> 8 to 10 year old boy add 50 ft bell wire, steel bar, 1 1/2 volt battery
> and some tacks.  You have a electro magnet.
> next 6 volt battery = lift more tacks
> more bell wire added to coil = lift more tacks
> learned more volts + bigger coil (more wire) = stronger electro magnet
> searches garage for another battery and more bell wire but in stead
> finds about 150 ft of 14 gauge insulated wire and a 110V male plug.
> WOW a super magnet. can not wait to build this.
> put it together plug it in sparks fly and fuse blows (thank God the fuse
> did not have a penny behind it).
>
> It took out the electricity in the kitchen and 2 other rooms, this was
> 20 years ago in an old house with old wiring.
> Within a month of asking questions to people who were knowledgeable in
> electricity I knew what I had done wrong and basics of Ohms Law.
> I learned that I would always try to know what was going to happen when
> I did something.  No "lets turn this and see what happens"
>
> John


OK, about 45 years ago... I build the Allied Radio Knight Kit AM
Broadcaster transmitter (two 50C5 tubes and a 12AX7). This was one of
those units with no power transformer. The tube filaments were in series
across the line. B+ was generated using a half wave selenium rectifier.
One side of the line (the neutral side) was tied to the metal chassis
(through the on/off switch so you got a choice as to whether the chassis
was hot when the unit was on or when it was off). I figured this thing'd
get out much better with a good antenna and ground. So, I connected a wire
to the chassis, threw it outside,  carried it with bare feet (me, not the
wire) across the wet concrete to tie it to a water faucet. As I touched it
to the water faucet, sparks flew and the lights went out.

Harold
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