first attempt...failed!

by **ultrafast** » 21 Jul 2005 20:21

SFGOON wrote:So what exactly are you studying anyway? I got my Bachelor's in nuclear security and my profs would have crapped thier pants if I had had a set near the reactor....

I'm a physics grad & my research is in ultrashort lasers (to keep it general). Actually, picking came in handy today. One of the circuit breakers blew & the breaker box was locked. And no one has any idea why or where the key is. It was a fairly simple lock (2 or 3 pin, I'm not too familiar with the brands/types yet. But it was pretty easy. I actually put that lock back in the chemistry room, although I left it unistalled since everyone is happy that the door doesn't accidentally lock anymore.

Oh and Chrispy, I was thinking about all the things that I used to assume were secure & now I know better. I'm looking at a cheap 3 pin lock on a half a million dollar laser system & giggle to myself.

Oh, and CHASTITY belt? Now you tell me. I always wondered what that clicking sound was when I was fiddling around down there..... :shock:

(sorry for the pg-13 comment)

by **Chrispy** » 21 Jul 2005 20:29

ultrafast wrote:Oh and Chrispy, I was thinking about all the things that I used to assume were secure & now I know better. I'm looking at a cheap 3 pin lock on a half a million dollar laser system & giggle to myself.

That was cracksman.

cracksman wrote:Just think of all the things you have had locked or may need to lock in the future. Then think that someone has been accessing that without detection, ...

by **Buggs41** » 21 Jul 2005 21:11

I'm a physics grad & my research is in ultrashort lasers (to keep it general). Actually, picking came in handy today. One of the circuit breakers blew & the breaker box was locked. And no one has any idea why or where the key is. It was a fairly simple lock (2 or 3 pin, I'm not too familiar with the brands/types yet. But it was pretty easy. I actually put that lock back in the chemistry room, although I left it installed since everyone is happy that the door doesn't accidentally lock anymore.

Did it ever occur to you that someone might have been working on that circuit? You might have killed an electrician that was working on that branch circuit. That lock is there for the safety of personnel trained to do service, and maintenance on the equipment. It is NOT your lock to play with.

Place that lock back in service! Too many good electricians have left their family's because of stupid decisions by others.

by **cracksman** » 21 Jul 2005 21:58

to clarify, ultrafast did not remove the lock from the fuse box, but from a door that people intended to keep unlocked.

On the other hand this equipment doesn't sound like 110 that you can cut with your teeth. In both instances, Ultrafast has seemed to have nothing but the best intentions, however, I keep falling back to the subject I wanted to avoid. Do not pick a lock that you do not own, or have been express permission from the legal owner, or institution, not the head of the lab, they don't own the lock.

Buggs has a very serious point, I've tripped 110 by cutting the wire instead of going to the basement, I would not want to be holding it if somebody set the breaker again. I actually pull 220 off the board

I'm a wimp.

Early on I said I wasn't going to talk about the ethics, but it always comes back.

p.s. Ultra don't take this personaly, it isn't, but you can quickly see what issues the simplest situations bring up. If your going to get into the hobby check out LSI or TOOOL's rules/ethics on the sport. ...err and if your dealing with lasers, stay away from the fuse box :wink:

don't let us discourage you from posting either, these are important issues that need to be brought up, Cheers

by **Chrispy** » 21 Jul 2005 22:00

Was it a lockout lock? Yeah... they shouldn't be removed.

I've picked one that wasn't on anything, but if it's locking an electrical item/board/area.... it should be left alone.

If it was a fuse box that was locked (ie. wafer lock, etc.) and a fuse had blown, then you opening the box to change the fuse was a good effort

Although I'm sure someone would have had the key....

by **ultrafast** » 21 Jul 2005 23:36

SFGOON wrote:So what exactly are you studying anyway? I got my Bachelor's in nuclear security and my profs would have crapped thier pants if I had had a set near the reactor....

I'm a physics grad & my research is in ultrashort lasers (to keep it general). Actually, picking came in handy today. One of the circuit breakers blew & the breaker box was locked. And no one has any idea why or where the key is. It was a fairly simple lock (2 or 3 pin, I'm not too familiar with the brands/types yet. But it was pretty easy. I actually put that lock back in the chemistry room, although I left it unistalled since everyone is happy that the door doesn't accidentally lock anymore.

Oh and Chrispy, I was thinking about all the things that I used to assume were secure & now I know better. I'm looking at a cheap 3 pin lock on a half a million dollar laser system & giggle to myself.

Oh, and CHASTITY belt? Now you tell me. I always wondered what that clicking sound was when I was fiddling around down there..... :shock:

(sorry for the pg-13 comment)

by **ultrafast** » 22 Jul 2005 0:36

Sorry for the repost above (my thumb was too twitchy near the fwd/back buttons on my mouse).

