Current limiting bulb circuit

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Hi ! as it is better to be safe than sorry i would like to put together a current limiting circuit using a light bulb
I am attaching a schema i found
I wonder if this will provide protection however the two-pins power plug is plugged inside the wall socket
I mean there is a wire running through the bulb ... but another one not
Is this is the live wire ... and i touch it ... no problem at all ?
 

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And, if you make a mistake and touch a live wire, what happens? The golder rule with mains powered electronics is to treat all exposed conductors as live.

Caution is never excessive where the loss of life is involved.
 
Hi ! as it is better to be safe than sorry i would like to put together a current limiting circuit using a light bulb
I am attaching a schema i found
I wonder if this will provide protection however the two-pins power plug is plugged inside the wall socket
I mean there is a wire running through the bulb ... but another one not
Is this is the live wire ... and i touch it ... no problem at all ?
Where do you pull those crazy ideas from?

The **current** bulb limiter somewhat protects amplifier from shorts, period.

Why do you think it will protect YOU from electric shock? 😱
 
This device does 2 things:

1. Reduces the risk of melting something or having it blow up, if there's a short circuit in the DUT
2. Lights up to warn you of said short circuit so you can isolate power quickly, see point 1

It will not in any way reduce the risk of electric shock.
 
This thread is most probably the result of bad advice.

Let us suppose, for the sake of clarity, that you connect the filament light bulb to the Live terminal and the other end to supply the amplifier under test. Let us also assume the other terminals are connected to the neutral. The potential of the terminal from the light bulb into the amplifier will depend on the current taken by the amplifier. When this current is high, the latter potential is lower, when the current is low the potential is higher. But the potential entering into the amplifier heavily depends on how it works and whether its condition remains stable. Therefore, it is very risky and dangerous to expose oneself to any conductive parts during such tests.

The only ethical and responsible attitude is necessarily one of great caution.
 
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Nothing makes exposed connections safe except covering them - that is, enclosing them in an insulated box or applying insulation in the form of heat shrink tubing or electrician's tape.


If you can touch it, it can kill you. Nothing you put in the circuit will reduce that danger.


A circuit breaker isn't there to protect you. Circuit breakers are there to prevent fires. You can be electrocuted and die, and the circuit breaker will never notice enough of a current flow to trip.



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A residual current device (RCD) or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) (Residual-current device - Wikipedia) can switch off the current fast enough to save your life. That's why they are required in new houses.


If your house doesn't have GFCI or RCD installed in the circuit breaker box, then you can install an outlet with GFCI where you are working. That reduces the danger somewhat. Have it done by an electrician who knows how to do it properly.
 

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Thanks a lot for posts 4,5 and 6 ... i understand better now that this is not a safety circuit but only a current limiter not helpful at all for avoiding an electroshock Thank You ! 😱

... A residual current device (RCD) or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) (Residual-current device - Wikipedia) can switch off the current fast enough to save your life. That's why they are required in new houses...

Thanks a lot i guess the one in the picture is one of this devices ?
Can i buy one and put it before my power distribution strip and be done with it ? which of the two devices provides a higher level of safety ? RCD or GFCI ?
thanks again.
 

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RCD and GFCI are two names for the same device.


Do NOT install this yourself. Have it done by an electrician.


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An isolation transformer will protect you against touching one wire of the 240V circuit. It won't protect you against touching two wires in the 240V circuit.
 
ref. post 13

Hi thanks again. I see. Many different ways to call a same device 😱🙁
I did not intend to mod the wall socket ... just putting a RCD/GFCI between the wall socket and the distribution bar and connect it to the wall socket and the bar with wires.
I see two contacts (L,N) at the input and two (L,N) at the output with ground bypassing it ? maybe the two at the inputs will not be protected anyway ?
 
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There are outlet sockets with GFCI in them. There are GFCI breakers that install in the circuit breaker of the house.


Do not install one floating between an outlet and your circuit.


There are extension cords with a GFCI or RCD installed. If you can't have one installed in the house or the outlet, then an extension cord with it built in is better than slapping your own together.
 
You may be able to source an RCD Adaptor which plugs into the wall socket. You then plug your distribution strip into the RCD Adaptor.

The RCD should be one that disconnects the supply within 40ms when a leakage current of 30mA is detected.

The type used in the UK is shown in the attachment.
 

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Mister, be careful. An earth leakage circuit breaker may open the circuit that gives you a shock, but the latter, may still be enough of a jolt to your heart to stop it. If you happen to be alone, or if no one administers CPR to you, your brain will die in minutes.

Use the highest level of safety and treat all energized electronics with great respect.
 
An RCD/GFI will NOT protect against a human who touches both wires. The human is then a "normal load, very small" so no device will trip.

Anything much over 25V should be handled like a basket of poisonous snakes.
 
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