Something struck by lightning, got shocked wtf

[kansasskydiver 0]

Last night around 3am or so a pretty bad storm moved through the area. I was talking on my cell phone upstairs in my room (Atic converted into room) and had my phone plugged into the charger. The lightning and thunder and rain all picked up and then all of a sudden this big flash of light, thunder, scream, shock and fire alarms! I'm not sure if the house was hit or something nearby, but it freaking HURT!!!

I can't figure out though why it set off my smoke alarm in my room. The power in the house didn't go out though I'm starting to notice things already aren't working (sound card, firewire card, toaster) but why the fire alarm and why the heck did I get shocked? My guess is static electricty? Don't they say that cell phones can create a charge and ignite at gas stations?

Just freaking weird

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[pleifer 0]

That is messed up

Sorry about the toaster, guess it could not hold up to the electro shock therapy

_________________________________________
The Angel of Duh has spoke

[skycat 0]

The smoke detectors in my house are both battery operated and run on comercial power. Maybe yours are the same way.

Fly it like you stole it!

[Casie 0]

That's weird.......but look on the bright side, you're still here and with us today Did I ever tell ya about the one time, I mean two times, my mom was struck by lightning? Funny stories, I'll DD ya sometime

~Porn Kitty
WARNING: Goldschlager causes extreme emotional outbursts!

[bch7773 0]

I've had the same thing happen to me on a desktop computer. was shutting off during a storm when lightning struck very close, and the mouse shocked me... seemed to hurt much more than normal static shocks. also our fire alarm that hooked into the electrical system did its test mode 10 second alarm thing. it startled us very badly.

since your phone was plugged into the charger, you had a direct link with your houses electrical system. of course, since your charger usually converts the volage from 120v to something like 12v or 9v, thats probably what you got shocked with. it may hurt but it won't damage you at all. hell, i've been shocked by 100,000 volts before and i'm fine.
is your fire alarm use batteries, or does it run off the house current?

MB 3528, RB 1182

[Dougiefresh 0]

It's the amperage that'll get ya. I've seen a physics demo where a guy got something like 50000 volts while standing in a pan of water. Sparks were shooting out his fingers and hair, but he was fine cuz it was low amperage and at that voltage the electricity goes along your skin, not through your ticker. Cool sheet.

Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so. --Douglas Adams

[kansasskydiver 0]

Finding more and more things broken now, the biggest being the frig AHHHHHHH How do I keep my beer cold now!!!!!! It sounds like the compressor keep trying to turn on but won't. the power never shut off last night so I'm kinda confused. What exactly is a micro-burst?

My smoke detectors are NOT connected to the electricity in any way shape or form, I checked, and the one downstairs didn't go off. My phone still works fine though. Geez what else am I going to find broken, this sucks! No firewire card means I can't transfer stuff to and from my computer. No sound card = no music. No frig = NO BEER!!!!!!!!!!! OH no what a world what a world!!!!!!

<--- See look, pink dolphins DO exist!

[billo 0]

no beer???? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

that sux man. i heard the thunder from that storm once last night but was so wiped out from the weekend i just rolled over and fell back asleep. i didn't get on my computer this morning at home, so i hope it still works this evening.

yeah and i hope your camera still works too so we can see that great footage from the drive home yesterday!

b

[billvon 3,111]

>I can't figure out though why it set off my smoke alarm in my room.

EMP. Smoke detectors use fairly sensitive sensors (either ionization or photoelectric) to detect smoke, and both are easily spoofed by the currents induced by EMP.

There are three ways you can get a shock from a nearby lightning strike:

1. Ground differential. At the point that lightning strikes the ground, voltages rise to several thousand volts for up to 500 milliseconds. That voltage drops off with distance. If your power system is grounded nearer to the bolt than you are, it will see a higher voltage, and you will be at a lower potential.

2. Power differential. If lightning hits AC power lines, the voltage can spike to up to 10,000 volts for a short time. Your house ground will attenuate this, but the ground isn't perfect so you can easily see a few thousand volts (common mode) on your AC line. Since your cellphone is not well isolated from your hand, you can get a shock that way.

3. The EMP can induce high voltages even in disconnected wires. This can be seen in flourescent lights; often they will flicker during close strikes even if they are off.

>Don't they say that cell phones can create a charge and ignite at gas stations?

A myth; we tested that a lot. It's far more dangerous to turn the key in your ignition than it is to use a cellphone at a gas station.

>It sounds like the compressor keep trying to turn on but won't.

Unplug and leave it unplugged for an hour then plug it back in. The compressor may be trying to short-cycle.

>What exactly is a micro-burst?

In aviation terms, it's a small area of intense downdrafts that sometimes accompanies storms. Not sure if that's the same as your reference.

>No firewire card means I can't transfer stuff to and from my computer.
>No sound card = no music. No frig = NO BEER!!!!!!!!!!! OH no what a
>world what a world!!!!!!

If it spared your PC, count yourself lucky. Even AC surge supressors can't do much about a nearby lightning strike.

[champu 1]

Quote

>Don't they say that cell phones can create a charge and ignite at gas stations?

A myth; we tested that a lot. It's far more dangerous to turn the key in your ignition than it is to use a cellphone at a gas station.

Or refuel a portable container that's not placed on the ground, or get back into your vehicle and then back out again, both can (and have) caused several vehicle fires, particularly in drier areas and winter months.

Has there ever been a case of a cellphone causing a refueling fire? I don't think there has.

/edited: damn, billvon keeps beating me to all the nerdy EE questions... just as well though, he's been doing it longer than I have...

[MikeJD 0]

Quote

No frig = NO BEER!!!!!!!!!!!

Not only do you have NO beer - sounds to me like you OWE beer!

[ChasingBlueSky 0]

I lost a PC some years back due to a lightning strike. Ever since that I tend to unplug my surge protector from the wall during the spring/summer time here in Chicago. I'm glad I have done it this year - I've had thee strikes in my neighborhood in the last month including the house across the alley (saw that one happen and I felt a wierd temp change as well...its the closest I've been to a strike). Those strikes have knocked out the flourescent tube lights as well as half the light bulbs in on all three floors of my aparment.

_________________________________________
you can burn the land and boil the sea, but you can't take the sky from me....
I WILL fly again.....

[cvfd1399 0]

Depending on what type smoke detector you have what proally happened is that you have the ionization kind and when the boom hit it knocked dust into the path of the radiation source and the collector. Might have thought the dust particles were smoke particles. Or my other theory is that it got scared and wanted a hug