Electrical Syrup by Mark

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Electrical Syrup

POSTED BY: MARK
UPDATED: Thursday, December 12, 2002 13:00
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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 9:13 AM

Something's been bothering me for some time... Ever since I first watched Bushwhacked actually... They've just discovered that the Reavers have planted that Boobytrap and Kaylee thinks that she can disable it as long as she can get to the D.C. line.

Now, where I come from D.C. stands for Direct Current... And yet, when Kaylee cuts the wire/cable/pipe/tube some kind of syrupy gunk oozes out. Am I just being stupid here or do you think someone was practicing technobabble without a licence?

Twelve spheres of unendurable brightness spalled the velvety blackness of space.
The silence on Lester Tourville's flag bridge was absolute
And then the spell was broken as Shannon Foraker looked up from her console from where she had just sent a seemingly innocent command to the main computers of State Security's finest Superdreadnoughts.
"Oops." She said.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 9:39 AM

LIVINGIMPAIRED

For all we know, "DC" in that context could me "Derusting Chemical." Or not. Whatever.

________________

Come in, Warren, do you read me? Your girlfriend's pathetic, over.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 12:15 PM

TWIRLIP

Quote:
Originally posted by Mark:
Now, where I come from D.C. stands for Direct Current... And yet, when Kaylee cuts the wire/cable/pipe/tube some kind of syrupy gunk oozes out.

You know, I don't really feel good admitting this in open forum, but when I was a kid I used to read Marvel comic books quite a bit. On the back page, Marvel published letters from readers. If a reader found a mistake in a comic, and then made up some at least remotely plausible explanation for why it was never a mistake at all, that reader would be awarded a "no-prize." It wasn't until years later that I learned that "no-prizes" don't actually exist, that they're just kind of a joke.

This question reminds me very much of that sort of "retrograde consistency" thing. Let's see if we can retcon this. Here's my stab at it:

D.C. did, in that context, stand for direct current. The D.C. line is an insulated coaxial superconducting cable that carries truly vast amounts of current. When she cut the line, the goo you saw was actually the nonconducting insulator, a sort of gel, that separates the two superconducting elements of the cable.

How's that?

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 12:34 PM

MARK

Quote:

D.C. did, in that context, stand for direct current. The D.C. line is an insulated coaxial superconducting cable that carries truly vast amounts of current. When she cut the line, the goo you saw was actually the nonconducting insulator, a sort of gel, that separates the two superconducting elements of the cable.

How's that?

Not bad... I had originally thought about it maybe being a coolant for a high capacity cable, but that would have burnt Kaylee when it spilled probably... As for the insulator... You may have a point, but not precisely the way you mean... If the superconductors floated in a stream on insulating gunk, then there's the possibility that they could float into each other and short. Badness. And you really wouldn't want to lose any insulator while maintaining systems/performing repairs.

But how about this? The cable is a special type of superconductor for shipboard maintainance. Specially designed to carry high loads and still be safe for repairs. The cable carries a core of - as you said - viscous insulating gel which prevents arcing or a quench when the cable is cut. If it was a superconducting cable Kaylee cut then she would have barbecued herself... Unless the gel was an insulator.

Questions? Comments?

Twelve spheres of unendurable brightness spalled the velvety blackness of space.
The silence on Lester Tourville's flag bridge was absolute
And then the spell was broken as Shannon Foraker looked up from her console from where she had just sent a seemingly innocent command to the main computers of State Security's finest Superdreadnoughts.
"Oops." She said.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 1:36 PM

BOBKNAPTOR

LivingImpaired is right, it's DEFINITELY "Derusting Chemical"

although I think LivingImpaired, Twirlip & Mark should ALL get no-prizes.

______________
Nobody gets my humor

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 2:09 PM

HOOK

I think that the line was actually a hydrolic line filled with hydrolic fluid for the hydrolicly controlled air lock. Cutting it was simply just a different part of the procedure kaylee had to go through in order defuse the booby trap, being independent of the part of the precedure in which she had to cut the DC line.

The evidence being that the stuff that came out was the same color as hydrolic fluid and that the booby trap was rigged into the hydrolic airlock.

hook

http://diogenes.gotdns.org

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 2:20 PM

LIVINGIMPAIRED

Quote:
Originally posted by bobknaptor:
LivingImpaired is right, it's DEFINITELY "Derusting Chemical"

although I think LivingImpaired, Twirlip & Mark should ALL get no-prizes.

Well, I'm glad someone likes to live in the same sphere of denial I inhabit. Yes, we should all get very nice no-prizes. I'm sure Joss would approve.

________________

WILLOW: Ultimately, everything is part of the earth. The bed, the air, us.
BUFFY: Huh. Explains why my fingernails get dirty even when I don't do anything.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 6:01 PM

TWIRLIP

Quote:
Originally posted by LivingImpaired:
I'm sure Joss would approve.

Whaddya mean "would?" I'm sure he's reading every word of this. Joss doesn't exactly have a history of living in a vacuum, you know?

So why don't you just ask him. Hey, Joss! Do you approve?

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 6:17 PM

LIVINGIMPAIRED

Quote:
Originally posted by Twirlip:
Quote:
Originally posted by LivingImpaired:
I'm sure Joss would approve.

