How to invoke the classiccmp aspect of the list (was Re: Sparc

[Tony Duell]

> 
> On Friday 17 October 2008, Tony Duell wrote:
> > > > It requires arcane rites involving ritual sacrifice.  Make sure
> > > > you have an elder sigil.
> > >
> > > Try sacrificing a blue-blue-blue resistor by overdriving it until
> > > the magic smoke is let out.
> >
> > 66 Megohms? I think yoy're likely to exceed the voltaeg rating and
> > cause flashover long before it burns out by dissipating too much
> > power.
> 
> Really?  If my calculations are correct :), a 1/2 W resistor is would 
> only need to be just under 6000V to exceed the wattage rating, and I 

Yes, I'll agree with that.

> think would be physically large enough to avoid flash-over in dry air 
> (30V per mil works out to 0.2in of gap at 6000V).  A small neon sign 

The voltage rating of resistors is lower than you might expect. For most 
small wire-ended resistors it's only a few hundred volts. The main 
problem is intenral flashover between parts of the resisive element -- 
it's not a uniform block of resistive material, it's more likely to be 
helical in structure (possibly a resisive coating on an insulator with a 
helical path cut in the coating, thus leaving a helical resistive coating 
to form the actual resistor.

I suspect if you took a 66 Meg 0.5Wresistor and slowly increased the voltage 
across it, it would fail from an internal flashover long before the 
voltage was reached that should burn it out.

-tony