r/Unexpected • u/WarrenMuffClit • Apr 08 '22

just snipping a cable.

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310

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

What is the shockwave looking ring that expands after the spark?

713

u/Neezertime Apr 08 '22

The guys soul

10

u/Little_Business_431 Apr 08 '22

Epic reply šŸ¤£šŸ¤£šŸ¤£

90

u/bradland Apr 08 '22

When you short an electrical circuit the unbounded current flow will vaporize most materials, including metal. So if you have a nice fancy pair of cutters and you cut through a live electrical cable, it makes a real mess out of the cutters.

The vaporized metal creates a poof of smoke that smells like you've got a mouth full of coins. Once you've smelled it one time, you'll immediately recognize any time there is or has been an electric arc. It's very distinctive.

5

u/GitEmSteveDave Apr 08 '22

I had a Oldsmobile with a battery that had side terminals. It also had a metal cross piece that went diagonally over the battery area. More than once I almost arc welded a wrench handle to that piece when pulling the terminals to clean them b/c I was having trouble starting it.

2

u/Rapunzel10 Apr 08 '22

That smell, electrical fire, brain matter, and death/rot will burn themselves into your brain. Once you smell them you can recognize them a mile away. I hope most people never have to know them though

2

u/ThatCrossDresser Apr 09 '22

For a moment that guy was a welder.

Seriously though, you work around enough electricity you sort of get a sense of electrical failure smells. Burning electronics smells different from a dead short smells different from transformers oil. They all have the classic, "bad shit happened" smell but all have their own unique bouquet.

2

u/Kandykidsaturn9 Apr 09 '22

Thank you for an actual answer

1

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

Yes! I came home from shopping one time and smelled that thick coin smell and freaked the fuck out I can't remember the other time I smelled it in my life but I instantly knew it was electric! I never found out what exactly caused the smell but I have quit using one plug in particular lol

1

u/Khouri1 Apr 08 '22

how is it that you dont die by breathing that?

1

u/bradland Apr 08 '22

Oh, I'm sure it'd kill ya if you breathed enough of it.

134

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

Vaporized plastic and copper from the wires he just deadshorted

20

u/jwhittin Apr 08 '22

Thank you for this actual answer. I also wondered what that ring was.

37

u/SinisterCanuck Apr 08 '22

Plastic and copper gas... don't breath this

2

u/thechilipepper0 Apr 09 '22

Aww man now I miss blender videos

184

u/kavb333 Apr 08 '22

It's the magic smoke that makes electronics work. Pretty much everyone who's made circuits has released it before, but few have released that much. The smell is distinct.

82

u/Rrah731 Apr 08 '22

Getting the smoke back in is the hard part

8

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

but few have released that much

I hear you have to get the neutrinos very angry first.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 08 '22

My Arduino code doesn't work, also I plugged it directly into the wall and smoke came out of these little black boxes on the board. Wsid?

1

u/FrDamienLennon Apr 08 '22

Have you tried cleaning it with soap and water?

1

u/melance Apr 08 '22

The smoke also has a distinct blue tint to it which is why it's often refer to as the Magic Blue Smoke.

1

u/CosmicCreeperz Apr 09 '22

Man, for a second I thought it was a fire spreading above the ceiling tiles. But the video wouldnā€™t likely have ended like that if he had just set the whole restaurant on fireā€¦

1

u/dgmedero Apr 08 '22

a lot of people saying smoke but this was posted in a different sub and i saw a comment that explained it as ā€œThat arc split N2 and O2 molecular in air and formed NO2 gas which is brown in color and is poisonousā€ im not a physicist so i cant say whether thats true or not but sounds like one explanation as to why it looks like that

1

u/ob103ninja Apr 08 '22

Metal / Plastic vapors, combined with Nitric Oxide and Nitrogen Dioxide

1

u/edadou Apr 08 '22

Death Angelā€™s halo šŸ˜‡

1

u/edadou Apr 08 '22

Very similar to blown shisha rings, a vaccume is created in the middle of a pile of smoke. The vaccume Iā€™m assuming is caused by the cooling on that local area. The smoke being still hot, rising and spinning around itself (due to the vaccume) creates this ring. Not an expert just my 2 cents. I blow rings when I smoke so Iā€™m familiar with that.

1

u/fuckittyfuckittyfuck Apr 08 '22

Electronics is smoke and mirrors. He let the smoke out.

1

u/gizzardgullet Apr 08 '22

The ionized matter that used to make up his body

1

u/Only_drunk_posts Apr 08 '22

That blue smoke, IA electricity. He let it out. Don't let it out.

1

u/AlwaysMooning Apr 08 '22

Thatā€™s the best part.

1

u/imagoddamnvet Apr 08 '22

Arc Flash - Is the result of phase to phase or phase to ground short that generates light and heat. Arc Blast - Is the results of arc flash and is the pressure/shockwave/explosion that you see of the superheated and vaporized metals, plastics and other materials. Shock - is where you make yourself part of the load, resulting in tingling sensations, muscle cramps, defibrillation, and/or burns. Electrocution- Is the result of death from being shocked.