"Michael Lyons" wrote in
nk.net:

The previous poster was not talking about installing a fan, but
replacing the speed switch. Yes there is only one wire to supply power
from the house to the fan. But in many fans, there is a speed switch
that has one wire that bring electricity in and three that go out.
They go to three different windings (coils) in the fan motor itself.

okay, in that case, it make sense. So between the supply and three output
wires to the fan motor, is the device called a rheostat or not? And if not
what is it called?

If you are checking VOLTAGE, the number of AMPS running through your
meter is close to zero. Yes, I have blown the fuse in my meter once,
but it was because I got frustrated and accidently went to check a
live circuit with the meter set on resistance (OHMS). It stupidity,
not price of the meter, that was at fault.

Yet another reason to keep things simple.

places. I got shocked once from a computer chassis, because some
moron wired the outlet backwards, and the LAN cable was hot instead
of grounded.

And how exactly do you do that? I've also assembled my share of
computers and what you've typed makes no sense.

It makes perfect sense. He is talking about the house receptacle the

okay that makes a little more sense. I was thinking he was refering to an
outlet on the computer and the times I considered rewiring an ATX plug for
a non-standard MB. I still don't see how having a live LAN cable can give
you shock unless it was coax instead of twisted pair.