Sportique
Established Member
Talking of screw-ups
In the days when this was possible I made a strobe lamp for checking spark timing on my car - some of you will remember - blob of white paint on the pulley where the timing mark is and a blob on the block where the other mark is. Then connect a lamp from No.1 HT to earth. With the engine running the white blobs are illuminated by the strobe - and you can check auto advance retard etc etc. I used a mains neon lamp fitted into a heavily insulated old torch (I don't like HT shocks!).
So (at 18 years old) I thought - aha test the setup on the mains. :idea: So, holding one croc clip in each hand I stuck them into a mains socket (the old round type with no safety cover!!),
there was a loud BANG and I found myself on the other side of the room.
Was I lucky
Dave
In the days when this was possible I made a strobe lamp for checking spark timing on my car - some of you will remember - blob of white paint on the pulley where the timing mark is and a blob on the block where the other mark is. Then connect a lamp from No.1 HT to earth. With the engine running the white blobs are illuminated by the strobe - and you can check auto advance retard etc etc. I used a mains neon lamp fitted into a heavily insulated old torch (I don't like HT shocks!).
So (at 18 years old) I thought - aha test the setup on the mains. :idea: So, holding one croc clip in each hand I stuck them into a mains socket (the old round type with no safety cover!!),
there was a loud BANG and I found myself on the other side of the room. Was I lucky
Dave
