From: peter2@hipson.net   
      
   On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:43:34 +0000, sparky  wrote:   
      
   >On Wed, 19 Nov 2008 03:21:09 GMT, John  wrote:   
   >   
   >>On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:21:37 +0000, sparky  wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>I ran out of petrol last night on a roundabout and blocked the traffic   
   trying   
   >>>to get on it. When my boyfriend came to rescue me he showed me how to "limp   
   >>>it" out of the way using the starter motor.   
      
   First, what your BF did was not a terribly bight thing to do. This   
   type of move often times will ruin the starter, and even can cause a   
   fire. That is not terribly bright, IMHO.   
      
   >>> He pulled out a thick rubbery lead   
   >>>from something, put the car in gear and let the power in the battery do all   
   >>>the work. I was amazed, but when we got home, after watching him check the   
   >>>battery with his little pocket meter, I was confused. Why didn't this   
   powerful   
   >>>battery set fire to such a small pocket meter when it had so much power in   
   it?   
   >>>I know the battery had loads of power left because I tested it by laying one   
   >>>of his long screwdrivers across the lead terminals. It was so powerful that   
   I   
   >>>ended up melting one of them and damaged his screwdriver. Before I could ask   
   >>>anything he sent me inside. The screwdriver was a long and thin one, but   
   >>>thicker than the skinny wires on his pocket meter, so why did it get so hot   
   >>>and cause such a massive spark? When he came in I asked him again, but he   
   >>>refused to tell me, saying I should leave electrics to the experts. This   
   >>>morning, after he left for work, I went back into the garage to do an   
   >>>experiment. I found some thin wire similar in thickness to the wires on his   
   >>>pocket meter and connect the ends to the battery. It melted before I could   
   >>>disconnect it, so what's going on here? I had to pull it off with some   
   >>>cardboard in my hand because I would've had a nasty burn without it. It   
   really   
   >>>was that hot, and it looked like it was getting hotter. It even started to   
   >>>melt the battery's plastic. Do some wires have something in them to stop   
   them   
   >>>getting so hot? Why are the wires going to my kettle cold? Why do boyfriends   
   >>>treat their girlfriends like idiots? We're the same age (22) but he talks to   
   >>>me like I'm only half that age sometimes, so that's why I'm asking here. Am   
   I   
   >>>in the right newsgroup?   
   >>   
   >>Hi,   
   >>   
   >>Firstly, let me apologise for some of the responses you got here.   
   >   
   >Hey thanks. My reason for posting here was because I thought I might be flamed   
   >less than I've been at home. When I ask my BF to explain anything about   
   >electrics since finding an interest in it after seeing it "limp" my car off   
   >the road, he starts off by saying, "How can you be so stupid? I've already   
   >told you about ......"   
      
   Between you and I and about a million other Internet users, I'd   
   personally say it is time for a new BF... He won't get better as time   
   goes along, but worse, until he gets seriously abusive. You can   
   probably do much better.   
      
   > Oh well, I've got my own meters now. The voltmeter goes   
   >up to 15v and the amp meter goes up to 2 amp. I've bought a reel of red wire   
   >and reel of black, a dozen banana connectors to make my own leads for my   
   >meters, red and black crocodile connectors, 3 fuse holders, 4 batten holders,   
   >6 x 6v bulbs, some switches and a variable power supplier which used to be my   
   >dad's train controller. I'm all set to go, and I've been playing around with   
   >these things and some other stuff laying around in the garage for a couple of   
   >days now. Great fun!   
      
   Work with small batteries (flashlight) and small light bulbs... Much   
   safer than playing with the car battery.   
      
   >   
   >>LL   
   >>is correct. You need to know more about these things before playing   
   >>with car batteries. A lot more.   
   >   
   >Not arf! Thanks LL. I had the damaged one replaced yesterday, and I've washed   
   >it with soap now and made up some connecting leads with a neat little fuse   
   >holder for the red one. A 20 amps fuse should do it.   
   >   
   >>People are generally pretty relaxed about batteries but wouldn't dream   
   >>of playing with high voltage stuff. But believe me, car batteries may   
   >>be only low voltage but can deliver quite a lot of current, creating a   
   >>lot of heat very quickly if you short circuit them as you did.   
   >   
   >I can't believe how stupid I was when doing that. I can understand why he got   
   >so annoyed with me now. Electricians, he says, aren't allowed to make   
   >mistakes.   
      
   OK, my rating of that BF went up a tiny bit. He's right about that,   
   often times it is one mistake, then a nice sending away party.   
      
   >   
   >>Firstly, wait until your boyfriend has settled down. Remember, you   
   >>just destroyed a favourite screwdriver.   
   >   
   >Lolita. Yes, I'm sure he called that one Lolita. I'm joking, of course, but I   
   >wouldn't put it past him.   
      
   Find a local technical school. Sign up for some classes in both   
   electricty and auto mechanics. Worth their weight on 'gold' so to   
   speak.   
      
   >   
   >>Then ask him if he'll spend   
   >>some time explaining the basics to you. As someone else noted, he may   
   >>not know much or may not be a good/patient teacher. At a guess, he's   
   >>not totally ignorant on electrical stuff - he at least owns a meter.   
   >   
   >He used to be a car mechanic/electrician before my dad gave him a proper job.   
   >I asked him why he disconnected that thick rubbery lead before using the   
   >starter motor to move the car off the road, and he says it's essential that I   
   >learn how to do that in case the engine starts up unexpectedly and runs away   
   >with me. I'm far too small to push a car, and I have a habit of putting my   
   >foot on the accelerator when turning the ignition key. He has explained the   
   >basics to me now, and I've had quite a bit of help from my dad. In fact, I've   
   >learned how to connect the switch side of a relay using my dad's train   
   >controller so that a larger current can flow through it to power a headlamp   
   >bulb from the damaged car battery. The train controller doesn't have the   
   >muscle to power the bulb, but it does have enough to switch the relay so that   
   >the car battery can light it. I've made my own lamp out of a peanut butter jar   
   >as well with a small tilt switch connected to the batten holder. When the jar   
   >is placed upside down on its lid, the small 9 volt battery from a fire alarm   
   >goes through the switch and lights the bulb. Brilliant!   
   >   
   >>And you're at least tech-literate enough to find your way into this   
   >>forum. On a personal note, if he won't help or at least point you to   
   >>help, flick him.   
   >   
   >What? I don't want to have to go through all that again, listening to him   
   >groveling down the phone at 3 in the morning. I suppose I could eBay all his   
   >snapon tools though. He doesn't need them anymore, anyway. ;-)   
      
   YES! Do that... Please...    
      
   >   
   >>You need to at the very least understand the concepts   
   >>of voltage, current, resistance, power and a relationship known as   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)