KA BAND OUTDOOR TWT AMPLIFIER
S-2
NOTE: THE GUIDELINES PRESENTED IN THIS DOCUMENT
ARE NOT ACADEMIC. THEY ARE BASED ON THE
EXPERIENCE OF ENGINEERS AND TECHNICIANS WHO
HAVE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE WITH HIGH VOLTAGE
CIRCUITS.
S.2.2
When is Voltage "High"?
As stated earlier, any voltage that will kill you should be treated as high voltage. Voltages
associated with prime power generally do not jump the air gap between people and the
equipment. Usually exposed circuit elements such as a terminal, bare piece of wire, or some non-
insulated surface must be touched.
One of the problems associated with prime power is that some equipment can be "floating" above
ground. In this case, if you place one hand on the equipment chassis and the other on earth
ground, you can be jolted, injured, or killed. 480V
AC
can stimulate an involuntary muscle response
that can literally throw you across a room or seize and hold you across the voltage terminals. 600
or more volts can hold you indefinitely. If the potential is sufficient to drive 200 milliamps through
your body you will be held indefinitely. Some people consider the 200 to 600 volt range to be
worse than potentials of thousands of volts.
S.2.3
General High Voltage Guidelines
In addition to the above, the following practices have proven effective for personnel who deal
with high voltage equipment.
a)
Hands off.
Avoid contact with any potential source of high voltage. Keep hands out of
the equipment when it is operating.
b)
Avoid accidental contact.
Make sure that some other part of your body does not come
in contact with the high voltage circuits. It is easy to forget the hazards when you are
concentrating on a frustrating or interesting task. Pens and badges in shirt pockets
could contact the equipment.
c)
Never work on high voltage circuits when you are alone.
If anything should happen
to you, your only chance may be prompt action by some other person. Be sure someone
else is present and knows what to do in any emergency (e.g., how to shut equipment
off, first aid, who to call, etc.)
d)
Use one hand when working with high voltage circuits.
Many people recommend
that you put one hand in your pocket when you use a probe or other piece of
equipment inside a high voltage section.
e)
Do not float measuring equipment above ground.
Make all measurements with
respect to ground. If you float an instrument, do not reach inside the equipment.
Although it is more difficult to get the right setup, it is well worth the effort.
INSTALLATION AND OPERATION MANUAL
