nanog mailing list archives

Re: DC power versus AC power


From: joe mcguckin <joe () via net>
Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 22:37:49 -0800



It only takes 30ma to put your heart into atrial fibrillation. In the usa,
gfi's are set to trip at 5ma.

Normally 48VDC wouldn't be considered a 'lethal' voltage (I've talked to
telephone technicians who said they used to play a game in the CO by wiring
a handle to 90V ring voltage and seeing who could grab it for the longest
time), but you've got to consider the extreme cases where the working
environment may be wet or a worker could get exposed through open wounds,
puncture wounds or mucus membranes.

Under the right circumstances, nearly any voltage can be lethal.

Joe



On 12/29/02 5:40 PM, "Scott Granados" <scott () wworks net> wrote:


Is 48V DC at the amps present normallyin switch rooms etc enough to cause
electricucian?  I have seen bad things with wrenches dropped across
batteries even 12 volt car batteries although in this case it was a large
battery bank in a submarine but I was curious about the 48V sources in
switch rooms.



----- Original Message -----
From: "David Lesher" <wb8foz () nrk com>
To: "nanog list" <nanog () merit edu>
Sent: Sunday, December 29, 2002 4:43 PM
Subject: Re: DC power versus AC power



Unnamed Administration sources reported that Michael Painter said:



But, as Stephen already eluded to... Compared with an AC plant
design, to
me, one of the biggest drawbacks of a DC plant is safety  (I have had to
kick a fellow worker away from the rack before). <<

What was the worker doing?  Is this 48 VDC?

Bet so.

And note, it's not just ISP's, of course. I heard that Sprint
PCS ha[s,d] a Dallas tech in critical condition and a dead switch
after a dropped wrench & resulting fire.

In the words of Phil Esterhaus:

Let's be careful out there....





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