Difficulty with the home made lightbox

[JamesD]

True True!


Nico be careful of what you wish for. Go look at the movie "Walmart - The high cost of low prices"




James is that last post a joke? I can't tell. It's so far wrong that I think it's a deliberate windup. If it is a joke then I'm sorry for the following:

James be very careful around electricity and get a professional to do it for you because "a little knowledge is a bad thing". You have a little knowledge of "Voltage difference" and electricity in general and now you're misguiding people as to what it is and how it works. No offense James and I don't mean to trash your efforts but electricity is a serious subject and if you don't know what you're on about then ssshhhh. You're outright wrong in much of what you've stated above and I can't help myself from putting it bluntly "You haven't a fcuking clue!" For your own sake stay away from it and for the sake of others stop giving advice on the matter.

I've been an electronics technician for eight years. I've installed, maintained, repaired, and certified air traffic control systems and equipment, including radars, communication systems, and navigational aids, used in both the US National Airspace and overseas. I've been permanantly stationed overseas in Germany and South Korea, and temporarily in other locations. I've set up systems using tactical generators producing power at 120, 240, and 360 VAC, at both 60 Hz and 400 Hz. I've also set up power converters for producing these voltages from a 60Hz mains voltage (not many mains in the world run at 400Hz... more an old Navy thing).

This is a portion of my qualifications, because I don't have all day.

Current capacity: The maximum amount of current a conductor can carry, determined by gage of wire used.

Current draw: The amount of current drawn by an electric circuit. I = E / Z

Both of these will also be defined in any (very basic) book on electrical theory and practice. And most home improvement books.

If you trace the neutral lead it's source, you will find that it is (or should be) grounded at several locations, specifically including the distribution panel, which is accessable for inspection if you'd like to. In consumer installations, this is usually a chassis ground (and the chassis is simultaneously grounded directly to earth via the stanard 8-ft copper-clad rod). If your intent was to suggest being unable to develop the required voltage from a grounded lead, I'll point out that an earth ground is a low resistance path for vagrant electrons, so that they go to IT rather than through you.

Check your NEC before you start telling me what sort of clues I lack.

Not all line-line is 240 V (ie one phase, split, so the two 'phases' are in exact antiphase) in the USA - some is 208 V (ie line-line from two phases that are not in exact antiphase), but for both systems line-neutral is indeed 120 V (RMS volts, not peak volts), not 60 V or 50 V.

As nossie says, check with a local electrician when in any doubt, not with someone on the web.

Best,
Helen

You're right (figures that I would forget that these are RMS, not peak values...). And the most important part is the last sentence, both for safety and because the law (at least everywhere I've been) requires it.