Heat Tape + Foil Tape = Dangerous Inductance

[PitOnTheProwl]

I would love to try this BUT I have a feeling that the sacrificial strip on the front has something to do with me not having any problems.

[MonkeyShuttle]

I dont mean to offend you but ive been doing electrical work on sh-60 helicopters for 8 years now and will say confidently that you are doing something wrong

[OhhWatALoser]

6 foot piece of heat tape, I couldn't get a reading over 40 volts, still nothing to set a wiggy off, and I couldn't create a scenario to actually shock myself. The readings on the digital meter are interesting, but I still can't seem to find any actual danger.

[OhhWatALoser]

So I talked to my dad today, got an answer that explains all of it. So basically adding the foil makes a crappy capacitor (2 conductors separated by a insulator) and it holds a tiny charge. When you go to read it with the digital meter, it has a resistance in the megaohms, thus not discharging much at all and reading the voltage. With a mechanical meter or body part the resistance is very small and discharges it instantly, thus no reading on the meter. When you got hit, you must of had a condition where it stored enough to give you a shock. I wasn't able to recreate that condition but I have no doubt it is possible. My smaller pieces had less of a charge because there is less to hold it. I had way less of a charge when the piece weren't sitting over the bus, thus having air also act as an insulator.

So knowing all of that, the op did nothing wrong, just accidentally made a bigger capacitor than the rest of us.

I would suggest if you must use conductive tape, use small pieces or try not to place it directly over the bus bar, it won't make as good of a capacitor.

[MonkeyShuttle]

When you start reading into mega ohms your pretty much looking at an open. I see what your trying to say but he probably has a nick or small tear in the heat tapes insulation

[OsirisRa32]

So I talked to my dad today, got an answer that explains all of it. So basically adding the foil makes a crappy capacitor (2 conductors separated by a insulator) and it holds a tiny charge. When you go to read it with the digital meter, it has a resistance in the megaohms, thus not discharging much at all and reading the voltage. With a mechanical meter or body part the resistance is very small and discharges it instantly, thus no reading on the meter. When you got hit, you must of had a condition where it stored enough to give you a shock. I wasn't able to recreate that condition but I have no doubt it is possible. My smaller pieces had less of a charge because there is less to hold it. I had way less of a charge when the piece weren't sitting over the bus, thus having air also act as an insulator.

So knowing all of that, the op did nothing wrong, just accidentally made a bigger capacitor than the rest of us.

I would suggest if you must use conductive tape, use small pieces or try not to place it directly over the bus bar, it won't make as good of a capacitor.

What is the bus bar?

[PitOnTheProwl]

What is the bus bar?

The copper bars that run down the sides.