Lad's curse stroketh me!

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Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 9:13 pm

Let's start with the beginning:
Monday, day off from job, sunny morning. Then about midday the sky got cloudy. By 1 PM it was raining cats and dogs. By 13:45 (EET, GMT+2) the heavy rain transformed into hail.
And Then The Lord Smote The Unbeliever (Me Shocked

) with several lightning bolts that missed their intended target but fell in the neighbourhood (0,5-1 Km).
And then a spike in the electricity network.
And my computer was dead. Display worked. Speakers worked. Computer NO. Since it's case is always open, I touched it and I got a shock. Got my trusty multimeter and measured 120 V into the case and CPU radiator. No wonder I got shocked. I'm glad I didn't get the full 220 V.
Then grief and despair and anxiety until I got to the friendly computer store and back with a new power supply. Rolling Eyes

Oh joy! Only my power supply was busted. And I feared for the worse... (like my HDD was fried Crying or Very sad

)
So I guess I'll vent me anger on some s3n3gal lads that infected some dating sites from my country.

** Retired ** Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 750 Location: Air

Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:07 pm

Good to see you survived!

When I was about 10, somewhere very close to where I was at the time got hit by lighting. There was a flash of light and then... the weirdest, strangest, most frightening force you could ever imagine took hold of us (I was with a friend at the time) and basically it was like some sort of mini convulsion. I was conscious but it was like I was just a mind in a body that was being thrown (or throwing itself) around the room. Horrifying, especially being so young when it happened.
When he got control of his own motor-system back, my friend was out of the door of my house before I had time to even realize what might have happened! It was very very frightening, and I still don't know what happened... was it lightning that struck the house? Or further away? Did we get the full force of the strike or was that just a peripheral effect? Or... ? I don't know, but it was an experience and a half!

Posted: Mon May 05, 2008 10:24 pm

@ Otterfan
Laughing

In my native language (Romanian) there is a saying: "Have you ever seen a dead devil/demon?" Very Happy

I have shocked myself several times on 220 V (never intended, just accidents). It's not as bad as people imagine.
And about thunderstrikes... There was a night... scary... 15-18 years ago...
The lightnings fell at 100 meters. The thunders shocked the apartment complex. There was the flash and the boom. Simultaneously.

But to come back at me original, twas a lad's voodoo! It damaged my finances! Laughing

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 4:12 am

This is why people say to unplug things during t-storms.

Also, battery backups might help (might not, but hey, if lightning wants to kill your comp, it will kill your comp).

Backups are nice because the power can cut out without killing whatever you're working on, plus it's one more layer between the outside worlds voltage and your expensive toys.

Computer: $2000 worth of components.
Moderate battery backup: $100-200.

IMO, that's worth it.

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 8:20 am

A few years ago I left my computer on and went out. A lighning strike took the roof of a house not far away and also took out my computer. Luckily, the computer was still within it's twelve month initial guarantee. I took it back, didn't tell them what exactly had happened (Act of God and all that) and got an exchange.

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 9:57 am

Kabuto Sama wrote:

I'm glad I didn't get the full 220 V.

Wow!

I perform close to 20 hi-pot tests on high-volume telecommunications equipment, per night. I don't know what's being run through the boards, and I don't want to find out the hard way.

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 11:54 am

In my 13 years of using PC compatibles this is the second PS that dies on me. First time (5 years ago) I had an older PC (It was obsolete by that time).
Had a streak of bad luck then, first a graphic card fried (ATI Mach64, 2 Mb), then my General MIDI soundcard (Yamaha SW-20PC), then a FDD and then the Pentium 1 motherboard. And then, when I was playing old DOS games on the 486 I build with some spare components I had (In the same case and same PS, mind you), the PS went out; in noise and smoke.
That's why I suspect all those failures were because of the PS.
The 486 survived, still have the MB around.

Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 12:38 pm

otterfan -
Just before lightening discharges depending on how close the leaders are there can be an effect caused by the air ionizing, you can hear it and feel it. Then bang the discharge. It's very surreal. I have even experienced the effect on a really dry day when the kids are playing on the trampoline and creating 2inch or 50mm sparks to the frame. Great thing there is the kids think it's great fun and have a blast zapping you if you come to close.

I have also had to repair major damage to electronic equipment done by lightening . One of my old haunts I would take a complete fire alarm system from a military base to my workshop, replace 2-300 transistors test the entire system and reinstall 3 or 4 days later, only to see the storm building in my rear view mirror on my way home. I would turn my pager off and go home.

So yes if there is lightening about unplug everything from the power and phone lines you don't want destroyed. The chances are low however it will pay to be sure.