FW: Schematic and technical info on MSD6A ignition

[Kurt Bilinski]

At 03:50 PM 5/9/97 -0400, you wrote:
>Hi all,
>       I've gotten zapped by motorcycle ignitions, 110V ac etc. but I
>believe that 12V dc is more dangerous due to the high currents 
>involved. The first thing I learnt in basic electricity is that 500mA
>of current can kill you and car circuits certainly draw lots!
>

Don't forget Ohm's law.

Current = Volts / resistance.  To get 10mA through your body (enough to
kill you) that means your body's resistance would have to be 12/0.01 = 1200
ohms.  This is not true.  Typical body resistance will be 10-100K ohms
depending on moisture.

The reality is you cannot get hurt from 12V.

This is the classic misunderstanding of using a "large" 12V battery vs. a
"small" 12V battery to run a lightbulb.  No, the large battery will not
burn it out.

Ohm's law has no "size" variable.


Kurt