How Many Volts Does An Electric Chair Use?

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History of the Electric Chair. “Although it was not officially recorded, the first execution used a voltage of around 1,700 volts. The voltage has tended to rise over time, and it is now typically 2,000 to 2,200 volts at seven to twelve amps in the current period.”

In the electric chair, do your eyes bulge?

It Has the Potential to Make Your Eyeballs Pop Out Electrocution can cause the body to grow to the point that the eyeballs protrude from the head. The abrupt increase in body warmth might cause the eyeballs to melt. That is why, before being executed, captives’ eyelids are frequently taped shut.

Is the electric chair ac or dc powered?

Every civilization has mechanisms in place to keep its members in check. Silent disapproval, incarceration, exile, and even the death penalty are all options. Many individuals in the late 1800s were opposed to the brutal practice of hanging a prisoner, which may result in the prisoner being slowly strangled or unexpectedly decapitated. Indeed, due to public outrage over botched hangings, the New York Legislature almost outlawed capital punishment in 1834. As a result, when the electric chair was proposed as a painless method of execution, many people enthusiastically accepted it. However, it was far from painless in reality.

Benjamin Franklin claimed in 1773 that he had electrocuted a 10-pound turkey, a lamb, and many chicks. However, in 1881, a dentist named Alfred Southwick of Buffalo, New York, came up with the idea of electrocuting wrongdoers. He observed a drunk slip into a bare wire and die instantly, and Southwick assumed the man died peacefully based on no evidence. Southwick, a dentist and an engineer, was a member of the Commission that studied and approved the first use of the electric chair.

The introduction of the electric chair was accompanied by a clandestine and high-level battle between supporters of Direct Current (DC) and Alternating Current (AC) electricity (Edison) (Westinghouse). The prisoner was electrocuted with a thousand or so volts of AC in the electric chairs. The study of AC electric chairs was surreptitiously funded by Edison (the DC man) in order for citizens to reject to utilize Westinghouse’s AC electricity in their homes. “Do you want electrocutioner’s current in your children’s bedroom wall?” stated the sign on the hoarding. In retribution, Westinghouse paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees to try to prevent the axe murderer William Kemmler from being executed by electric chair. Kemmler became the first person to be executed in the electric chair on August 6, 1890, in Auburn Prison, New York. Even though Edison had won the war, he had lost the battle. Because of its technical advantages, AC became the standard kind of electricity sold in the United States.

Approximately half of the states in the United States used the electric chair to carry out the death penalty during its peak. Nowadays, lethal injection is the chosen procedure.

The fundamental reason for the electric chair’s demise is because it is so cruel and barbaric that even the most hardened Deep South hanging judges refused to use it. Kemmler’s heinous end was not unusual. He lived despite thrashing around in pain while a thousand-plus volts of AC surged through his body. A second dosage of 1,300 volts for 70 seconds was required. The initial dose had dried out some of the electrodes where they had come into contact with his skin, and the chamber reeked of burnt flesh and hair. Blood squirted out of his skin as his blood vessels burst apart. Other electric chair executions resulted in the inmates’ leg muscles spasming so fiercely that the leather straps holding them down broke, and the flesh was burned off the bones in other cases.

The issue is with what electricity does. It causes uncontrollable and excruciating spasms in the muscles. It also causes fibrillation, which causes the individual cardiac muscles to writhe in an uncoordinated manner, similar to a bag of worms. However, the following zap of electricity will resynchronize the heartbeat, accompanied by excruciating muscle pain. And so it would go, back and forth, until the prisoner died. The idea of a painless and quick death was never fulfilled.

Approximately 4,300 people have died on the electric chair during the last century or so. Proponents of capital punishment nowadays claim that lethal injection is painless. You have to wonder what will be told to us in a few decades.

What is the lethal voltage?

Since the war of the currents in the 1880s, the risks of alternating current at normal power transmission frequencies (i.e., 50 or 60 Hz) and direct current have been a point of contention. Animal research at the time revealed that alternating current was nearly twice as harmful per unit of current flow than direct current (or per unit of applied voltage).

