how many AMPs does a vibrator need?

[ruru67]

I see far too many "ideas" put forward for SB and stimulation that are potentially lethal or seriously damaging by people who clearly have no useful knowledge of any of the technical aspects of using electrical equipment safely.

Sure, we've seen some pretty hare-brained schemes go past -- the automatic defibrillator suggestion a few threads ago scared the willies out of me, for example. And it's OK to shout those down.

In this case, there was nothing fundamentally wrong with what the original poster was suggesting, and the question suggested he'd at least thought about this to the point of wanting to match the power supply to the requirements of the load.

I think it's more useful to just point out the risks and how to mitigate them than it is to be the safety police, telling people not to even try. The really stupid are going to do it anyway. (Last words of a redneck: "Hey, y'all, watch this!") The merely inexperienced might learn something. And let's face it, anyone even reading this already has pushing the risk envelope in their blood.

This applies to everything risky. Electricity, SB, suspension, walking down dark alleys etc, we've all had our frights. I think it's more useful to talk about those experiences, to say, "well if I had paid attention to X, this wouldn't have happened," rather than, "don't do this at all".

[bound_jenny]

Ah, yes... those two words that bode ill fortune to those who pronounce them - "watch this"... How many broken teeth, surgical scars, singed eyebrows and missing fingers are the direct result of someone saying, "watch this"...

I think it's more useful to just point out the risks and how to mitigate them than it is to be the safety police

The problem here is that in many cases, any sort of manifestation of concern for the hare-brainedness of a given scheme is usually answered with being labeled as some kind of "police". It is interesting how people use the word "police" so judiciously (and excessively liberally) to project the image of an oppressive force. Note that any police force is there to protect the law-abiding citizenry, not oppress them. Unless, of course, certain members of said citizenry are not law-abiding and causing the general irritation of those who are so. But I digress.

As a community, we must show concern for the safety of our fellow "citizens". That includes pointing out potentially hazardous (or lethal) flaws or weaknesses in someone's scenario, design or other evil scheme. And we need not fear the label "police", regardless of who utters it (when it gets to name-calling, they've run out of tangible arguments to defend their position anyway). Do your duty. I would rather have someone alive and pissed off at me than someone who is just a memory and a short headline in the weird stories section of the local news rag (and thus in no condition to piss).

Common sense should prevail in any scenario. Critical analysis of a scenario prior to its execution must be the rule. There is no such thing as a zero-risk situation - but then there are acceptable risks, and unacceptable ones. Acceptable risks include any that can be circumvented using a backup plan (such as scissors or a knife to cut rope if stuck). Unacceptable ones are those that cannot be resolved because they are immediately lethal or injurious. And remember that it's not the size of the risk that is important - it's the scope of the consequences if Lady Luck decides to take back her share.

I work by the motto used by former NASA flight director Chris Kraft: "If you don't know what to do, don't do anything." Think first, take a step back, analyze the situation, list all the possible actions and consequences, plan an appropriate set of actions, then act according to the plan. Planning ahead is still the best method of risk mitigation.

I would say that it isn't rocket science, but in this case, it really is, and much more.

Jenny.

[spiderwebby]

i'd recommend you buy yourself a cheap multimeter for starters
back on subject though: i've just measured my vibrator (titanmen no.3) which also runs off of 2 AA batterys (2.6V-ish) and it pulls about 205mA and full power, so a 250/300mA fuse would probably do it fine
as for the mains adapter, i'd recommend a phone charger with a 25ohm 1watt resistor in series:

charger + -------|====|-----|====|-------
fuse 25 ohm |
vibrator
|
charger - ------------------------------------

in the (unlikely) event that the mains adapter does stuff it and put 110/240v out, the voltage would cause a current spike and take out the fuse.
if you want to be run the vibrator slower you can put additional resistors in, or a variable resistor, but it'd have to be at least 1Watt, or it'd go up in smoke.