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Registered Member #5171
Joined: Tue Jun 05 2012, 11:32AM
Location:
Posts: 67
Hello everyone. Today, i'm rectifying source from AC socket (230) but i was wondering. The 230 line is dangerous because it's enough to touch the phase to die, in fact when you touch the phase you immediately close the circuit with the ground. The rectified 230, does the same thing? If i touch just one of the cables (+for example) would i die? Thanks in advance
Registered Member #2887
Joined: Sat May 29 2010, 11:10PM
Location: Panama City, Panama
Posts: 107
Would I die?
Long answer: If you don't, it will hurt a lot. One of the things that determines the probability of dying is with what hand you touch it. There is a higher probability of damage if you poke the cable with the left hand vs the right hand, for instance. (I'm talking about probabilities, don't go saying that I said you are immortal with your right hand, you arent. However, that is why some people advise you to have the left hand in your pocket, to avoid poking things with it.) However, its exactly the same situation with AC, so it may not fully answer your question. If its filtered after rectification, it may give you a stronger jolt because of the capacitors.
Registered Member #3781
Joined: Sat Mar 26 2011, 02:25AM
Location:
Posts: 701
Michael Chen wrote ...
Would I die?
Long answer: If you don't, it will hurt a lot. One of the things that determines the probability of dying is with what hand you touch it. There is a higher probability of damage if you poke the cable with the left hand vs the right hand, for instance. (I'm talking about probabilities, don't go saying that I said you are immortal with your right hand, you arent. However, that is why some people advise you to have the left hand in your pocket, to avoid poking things with it.) However, its exactly the same situation with AC, so it may not fully answer your question. If its filtered after rectification, it may give you a stronger jolt because of the capacitors.
Sorry this is off topic but why is it more dangerous with your left hand? Is it because your heart is closer to your left hand than your right?
I think the severity also depends on how long you are in contact aswell as meny other factors such as where you are and what you are wearing eg the shock would be much worse if you were working in damp conditions with no shoes as aposed to if you were working is dry conditions wearing thick robber soled shoes
Registered Member #72
Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 08:29AM
Location: UK St. Albans
Posts: 1659
The left/right hand thing is a red herring. Old valve engineers were told to keep *one* hand in their pocket, to avoid touching two things at the same time and possibly completing a circuit. As most people are right handed, most put their left in a pocket.
Wall socket power is at a sufficiently low voltage* that "one hand working", when backed up with scrupulous attention to remaining ungrounded (rubber soles, don't sit on a metal chair with sweaty pants etc) *can* keep you safe. But one lapse of attention, one boingy grounded wire springing accidently from where it shouldn't and touching you, could be your death.
But if you have to ask, then you don't know enough yet to know how to put "one handed working" into practice, so don't use unisolated mains
* Below 1000v, you are unlikely to get a spark across something you thought was insulating. Above 1000v, even this reassurance goes.
Registered Member #3414
Joined: Sun Nov 14 2010, 05:05PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4245
As I understand it, the real danger of mains electricity (220-240V) is that you can get 'stuck' to it.
This has happened to me, and others on this site. I'm lucky to be here typing this now.
I've gone into details elsewhere on this site.
A finger on my right hand dropped onto the live connection to the on/off switch while my left hand was touching the earthed case.
It went right across my chest, from one hand to the other, I was stuck to it. The involuntary muscle spasms emptied my lungs and I couldn't breathe. After some time....I'm not sure exactly how long.....my finger started melting and I was thrown clear with such force I would have been injured had there not been an armchair behind me. i WAS LUCKY, i WAS EVENTUALLY THROWN CLEAR.
I don't know if AC is any different to DC at these voltages.
The golden rule is unplug completely before even thinking about touching anything, and contain everything in suitable insulated enclosures, and remember capacitors need bleed resistors. Design the experiment properly.
Registered Member #5171
Joined: Tue Jun 05 2012, 11:32AM
Location:
Posts: 67
Won't the life saver differential interruptor save your life in case of ground dispersions? If it shut down just a millisecond after you touch the phase and are connected to the ground, you can't be stack right?
Registered Member #3637
Joined: Fri Jan 21 2011, 11:07PM
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 1068
From my understanding AC current is less likely to keep you "stuck" as there are points in the voltage where it reaches zero... thus you're not constantly clenching your muscles.
With DC current your muscles will be 100% on always, so... you'll be much less likely to be able to let go.
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Rectified AC current