Human lethality is sometimes thought to be most common with alternating current at 100250 volts; nevertheless, death has been reported with sources as low as 42 volts. Shocks above 2,700 volts are often fatal, with those above 11,000 volts being usually fatal, though exceptional cases have been noted. Assuming a steady current flow (as opposed to a shock from a capacitor or static electricity), shocks above 2,700 volts are often fatal, with those above 11,000 volts being usually fatal, though exceptional cases have been noted. On November 9, 1967, seventeen-year-old Brian Latasa escaped a 230,000 volt shock on the tower of an ultra-high voltage line in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, according to a Guinness Book of World Records joke. He was “jolted into the air, and landed across the line,” according to a news report, and despite being rescued by firemen, he sustained burns over 40% of his body and was completely paralyzed save for his eyes. Harry F. McGrew, who came into touch with a 340,000 volt transmission line in Huntington Canyon, Utah, survived the shock with the highest voltage reported.

THE FRED A. LEUCHTER ASSOCIATES, INC. MODULAR ELECTROCUTION SYSTEM

A few, but extremely important, requirements must be considered when designing an electrocution system. Current applications, voltage, current, connectors, duration, and quantity (jolts).

Requirements

To begin, the system must have three (3) electrodes. A securely fitting cap with an electrode and a saline solution soaked sponge should be worn on the head. The current is introduced into the system through this electrode. Second, one electrode should be snugly attached to each ankle, forcing the current to divide and ensuring that it passes through the entire trunk of the subject’s body. When only one ankle electrode is used instead of two, the electrocution will almost always take longer and be more difficult. The current is returned through these two (2) ankle electrodes. At each of the ankle connections, saline salve or a sponge wet with a saline solution should be used to improve contact. At the electrode contacts, it is critical to ensure good circuit continuity with the least amount of resistance possible. Furthermore, after a voltage drop, a minimum of 2000 volts ac must be maintained to ensure permanent disruption of the autonomic nervous system’s function. At saturation, voltages less than 2000 volts ac cannot assure cardiac death and are hence insufficient for electrocution, as they may inflict unnecessary harm to the individual prior to death. Failure to follow these simple guidelines could cause the subject discomfort and prevent heart death, leaving a brain dead subject in the chair.

Medical Description

There are two (2) elements to consider during electrocution: the conscious and autonomic nervous systems. The conscious nervous system, which governs pain and cognition, is often destroyed by voltages exceeding 1500 volts ac. In most cases, unconsciousness lasts 4.16 milliseconds, or 1/240 of a second. This is twenty-four (24) times faster than the conscious neurological system of the patients can register discomfort. The autonomic nervous system, on the other hand, is a little more challenging, requiring more than 2000 volts ac to seize the pacemaker in the subject’s heart. In most cases, we calculate the voltage at 2000 volts ac plus 20%. After the voltage is applied and the subject’s body saturates, the voltage drops by around 10% (depending on the resistance of the electrode contacts and the resistance of the subject’s body), which should be considered. To avoid body injury, keep the current below six (6) amperes (cooking).

In an ideal world, the voltage would be computed as follows:

To grasp the heart of a 70-kilogram (154-pound) man, 2000 volts ac is required.

2400 volts ac is equal to 2000 volts ac plus 20%. For a drop at saturation, increase the voltage by 10%.

This ac voltage of 2640 volts should be applied in two (2) one-minute jolts, separated by ten (10) seconds. Occasionally, the subject’s heart will spasm rather than seize during the first application of current, and the second jolt will usually resolve the problem. The spasm is caused by a buildup of chemicals (acetylcholine and sympathin) at the nerve connections, and the ten (10) second wait usually allows the chemicals to dissipate.

System Description

Fred A. Leuchter Associates, Inc. manufactures a low-cost, cutting-edge electrocution system. For control and timing, the system uses solid state electronics, current regulation to five (50) milliamperes (1 percent), and single and two (2) station control. It has plug-in components for easy repair and maintenance, and due of its modular design, it can be installed by unskilled workers in a short amount of time.

