What is making the light turn on? Help!

Thread Starter

big_selke

Joined Dec 28, 2017
1
Hello, I'm not very savvy when it comes to this sort of thing, but I'm on a mission to firgure it out and I need help.

Earlier today at work I was fidgeting with a propane torch sitting on a wood top work bench. About 1 foot away was a Milwaukee cordless impact. I clicked the igniter on the torch (with the fuel turned off) and the flashlight on the drill turns on. At first I thought it was coincidental. After many more times I realized it definitely was not. What is causing this to happen?
 

MaxHeadRoom

Joined Jul 18, 2013
28,617
I assume this is an inductive type igniter, as opposed to flint!
There is quite a bit of radiated inductive energy from one of the these that I suspect ionized the lamp?
Max.
 

Reloadron

Joined Jan 15, 2015
7,501
I would not rule out the supernatural. :) I just had to get that in.

My neighbor has a collection of cordless power tools with the built in flashlights. The flashlights are electronically switched and susceptible to stray signals like what you have with a piezo triggered igniter. So while you would not expect this to happen as you witnessed it can and does and also with repeatability too.

I remembered my wife just bought a few of those lighters with the long neck. I use them with the grill. So I hung a paper clip off the BNC connector on my scope. At 5 feet away the thing triggers the scope. Never gave it much thought till now but I can see where an sensitive enough electronic switch could be triggered. The scope is not digital or storasge so it's not like I could capture the waveform but it does trigger the scope.

Ron
 
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