Quote from: Joe on August 24, 2009, 05:16:42 PM
(Updated 11/02/09)
-It's always a good idea to use a hold-down footswitch when probing around a live chassis. This way your foot will release the electricity in case of a shock. Harbor freight sells these switches for like $10. (Two kinds are available, make sure it's the hold-down kind not the on-off kind.)
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Please add to the list...
Sure: when live probing, instead of, or in addition to such a foot switch, plug it into a GFCI outlet.
The foot switch is basically a part of a "human GFCI": your nerves are the current detector, and your reaction is the interruptor.
If I had to bet, my money would be on the speed and sensitivity of the GFCI.
Of course, with the foot switch you can react to any type of problem. E.g. some component suddenly getting too hot (without tripping the main fuse, since perhaps there is no global overcurrent situation).