I'm finally back, kinda! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: etstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2012, 07:51:01 pm
content: Been through hell here in NJ with this stupid storm. I miss reading about all the electronics news on here. I still don't have power, I'm at my in-laws who got power back yesterday, thank goodness! I haven't been able to do or even look at my ET program in a week. I'm sure I will be have some good questions for ya son when I get back to my program. Talk to you guys soon.

author: TorqueRanger
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 03, 2012, 10:21:27 pm
content: Well good luck to you boss .. I live by Atlantic City and have been towing cars out of AC ,Ventnor City ,and Margate city..

author: etstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 12:24:55 am
content: Yeah AC is mess I heard, a real mess. The shore in general is in very bad shape I hear. Union beach near where I live is in real bad shape. Good luck to you, I hope everything gets better.

author: w2aew
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 02:21:33 am
content: We were without power until late last night, only 4 days in the dark thankfully. My in-laws are still without power. I still don't have Internet, TV, phone - but getting by with spotty cellular phone/data. I grew up in Monmouth county NJ, which was hit much worse than here in Middlesex/Somerset county. Got some tragic news the AM, a neighbor of my in-laws had a fatal fire overnight - lost a family member and the house due to a candle.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 02:50:48 am
content: Woo just got electricity back too. North Jersey here.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 02:51:06 am
content: Good God there's a lot of people from NJ here.

author: w2aew
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 05:14:08 pm
content: Quote from: FenderBender on November 04, 2012, 02:51:06 amWow, there sure are!

author: etstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 05:30:11 pm
content: Sad about the candle fire, my heart goes out to the family. My mom uses a lot of candles, and it makes me nervous as all hell.good to hear power is coming back, I think mine will be back today, like very soon. I saw trucks up the street. Good luck to everyone from NJ, be safe, we will get by.

author: M0BSW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 06:24:25 pm
content: I hope you all get sorted out really soon, I've been watching it on our local TV channels, and you all have my family's best wishes. It's been the main talk on Ham radio too. Hope you all can get things put right quickly.Paul Collins & family XX

author: etstudent
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 07:41:11 pm
content: Quote from: M0BSW on November 04, 2012, 06:24:25 pmThank you for the nice reply. Its slowly getting back to normal. Thank God for Costco, they have been great throughout this. Orderly gas lines, very organized and plenty of gas. Cops at the lines too really, REALLY help.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 04, 2012, 11:18:30 pm
content: Quote from: w2aew on November 04, 2012, 02:21:33 ammaybe its time someone youtube some on how diy safety candle light stand. this shows just how improperly administered candle light is as bad as electrocution. the easiest is just place the candle light on a stable metal plate. tin cover of empty cream or milk or cereal etc can, when the candle flip over it will fall on the metal, not flammable material. dont put candle near window with curtain, keep out of children reach etc. precaution.

author: FenderBender
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 12:00:31 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 04, 2012, 11:18:30 pmI agree. Every time there is one of these crisis situations, it seems that there is always a unfortunate fatality caused by a candle burning the house down.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 04:20:34 am
content: People do not use candles often enough as light source, so they are not aware of how to handle them. I would doubt that this was in a proper metal candle holder, but in a decorative holder or just on a plate.Candles - none by me. Torches and gas lamps yes, as well as spare mantles and batteries.

author: T4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 04:38:54 pm
content: That's why i use these in a total blackout (A real one, been there done that, something knocked out power for almost the entire night)Easy to handle and certainly no danger of tipping over on a plate

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 07:28:54 pm
content: A whole night...............longest was 4 days when a mobile crane drove through the 132kv power line, and recently 2 days when a digger found the 11kV cable joint with a pickaxe. That cable is still awaiting the highpot testing needed to put it back in service, but luckily we have the other loop available for power, as well as the 400A 3 phase backfeed to the next substation with a 1 MVA transformer in it. It has plenty of spare capacity to handle our 150kVA load.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 08:29:56 pm
content: Quote from: T4P on November 05, 2012, 04:38:54 pmamatuer!

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 09:04:38 pm
content: Quote from: SeanB on November 05, 2012, 07:28:54 pmIs the digger still alive?Some years back a buried high voltage distribution cable developed a short circuit fault under the pavement (sidewalk) of the main shopping street in the town where I used to live. It made an enormous bang and the force of the explosion lifted the paving slabs of the path above. Everyone thought a bomb had gone off.

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 05, 2012, 09:33:26 pm
content: Still swinging a pickaxe and still digging through cables. Steel pick with wooden handle and steel tape armoured paper cable has an impressive bang and not much else, the distribution system has fault relays that act fast to disconnect the feeder from the 132kV substation 500m away. He just happened to catch the edge of a joint and punched through the lead and into one of the conductors. The cable was made in 1966 in South Africa by African Cables, I have a little piece in my office of the lead sheath that they cut out and replaced with 2 plastic scotchcasts and 2m of cable to do the joint. The metro does not do sweated leadwork any more, even if it is a lot more reliable, just that the epoxy is quicker. Some of the older Telkom guys do still do it on main distribution cabling, where they have 1000 pairs to join if there is a fault and all the cabling is lead sheathed under the bitumen and steel tape