[DeTomaso] Disconnecting the Battery - + or - first?

boyd casey boyd411 at gmail.com
Thu Oct 7 11:24:12 EDT 2010


If one were attempting to electrocute someone using a car battery the
biggest obstacle is overcoming the resistance of the skin. If you first
attach each cable to a sharp object (like a taser dart) and then use them to
penetrate the skin you should have very little trouble. Besides overcoming
the resistance of the epidermis the bodily fluids have a high salinity count
which makes it a great electrolyte. So two finishing nails used as
electrodes to break the skin should dispatch your victim quickly.

Boyd

On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 6:50 AM, Steve Hawkins <shawkins777 at comcast.net>wrote:

> It's not voltage that kills you, it's current.
>
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com]
> On
> Behalf Of michael at michaelshortt.com
> Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 10:02 PM
> To: Mike Thomas
> Cc: List Pantera
> Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Disconnecting the Battery - + or - first?
>
>
> I stand by the boosting/ jumping protocol, I was wrong on the
> connect/disconnect method.
>
> Michael
>
> It's Negative First and Negative Last ( think of it as a fight with your
> wife )
>
> Here's the scoop.
>
>
> When disconnecting the battery before commencing work on the car, you
> should
> disconnect the negative, black lead first, here's why:
>
> The battery has approximately a 12v "potential difference" between its
> positive and negative lead and, due to the construction of the battery, it
> is able to deliver extremely high currents (around 300A to start the car
> for
> example). By contrast an AA torch battery will deliver only a few hundred
> milliamps (thousandths of an amp). Your car battery is capable of
> delivering
> around 2.7KW (KILOWATTS!)for a short time so the potential for excitement
> and heat are large. Treat your battery with respect! It can't electrocute
> you in the acknowledged sense as the volts are too low, but it can and will
> produce enormous heat if connected in a way which shorts the two terminals
> together.
>
> All circuits need a complete loop of wire from one terminal of the battery
> through the circuit itself (eg: the headlights say) and back to the other
> battery terminal. So basically two wires are needed for each circuit - a
> "flow" wire and a "return" wire.
>
> In order to save on lots of unnecessary wiring, all cars with metal bodies
> use the chassis of the car as one of the wires. This is called "grounding"
> or "earthing" in car electrical parlance and thus saves 50% of the wiring
> (and associated expense) that would otherwise be needed. (Thus fully
> fibre-glass cars need lots more wire). It doesn't actually matter which
> terminal, either positive or negative, is grounded to the chassis. Both
> will
> work equally as well. However, in order to have standardisation in the
> motor
> industry worldwide in terms of how components and equipment are
> constructed,
> virtually all vehicles today use a negative earth. So don't go swopping
> yours over!
>
> Now to the crux..... you will only get a big bang if you connect the two
> terminals together. So if you leave the negative lead connected and, whilst
> disconnecting the red positive lead, your spanner happens to touch the
> chassis while its other end is around the bolt on the positive, you will
> have connected the two terminals together through your spanner and it will
> become a permanent part of your chassis as 300 amps flow through it and
> weld
> it to the car! You will also probably let go of it very smartly as its
> temperature reaches that of the Sun!!
>
> Conversely, if you disconnect the negative lead first, thus also
> disconnecting the chassis from having anything to do with the battery, then
> your spanner can be round the positive and touch the chassis with no ill
> effects. I would suggest that, once you have disconnected the battery
> negative, you close the protective cap on it so that nothing metal can
> accidentally fall across the two terminals. There is no need to disconnect
> the positive terminal of the battery unless of course you are taking the
> battery out for some reason. If you do undo both, always remember, UNDO THE
> NEGATIVE FIRST AND RECONNECT THE NEGATIVE LAST. When you have undone the
> negative lead, tuck it safely out of the way so that it can't suddenly
> spring back and touch the negative of the battery again before the work is
> finished. And do undo the negative everytime you work on the electrics. A
> minute's extra work is better than a fire.
>
> On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 10:13 PM, michael at michaelshortt.com <
> michaelsavga at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > When jumping, remember RUBBER
> >
> > Connect RED
> > Connect Black
> > Disconnect Black
> > Disconnect RED
> >
> > So, if simply disconnecting, Red First, Black Second
> > IF reinstalling, Black First, Red Second
> >
> > Michael Shortt
> >
> >   On Wed, Oct 6, 2010 at 9:52 PM, Mike Thomas
> > <mbefthomas at comcast.net>wrote:
> >
> >> When disconnecting the battery, does it matter which terminal is done
> >> first? Seems there was a string about this a while back, and I'm
> >> updating some procedures, most of which start with this step.
> >>
> >> Thanks
> >> Mike Thomas
> >>
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> >
> >
> >
> > --
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Michael L. Shortt
> > Savannah, Georgia
> > www.michaelshortt.com
> > michael at michaelshortt.com
> > 912-232-9390
> >
> >
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>
>
> --
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Michael L. Shortt
> Savannah, Georgia
> www.michaelshortt.com
> michael at michaelshortt.com
> 912-232-9390
>
>
> This email is protected by the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18
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