The control system is programmed to produce two (2) one-minute jolts at a minimum of 2400 volts ac, separated by ten (10) seconds. A redundant system’s timer activates and shuts down the system if any of the sequential timers fail, ensuring fail-safe functioning. There are also two (2) operating modes: single station and two (2) station. The operation of a single station is controlled by a single (1) push button switch. Two (2) switches are used in each station, and logic (computer) circuitry determines which switch operates. The use of an executioner is not possible in the two (2) station mode since no one knows which of the two (2) switches initiated the system. The operating switch is not saved in the system’s memory. Furthermore, because the controls are electronic, the user is only exposed to low voltage equipment and is totally insulated from high voltage, ensuring operator safety.

The high voltage circuitry is designed to deliver 2640 volts ac upon activation, and the voltage stabilizes at (or above) 2400 volts ac as the load saturates and the current increases. A current regulator limits the current to a maximum of five (5) amperes. The voltage will drop by about 10%, or 240 volts, according to the conventional formula for admittance, but the current will never exceed five (5) amperes with 1% (fivemilliampere) regulation. In the case of a regulator failure, a current limiting breaker protects the load by opening the circuit at six (6) amperes. A ninety (90) ampere overcurrent breaker protects the device.

The Power Supply

A 208 volt ac main transformer and a 2640 volt ac secondary transformer are connected to a saturable reactor with current monitoring circuitry, two (2) overcurrent limits, and a high voltage contactor in the power supply.

It is rated to deliver five (5) amperes at 2400 volts ac with a 1% (fiftymilliampere) regulation, plus 10%. (240 volts ac). This means that when the circuit is closed, the load receives 2640 volts ac. The current rises and the voltage falls as the load saturates. The load is totally saturated and appears to be approaching a direct short circuit after about ten (10) seconds of operation. At the saturation voltage point of 2400 (minimum) volts ac, the current regulator, on the other hand, restricts the current to five (5) amperes. An overcurrent breaker is set to trip at six (6) amperes if the current regulator fails.

The system controls the flux density in the reactor core by measuring output current, processing it in a direct current amplifier, and applying it to a direct current coil. It’s basically a high-precision magnetic amplifier.

The power supply also includes overcurrent protection for both the equipment and the load, as well as an output contactor to close the high voltage connection to the Electric Chair. All connections to the power supply are made via two (2) military-type circular connectors, with the exception of the 208 volts ac in, which is a terminal block.

The Control Console

The control console is a slanted metal panel cabinet that houses the system’s timing circuitry, computer-controlled switching circuits, and controllers. It has two (2) key switches for circuit control and a key-controlled high voltage output fail-safe switch.

The timing sequence is achieved by cascading two (2) solid-state one (1) minute timers and one (1) ten (10) second timer from a system’s 130-second timer, ensuring system shutdown after 130 seconds even if a sequential timer fails. Precision relays are used to activate the timers.

Solid-state circuitry makes it possible to control one (1) or two (2) stations. One (1) switch initiates the system and runs an electrical relay in single station control. Two (2) switches are used in two (2) station control, and the logic (computer) circuitry selects the switch that will activate the relay. As with a firing squad, this ensures that no one knows who was in charge of the circuit. The operating switch is not saved in the system’s memory.

The Electric Chair

An oaken chair with an adjustable backrest, built-in leg electrodes, a leather and sponge helmet with electrode, a drip pan, a plexiglass seat, and a non-incremental restraint mechanism make up the electric chair. It’s painted with a high-gloss epoxy paint that’s identical to what’s used in space. One military type connector connects it to the power supply. Parts of this chair were made from wood from Tennessee’s original electric chair.

The ankle electrodes are made of solid brass and are manufactured onto the leg stock. They are parallel to ground and can fit a #6 conductor.

The helmet is made up of a leather outer shell and a copper mesh and sponge inside shell. It can be disassembled for maintenance, and the electrode may take a #6 conductor.

A drip pan is included in the chair design. Two (2) ankle straps, two (2) wrist straps, and one (1) cross-the-chest harness are made of nylon aircraft construction and include quick release fasteners. The restraints’ fasteners are all non-incremental, allowing for a tighter fit.

Because to its modular architecture, the entire system can be installed by non-technical personnel in a matter of hours and is entirely field repairable.

Power Supply

Overcurrent protection: six (6) amperes; ninety (90) amperes, respectively, for load and equipment.

Primary 195 volts ac, 68 amps, 13.2 KVA main transformer. 2640 volts ac, 5 amp secondary

Primary 208 volts ac control transformer

Secondary: 750 KVA, 110 volts ac, 50-60 Hz.

