wooden chopstick vs plastic pencil

[Leo_Gnardo]

This isn't about shocking yer weenie, but it is why I don't yuse pencils to poke around in amps...

Leo, you asked for it...

https://youtu.be/5YBwDNfOaxU

Jusrin

Thanks for that Jusrin - I figured he would have some video on that sort of thing.

Instead of making hand-held carbon arc lamps, I found out another hard way. Which I'm sure I mentioned some years ago. Let's review:

Late 70's I worked for Fairchild Semiconductor, and became the "house expert" on ion implanters. Part of the machines at that time was a set of electrostatic plates, used to "steer" the ion beam in such a way to "paint" the surface of each silicon wafer target. There was an amp of a sort, that used half a dozen big vacuum tubes, each with a top cap & hi voltage wire leading to it, with a 6000V power supply. Probably would make a suitable amp to drive electrostatic speaker panels. Anyway, we had connection problems constantly with the tube sockets & top cap electrodes. The "solution" was to poke at them with whatever was at hand, usually a screwdriver with a 10,000V rated handle. One fine day I poked with a pencil, and landed on the floor about 25 feet away. "Don't do that again!" I thought to myself, a pencil makes for a dangerous probe, there's a rod of conductive carbon running down the center. Use a swizzle stick, chopstick, or some other definitely non conductive item. Yes the above is true, signed Leo "Lucky To Be Alive" Gnardo.

[Justin Thomas]

I don't remember hearing that one before... And I'm gonna start listing "Ion Implanter" as my "Occupation" on official gubmint forms.

@ Chuck & Leo (& anyone else), I like the guy cuz he's more than just a dumbass as would be indicated by the compilations alone. It's also good to have international perspectives from folks who are not necessarily "politicized" or political, but that come from a different frame of reference. It's one reason I like having guys like Stan, Juan, bsco, G1, and a host of others whose names escape me right now. I make a point to keep some "international" YouTube channels on my subscribe list too. And I think an Iranian-Canadican who's the same age as me is okay...

Justin

[Jazz P Bass]

This isn't about shocking yer weenie, but it is why I don't yuse pencils to poke around in amps...

Leo, you asked for it...

https://youtu.be/5YBwDNfOaxU

Jusrin

There goes my coffee!

Got a real kick out of his gloves catching on fire (@ 3:06)

[R.G.]

The cheaper Asian restaurants often have paper-wrapped pairs of chopsticks simply sitting in containers on tables or at the cutlery pickup. The two sticks are still joined at one end and you snap the two apart to use. These also often come with takeout. I always squirrel these away when they're not used. They make GREAT wooden probes.

Other probes: go to your local home improvement store and get a 2-3 foot stick of wooden dowel in the smallest size they have. Cut into 10-12" lengths and whittle or sharpen to whatever point you like. In grocery stores packages of skewers for kebobs come in packages of ten to a hundred, although some of these are a bit thin.

[Chuck H]

As far as a plastic probe option... I've never done this, but what would be wrong with a plain 'ol Bic ink pen (cap on of course). Most of us surely have one at our benches (though maybe not the cap ).

[shortcircuit]

As far as a plastic probe option... I've never done this, but what would be wrong with a plain 'ol Bic ink pen (cap on of course). Most of us surely have one at our benches (though maybe not the cap ).

I've used sharpies as probes , made my signal tracer out of an empty sharpie.

[g1]

As far as a plastic probe option... I've never done this, but what would be wrong with a plain 'ol Bic ink pen (cap on of course). Most of us surely have one at our benches (though maybe not the cap ).

The kind with the long ink tube attached directly to the tip, I just pull the tip & ink tube out, remove the cap, and use.

[Chuck H]

The kind with the long ink tube attached directly to the tip, I just pull the tip & ink tube out, remove the cap, and use.

When I was a boy we use to tie a knot in the end of two feet of surgical tubing, roll the other end over the back of the pen blank and fill the whole thing with water by jamming the pointy end into one of those adjustable stream garden hose heads. Free water weenie for neighborhood water fights. We had the edge over the guys up the street for a couple of days until they could gather the right supplies

I can't remember what I'm using for a probe right now because I haven't been at my bench for several months. Lemme go see...

It's a skinny bamboo rod with the end tapered about like a pencil, but longer. I think it use to be a kitchen implement of some kind.

[Helmholtz]

The handle of an old toothbrush works fine. Taper as (if) required.
No need to use a chop stick for "chopsticking".

Or use a stripe of (uncladded) FR4.

[Leo_Gnardo]

It's a skinny bamboo rod with the end tapered about like a pencil, but longer. I think it use to be a kitchen implement of some kind.

Sounds like you're describing a shish-kebab skewer. I expect that would be as useful as a chop stick. As mentioned, without having been subject to salty liquids that could make it conductive.

[Chuck H]

Sounds like you're describing a shish-kebab skewer. I expect that would be as useful as a chop stick. As mentioned, without having been subject to salty liquids that could make it conductive.

This is just as fat as a pencil. My kebab skewers are much thinner. This stick was probably used to flip and turn ravioli or something. I think I remember it hanging from a peg years ago when it was longer and had a lanyard on the back end. I don't think bamboo is near as absorbent as most woods. So maybe it didn't get salty.

[shortcircuit]

$4 for 24 at wm, inscription might possibly say " use caution when using as electronics probe " kidding aside they are a good quality stick.

[Leo_Gnardo]

This is just as fat as a pencil. My kebab skewers are much thinner. This stick was probably used to flip and turn ravioli or something. I think I remember it hanging from a peg years ago when it was longer and had a lanyard on the back end. I don't think bamboo is near as absorbent as most woods. So maybe it didn't get salty.

OK, for ravioli-kebab then. A manly man's repast, no skinny sticks.

[Chuck H]

OK, for ravioli-kebab then. A manly man's repast, no skinny sticks.

No skinny sticks in my house

[loudthud]

What do they use to probe circuits in China ? A spork ?