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open a "band aid" in the dark if you want to see static discharge

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And CoffeeMate-brand creamer will explode if you throw some in the air and light it!

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Airborne dust explosions have resulted in many deaths:

http://members.aol.com/powderfax/page003.htm

http://www.dir.ca.gov/title8/5174.html
 

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Posted by John Anastasio (Member # 607) on 07-25-2003, 07:20 PM:
 
Uh oh...I'd better vacuum under the bed.
 

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Posted by Tim Reed (Member # 137) on 07-25-2003, 07:39 PM:
 

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Airborne dust explosions have resulted in many deaths:

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And CoffeeMate-brand creamer will explode if you throw some in the air and light it!

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Very high humidity can indeed make the film physically "sticky", and actually may generate static

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John, how about static being generated in very dry rooms? Because the layers become harder and there is more friction?
 

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Posted by Mat Fleming (Member # 1685) on 07-26-2003, 08:22 AM:
 
At last a thread my science knowledge is up to.

Try these -
Whacking a sugar cube with a hammer in the dark makes a pretty cool blue flash.
Wiring a pickled gerkins into mains electricity makes it glow.
- but don't sue me if you get electrocuted please.

 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-26-2003, 09:10 AM:
 
Very dry conditions lower the conductivity of the gelatin emulsion, since there is less moisture in it.
 

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Posted by Bruce Hansen (Member # 281) on 07-26-2003, 12:05 PM:
 
90-95 degree temps. ar not good for electornic equipment either. You could be shortening the life of your sound equipment.

Try this: sometimes a surge or a quick power outage will cause the compressor to draw a lot of current, and trip the braker. Look for a triped braker. It will be halfway inbetween on and off. You must turn it off first, then turn it back on. My guess is that it will be a two or three gang braker. Often, there are also fuses in a box somewhere near the compressor unit, check those as well, but make sure the power is off to the compressor unit first!

If all else fails, tell your cheep-idiot boss he is about to have some very expensive equipment repair bills, in addition to fixing the A/C.
 

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Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 07-27-2003, 10:24 AM:
 
In our recording studio and in the network equipment room we keep A/C running 24/7 and bring the temp down to 65 degrees. It's even pretty cold for some human beings, but we don't give a rats butt about how comfortable they are, as long as the equipment is happy. We've even taken to putting up a sign saying, "STOP WHINING AND PUT ON A SWEATER."

Talk about high humidity, the "booth" in the park has no heat or humidity control at all except a fan that does nothing but move the dripping, moist hot air thru it. For the past number of weeks in NY, it has been raining day in and day out. So far, we haven't had any prints sticking so badly that it threatened to become really problematic, but for some reason the estar base print ran much more noisely than the acetate.

Frank
 

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Posted by John T. Moon II (Member # 1694) on 07-27-2003, 12:55 PM:
 
It seems here in Las Vegas were it's dry most the time, being in the desert and all,we have had very humid conditions for the last week. During that time the booth has been "Sticky". I have noticed all 14 of my projectors have been wanting to double strike the lamps occasionally or even strike 4 to 6 times in a few cases. It's only when the humidity gets this high. This happens 1 or 2 times a year. What's up?
 

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Posted by Adam Martin (Member # 641) on 07-28-2003, 07:01 PM:
 
I have also seen temperature and humidity affect the performance of xenon lamps, such as the number of strikes it takes to light the lamp. I can understand temperature, but how does relative humidity affect a sealed environment (the lamp) in such a manner?
 

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Posted by John T. Moon II (Member # 1694) on 07-28-2003, 08:40 PM:
 
Perhaps it's not the lamp but the ignitor electronics itself that are affected by the moisture.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-28-2003, 10:11 PM:
 
I suspect the moisture is affecting the spark gap. Automobile ignition systems also tend to act more up on really damp or rainy days. It doesn't take much moisture to hijack high voltage, especially if the insulation is questionable.
 

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Posted by Dean Kollet (Member # 1789) on 07-29-2003, 12:09 AM:
 
I'm all about the dehumidifiers....we have them everywhere (FL here, so out humidity is crazy) and it seems to help a lot. We have to empty them daily though. The humidity seems to effect the number of times the lamp is struck to light....I'm an writing major so I don't remember much about Chemistry to try and figure out how it effects it, only thing I can guess it that the moisture doesn't allow a solid spark...

The dampness has huge effects on my car's ignition system, but some sealant fixed that, but putting that inside a projector would probably not work too well.
 

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Posted by John Pytlak (Member # 331) on 07-29-2003, 06:07 AM:
 

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I'm an writing major so I don't remember much about Chemistry to try and figure out how it effects it, only thing I can guess it that the moisture doesn't allow a solid spark...

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