freeway caused by a truck dragging metal or a chain.

Not to mention if a link broke off while driving. I hope nobody thought dragging ground chains behind busses was a good idea and they are for another purpose. I see no such chains around here
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by gerty »

[quote] I see no such chains around here[/quote]
Where I used to work, before they closed down, Carrier Air Conditioning. We had a million square foot plant, concrete floors, and every fork truck had a chain dragging on the floor. It was usually only about 4 links long. But if it wasn't there and you slid off the seat, you can bet you'll get popped on the next steel object you touch.
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Lenp
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by Lenp »

I just checked again today, and saw two school buses with the chains! They are pretty large links, nearly centered on the undercarriage of the bus, and look to be a couple of inches off the ground. They must be a static discharge, for whatever it's worth.
Also the local buses also have white strobe lights on their roof, and they always flash. I guess it's for those drivers that don't know that big yellow thing on wheels is a school bus! :shock:

Footnote: Some information online indicates that there is a chain system for tires during winter driving to provide traction, but, these chains are mid-vehicle, no place near the wheels!
Len

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haklesup
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by haklesup »

A couple inches off the ground probably wouldn't discharge any ESD, I was thinking about that, maybe the district uses it to lock up the bus or secure equipment to it at night or for storage in the summer. I don't think those back escape doors can lock.

The strobe may be more useful in inclement weather or dawn to dusk runs more common in those east coasty locals. The district may feel they have some visibility impaired routes that justify the extra beacon.

However around here where we have a lot of 2 lane roads, the busses get passed far too often. I had one woman in a car with a child honk at me because I actually stopped and she had to button hook to get around me at full road speed as the bus was stopped, flashing and with stop sign sticking out. Fortunately children stayed on that side. I doubt the strobe would have made a lick of difference.
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by gerty »

If you watch a school bus pull into a parking lot or turn onto another road that is slightly elevated from the one they're on you should see the chain drag. If you look at the back, bottom of a bus you'll see (on most of them) that the rear tapers up so that it doesn't drag the ground. That's when the chain will drag.
The only advantage I can see for this is that the chain doesn't drag on the ground 100% of the time. Which in turn means it won't wear as fast.
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Lenp
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Re: Ear buds and sliding boards

Post by Lenp »

About static charges...
When in the UK recently, I noticed several grocery stores have carts that use synthetic wheels that all swivel. They are quick and nimble plus their floors have a plastic like coating to make them shine and easy to clean. You can tell the tourist from the regulars.

The regulars touch the wire frame of the cart to a metal case or shelf before they reach for anything while the tourists just jump and wince! I do wonder if their their cell phone failure rate is higher?

Van de Graaff would be shocked :roll: !
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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