On Sat, 25 May 2002, Tal Bejerano - AMC wrote:

>Hi
>
>the *question* is in subject of this email.
>are all those HV shockers can kill?
>what is the maximum voltage that cant harm?
>can it give an electric shock only from one ("hot") wire or must have both
>HV ends? "hot" and "ground".

Legally 48V is the maximum limit for wet hands. Probably this is why they
want to convert cars to this voltage soon. 28V will give a definite nasty
sensation in combination with salt water at least (my experience). In
theory at least someone with open wounds can be killed dead by a 9V
battery. Hospital grade equipment requires that stray currents be kept
under 0.1mA. You need to specify in what context you want the maximum
voltage.

If you want to make a current flow through something it needs to go
somewhere, so yes, you need a return path. However if it is AC of high
frequency then the return path can be formed by the capacitance of the
remainder of the body that touches the hot wire. This is easily
demonstrated with any handheld or manpack radio at 25W or more in VHF or
higher. Just grab the end of the antenna while someone is transmitting.

Tasers and other such toys are bipolar, they have two prongs that arc
(impressive) and/or touch the victim. They are painful but relatively
harmless. There was a news story some time ago in this country about a
thief who was caught in flagrant by a policeman, then tried to zap the
policeman with a taser (in the neck ?), at which the policeman got upset
and nearly beat him to death.

Now, why are you asking this ?

Peter

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