What is a “death cap”?
The cap is there to provide signal coupling between earth and chassis ground. You want the chassis to be referenced to earth ground and not to float in order to shield stray RF. This coupling is achieved not by hard wiring, but via a .02-.05uF/400-600V capacitor. The neutral (white) 120VAC wire is grounded at the service panel (fuse box to old-timers). In the (bad) old days of nonpolarized 2 conductor plugs, you had a 50% chance that a particular AC leg would be the one which was grounded. That’s not particularly good odds. Hence the selector switch which would connect one or the other leg to the chassis-coupling cap. If this cap becomes electrically leaky, you have a 50% chance that the chassis will be energized @ 120VAC. Thats why you get shocked when you touch chassis on some old equipment. If the cap is in good shape, then there would be no problem if the switch is in the wrong position, other than some additional hum. Old caps (especially the wax/paper ones) do become leaky in tim
Amanita phalloides (generally pronounced /æməˈnaɪtə fəˈlɔɪdiːz/), commonly known as the death cap, is a poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus Amanita. Widely distributed across Europe, A. phalloides associates with various deciduous and coniferous trees. In some cases, death cap has been accidentally introduced to new regions with the cultivation of non-native species of oak, chestnut, and pine. The large fruiting bodies (i.e., the mushrooms) appear in summer and autumn; the caps are generally greenish in colour, with a white stipe and gills. Coincidentally, these toxic mushrooms resemble several edible species (most notably the straw mushroom) commonly consumed by humans, increasing the risk of accidental poisoning. A. phalloides is one of the most poisonous of all known toadstools. It has been involved in the majority of human deaths from mushroom poisoning, possibly including the deaths of Roman Emperor Claudius and Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. It has been the s