So now it looks like we're not dealing with an issue of ethics, but an issue of ignorance. Now let me clarify beforehand that in no way am I trying to come-off as boastful, snooty, or arrogant. That being said, at this point I am still open to ethical debates about what I do. Ignorance, however, is not a problem. I've taken a number of electronics courses by now and completely understand what I'm dealing with.

Now, I would assume that the circuit breakers in our lab pertain only to our outlets. It could be possible that they could have "branched" off of our lines, but very unlikely. And in the event that they would, they would have their own circuit breakers. In fact, the issue at hand is that I figured it threw a circuit breaker (i.e. the laser was drawing too much current). If indeed that was the case, then I'd open up the breaker box, flip the switch & no harm, no foul. However, if it was as Buggs hypothesized, a "trained" electrician, then he would have turned off the power from that line. Thus, it wouldn't have thrown the circuit breaker. So I would have seen that & realized what had happened. Not to mention, when he would have turned off the power, there's nothing I could have done about it anyway. If he's in front of me in the circuit, I couldn't restore power, if he's in back of me then I can't get current to him anyway.

The real unfornuate fact of the matter is that I probably understand what's going on in these electrical lines better than these alleged trained professionals. For most of the big dogs in our lab (the argon lasers/pumps) we deal with three phase power supplies & circuit breakers, 208V I think. But as physicists will often say, it ain't the voltage that kills you, it's the current. I've grounded kV lines before on accident, no real harm. But you ground out that 208V we've got, good night. Problem is, those puppies can put out about 50A of current. At that point your nutz are glowing red hot! And with that much current, all you need to do is contact two of the lines & that'll burn ya too!

In the end, I guess it was my fault for not clarifying that the breaker belonged to our lab & I, in fact, knew what I was doing. But at this point, it might be acceptable to give me the benefit of the doubt. I mean, if I can eliminate the third order dispersion on a spatialially chirped laser beam, I can freakin' handle the effects of a circuit breaker!!!!

The real reason why I have been posting these "extra special insights into my life," is that I was hoping to share the enjoyment & extra spice I was getting from learning about picking. I would certainly still consider myself a kid a heart, in that I LOVE to play with stuff. And I think I've finally gotten to the point in my life where I've got the understanding that makes me elligible to play with anything I want. Ethical? Well, that's debateable. Ignorant? Definately NOT!

Sorry for the super rong lant.....LOL, it's getting late, but long rant is what I meant.

>>> Lee <<<<

by **Faxman** » 22 Jul 2005 2:11

WOW.

And I thought watching parlament going at it was something........ :lol:

by **Chrispy** » 22 Jul 2005 5:46

So ultra, is Darth happy with the Death Star so far...?

by **ultrafast** » 22 Jul 2005 14:41

Uhhh, well I guess I was a bit harsh last night. Sorry about that, I've been workin' close to 16 hours a day in the lab lately. I guess I was just a bit groggy & pretty much just being a prick. So again I apologize about that.

Hey Chrispy, I'm having trouble figuring out your star wars reference....

...emperor? give me a clue....

by **zeke79** » 22 Jul 2005 15:13

ultrafast wrote:Uhhh, well I guess I was a bit harsh last night. Sorry about that, I've been workin' close to 16 hours a day in the lab lately. I guess I was just a bit groggy & pretty much just being a prick. So again I apologize about that.

Hey Chrispy, I'm having trouble figuring out your star wars reference.... ...emperor? give me a clue....

No harm done ultrafast. We all get that way every once in a while :wink:

. Just keep picking and searching the site. We will be here to answer any questions you may have that cannot be answered by searching

.

by **ultrafast** » 22 Jul 2005 15:28

Thanks zeke. Well I forgot to mention that I got lucky last night when my roommate's dad came in town. Wait, that really sounds wrong. What I mean is he's a locksmith & saw me fumbling with a lock last night & he gave me some pointers. Plus, he brought all his stuff down with him, so today he's gonna kind of give me a quasi-tutorial using all of his equipment. He let me play with his pick gun today, but it takes more finesse than I thought. I thought the gun would be a gimme, but he's says they take practice too. So anyway, he'll be helpin' me out all weekend so that should be cool.

>>> Lee <<<<

by **zeke79** » 22 Jul 2005 15:35

That's always great. I too have a lockie friend that I get to hang out with and work on things frequently. I have learned alot of things about locksmithing that way. I am sure you are going to have a lot of fun!

by **cracksman** » 22 Jul 2005 19:26

nothing like a good discussion :wink:

Welcome to the club Ultra, sometimes it takes a bit to sort new personalities out. Your lucky to have someone to give you some pointers in person. Hope you stick with the hobby and participate in the forums, it is always nice to have intelligent articulate posts.

happy picking

by **Mad Mick** » 22 Jul 2005 20:36

ultrafast wrote:Thanks zeke. Well I forgot to mention that I got lucky last night when my roommate's dad came in town. Wait, that really sounds wrong.

Yup! You're right.

ultrafast wrote:...He let me play with his pick gun today...

That sounds even 'wronger'... :lol:

first attempt...failed!

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