1 volt, 1 amp, 1 volt, 1 amp, 1 amp, 1 amp, 1 amp, 1 amp, 1

Two (2) MS (military-type) circular connectors, console, and high voltage output are the final connections. 208 volts ac input terminal block

Control Console

Sequential timing: one (1) minute, ten (10) seconds, and one (1) minute. The entire system is solid-state, including a 130-second timer.

Three (3) lockable switches

two (2) circuit control switches, one (1) system fail-safe switch, and two (2) operator switches

SET-UP

  • Make sure the main disconnect is turned off. If not, switch off the light.
  • Check to see if the Power Supply input circuit breaker is turned off. If not, switch off the light.
  • Make sure that all of the switches on the Control Console are turned off, including the POWER ON and COMPUTER ON switches, which should both be in the left off position. It’s worth noting that the ELECTRIC CHAIR FAILSAFE switch is in the off position in the center.
  • Insert the polarized connectors and tighten the connector nuts to connect the control cable between the Power Supply and the Control Console. The Control Console end should be connected first. The Control Console has now been given power.
  • Turn the Power On switch to the right at the Control Console to verify power and check the SYSTEM ON light. Turn the COMPUTER ON switch to the right and make sure the COMPUTER ON light is on.
  • Turn the ELECTRIC CHAIR FAILSAFE SWITCH to the left to check it (OPERATION POSITION). The ELECTRIC CHAIR ENERGIZED light is not turned on. If the light is on, there is a problem with the system or the timing sequence has been activated by someone. VERIFY. Turn the ELECTRIC CHAIR FAILSAFE SWITCH to the left after turning it off (center) (TEST POSITION). Make sure the ELECTRIC CHAIR ENERGIZED light is turned on. The Power Supply’s output contactor is closed. In a clockwise direction, turn off all the switches. In that order, turn off the power supply input circuit breaker and the main disconnect.
  • Complete the Control Console test as directed.
  • Test the power supply according to the instructions.
  • Complete the Electric Chair test as directed.
  • By inserting polarized connectors and tightening the connector nuts, connect the power cable between the Power Supply and the Electric Chair. Connect the end of the Electric Chair first.
  • Disconnect the main power supply.
  • Turn on the circuit breaker for the Power Supply input. The Electrocution System has been ENERGIZED and is now ready to be used.

WARNING: When not in use, turn off both the main disconnect and the input circuit breaker.

OPERATIONAL PROCEDURE

  • The SET UP steps 1 through 12 should have been completed earlier.
  • Make that the main disconnect and the Power Supply’s input circuit breaker are both turned off. Remove all keys from the Control Console and make sure all switches are turned off. If not, switch off the light. Make sure the Energized light on the Electric Chair is turned off. If not, turn off the electric chair’s failsafe switch (center position). DO NOT PROCEED UNTIL THE ELECTRIC CHAIR LIGHT HAS TURNED OFF. For operation, only one key should be utilized.
  • Prepare the subject for electrocution by doing the following: Shave a three-inch-diameter circle on the top of the executee’s head. Cut the pants to the knees, slit the pants to the knees, or provide the individual with shorts.
  • To make a saturated saline (salt water) solution, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl (add salt until it will no longer mix to lukewarm water).
  • Helmet with wet sponge (saturate).
  • If it is decided that they will be used, wet ankle sponges will be used. In most circumstances, sponges are advised.
  • Loosen all restraint system adjustments and move the backrest all the way back.
  • For logistical procedures, see the special Protocol.
  • If possible, sedate the person orally or with an injection. Executees have already been sedated with a 5cc Versed (Midazolam HCL) 1 mg/ml injection. Abbott Pharmaceuticals NDC 0074-3150-11, two (2) 50mg capsules of Nembutal Sodium (Pentobarbital sodium USP). 1.5 oz. of 80 proof whiskey is also a viable option. This should be done around a half-hour before the execution.
  • The witness window’s curtain should be opened.
  • To prove he is alive, the subject must step into the execution room and speak.
  • Close the curtain on the witness window.
  • The following is how the executionee should be fastened into the chair:
  • Connect the waist harness and tighten it.
  • Adjust the shoulder adjustments to a tighter fit.