Whaddya mean "would?" I'm sure he's reading every word of this. Joss doesn't exactly have a history of living in a vacuum, you know?

So why don't you just ask him. Hey, Joss! Do you approve?

You're just trying to tick JW into posting. You're shameless.

... Do you think it'll work?

________________

Prank? Oh! The room! Some friends of Buffy's played a funny joke, they took her stuff and now she wants us to help get it back from her friends who sleep all day and have no tans.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 7:27 PM

HARDWARE

Quote:
Originally posted by Mark:
Quote:

D.C. did, in that context, stand for direct current. The D.C. line is an insulated coaxial superconducting cable that carries truly vast amounts of current. When she cut the line, the goo you saw was actually the nonconducting insulator, a sort of gel, that separates the two superconducting elements of the cable.

How's that?

Not bad... I had originally thought about it maybe being a coolant for a high capacity cable, but that would have burnt Kaylee when it spilled probably... As for the insulator... You may have a point, but not precisely the way you mean... If the superconductors floated in a stream on insulating gunk, then there's the possibility that they could float into each other and short. Badness. And you really wouldn't want to lose any insulator while maintaining systems/performing repairs.

But how about this? The cable is a special type of superconductor for shipboard maintainance. Specially designed to carry high loads and still be safe for repairs. The cable carries a core of - as you said - viscous insulating gel which prevents arcing or a quench when the cable is cut. If it was a superconducting cable Kaylee cut then she would have barbecued herself... Unless the gel was an insulator.

B]

Gosh, what a wonderful imagination you have.

How about this, what if DC is just a techie abbreviation for a piece of equipment, like oh, I don't know... maybe DOCKING CLAMP?

That would explain the fluid, merely a type of hydraulic fluid and it fits with the booby trap attaching to Serenity when they docked with the derelict.

The more I get to know people the more I like my dogs.

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 8:03 PM

TWIRLIP

Quote:
Originally posted by Hardware:
How about this, what if DC is just a techie abbreviation for a piece of equipment, like oh, I don't know... maybe DOCKING CLAMP?

Booo-ring. ;-)

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Wednesday, December 11, 2002 9:47 PM

HOOK

Quote:
Originally posted by Hardware:
How about this, what if DC is just a techie abbreviation for a piece of equipment, like oh, I don't know... maybe DOCKING CLAMP?

Hardware, you are a beautiful man, or woman, or whatever. The point is you are right and I love you for it.

hook

http://diogenes.gotdns.org

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Thursday, December 12, 2002 8:28 AM

MARK

Yay! We all got no-prizes!!! Are no-prizes like any-keys? Because I never can find that gorram elusive any-key.

Quote:

The evidence being that the stuff that came out was the same color as hydrolic fluid and that the booby trap was rigged into the hydrolic airlock.

Sorry to rain on your parade buddy... And also on the parade of whoever said D.C. stood for Docking Clamp... But that line wasn't the feeder line to the hydraulics. How do I know? Simple. The clamp is actively holding the ships locked which means the system is active and pressurised. If Kaylee had cut an active hydraulic hose then the oil would have sliced her hand off.

Secondly, there's no-way she could cut a hydraulic line with a pair of pliers like that... Those things are armoured to take many MANY KG/Cm2 - Is that Pascals?

Oh, and it doesn't have to be hydraulic fluid because it's the same colour. I use a hydraulic press on a regular basis that uses yellow oil, not red.

Next guesses please! This is fun!

Twelve spheres of unendurable brightness spalled the velvety blackness of space.
The silence on Lester Tourville's flag bridge was absolute
And then the spell was broken as Shannon Foraker looked up from her console from where she had just sent a seemingly innocent command to the main computers of State Security's finest Superdreadnoughts.
"Oops." She said.

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Thursday, December 12, 2002 11:49 AM

HOOK

Quote:
Originally posted by Mark:
Secondly, there's no-way she could cut a hydraulic line with a pair of pliers like that... Those things are armoured to take many MANY KG/Cm2 - Is that Pascals?

Well yes but the line kaylee cut could have been the feed line. Not much presure in the feed line.

Quote:

Oh, and it doesn't have to be hydraulic fluid because it's the same colour. I use a hydraulic press on a regular basis that uses yellow oil, not red.

Well a hydrolic press is a different beast then say a back hoe or a cat. They use red hydrolic fluid in those...the difference being that a hydrolic press would have more robust needs and probably a different fluid type. My guess, seeing as how the airlock doors or the docking clamp would only need to open or close then stop rather then the constant pressure of a hydrolic press, that it would use the type of fluid used in a back hoe arm. ie the red stuff.

hook

http://diogenes.gotdns.org

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Thursday, December 12, 2002 1:00 PM

TINYTIMM

Quote:
Originally posted by Mark:
Yay! We all got no-prizes!!! Are no-prizes like any-keys? Because I never can find that gorram elusive any-key.

I use a hydraulic press on a regular basis that uses yellow oil, not red.

Actually the no-prize came in a nice envelope, suitable for framing.
The any-key is the widest one at the bottom.
Cherry juice was red hydralic fluid. It was replaced in US Army tanks with FRH (Fire Resistant Hydralic) fluid which was gold. It also wasn't fire resistant any more than Cherry Juice, but it was much more expensive and made everyone feel something good had been done.

Jeff
Who is old, grey and cynical.

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