Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Project #147 - subassembly B42X: I Hate 120V

front panel
back panel
OK, I'm building a laser show. Yes, a 1970's psychedelic laser show. Because I Can.
Anyway, this is my least favourite part - wiring 120V AC. It's easy, sure - there are only two wires - instant death and not instant death. Or at the very least large popping crackily sparks and instantly fried electronics with smoke and fire and me using four letter words I don't normally use in polite company. See, I've screwed up 120V before and it's not fun. I've worked with household wiring that's been incorrectly done and I've gotten shocked. I've destroyed perfectly good appliances trying to fix them. There's a reason it says "no user servicable parts inside" - it means "instant searing pain/death to those who enter and touch the wrong thing".
But I do it - very, very carefully. This seems to work. My voltmeter told me the numbers I wanted to see and there were no sparks/flames/smelly smoke/me writhing on the ground. A coworker sees me with all these wires and says "You know where all those wires go? You're a lot smarter than I am".... no, just too cheap to hire an electrician.

1 comment:

Sean Lavery said...

Oh, how silly of me. Did you notice, however, the blue and the brown wire? The green, stripy wire connected right to the case is a dead giveaway.