NOTE: By adjusting both sides of the adjustors, all connectors should be kept centered.

  • Arm restraints should be connected and tightened, with connectors centered.
  • Connect and adjust the restraints, keeping the connectors in the middle, by inserting the subject’s legs into the electrodes on the leg stock. The saturated saline sponges should be used behind the subject’s leg, between the leg and the electrode.
  • Place the executee’s head in a saline-soaked helmet and tighten the chin strap as much as possible. The face curtain is an option that can be added now.
  • Tighten the handscrew after inserting the helmet conductor into the electrode on the helmet. Using an allen wrench, tighten still further.
  • Backrest adjustment is loosened, backrest is pulled as far forward as possible (tightening the topic), and backrest adjuster is tightened, locking the backrest in place.
  • Open the curtain on the witness window.
  • The subject should now be examined by the doctor, who should declare that he is alive.
  • Turn on the Power Supply’s input circuit breaker.
  • The key will be inserted and the Power On switch will be turned on as directed by the Warden. The On Light System will be tested. The key will be taken away.
  • Only if a two-operator process is to be used, the key will be inserted and the Computer On switch will be turned on on the Warden’s order. The On (Double) light on the computer will be checked. The key will be taken away.
  • When the Warden judges that the execution will go through, he will have the key inserted and the Electric Chair Failsafe switch changed from the center position to the Operation position to the left.

WARNING: THE SYSTEM HAS BEEN ARMED AT THIS TIME. REMOVE YOUR HANDS FROM THE ACTIVATION BUTTONS (SINGLE OR DOU-BLE).

  • The execution will begin upon the Warden’s command. If there are two executioners, one (1) or both (2) will press the SINGLE or DOUBLE buttons at the same time. Check the Energized light on the Electric Chair.

NOTE: The system will now provide two (2) jolts of current, each lasting one (1) minute, separated by a ten (10) second off time. If the Double operation fails, simply press the Single button and the timing sequence will continue. If the system fails again, go to manual mode by turning the Electric Chair Failsafe switch to TEST (right) and timing with a watch or clock: Sixty (60) seconds on, ten (10) seconds off, sixty (60) seconds on, ten (10) seconds off, sixty (60) seconds on, sixty (60) seconds off, sixty (60) seconds off, sixty (60) Turn the Electric Chair Failsafe switch to the off (center) position when finished. Step twenty-two is the next step (22).

  • The patient should be dead after the timing sequence is completed. VERIFY that the Electric Chair Ener-gized light is turned off by turning off the Electric Chair Failsafe switch (center position). Do not proceed until the Energized light on the Electric Chair has turned off.
  • Shut off the Computer On and Power On switches with the key, both to the left in this order.
  • In this order, turn off the Power Supply’s input circuit breaker and the main disconnect.
  • The Executioner’s heart death should now be verified by the Doctor.

NOTE: Repeat steps sixteen (16) through twenty-five (25) if death has not occurred.

  • The execution has come to an end.
  • Remove witnesses and close the witness window curtain.
  • Check sure all switches are turned off and the key has been removed. Make sure the Power Supply’s input circuit breaker is turned off. Make sure the main disconnect is turned off. Do not proceed until this step is completed and the Energized light on the Electric Chair has turned off.
  • The following procedure should be followed to remove the Executee from the chair:
  • Reverse the thirteen (13) F technique to disconnect the helmet. Loosen and remove the helmet.
  • Pull the ankle fasteners apart and pull the legs forward.
  • Pull on the arm fasteners and free arms to release them.
  • When the chest harness fastener is released, the subject’s body slumps forward and hangs in the harness.
  • Transfer the body of the subject to a storage or pick-up location.
  • Using lysol or a comparable disinfectant and mild soap, clean the chair seat. Clean the electrodes with water and mild soap. Ensure that the chair is completely dry. Leg sponges should be washed and dried.
  • Remove the drip pan and dump it; then wash, dry, and restore it.
  • Dry the helmet after cleaning it with clear water. Place on a styrofoam head to store.
  • Reconnect and partially tighten the restraint system fasteners.
  • Check all switches and turn off the power.
  • For storage, disconnect the control cable as well as the power cable and coil.