I'll also echo the remarks about these simple direct-mains-powered circuits being non-isolated, and thus you should exercise caution and isolate any user-accessible parts
Whole laminator has a plastic outer casing: there's an aluminimium bar inside it going across the rollers, if it went live it could in theory transmit to any copper clad board going through it but it has mains going to power resistors on it for the heating anyway. I'll test it with the casing on at any rate
The input clamp diodes on PICs are sufficiently well-spec'd that they could probably be used both for powering it and as a triac trigger at the same time
Mind I'm using an AVR ATTiny13
I trust them about as far as I can throw them. Which to be fair is about 30 meters so that's not as bad as it sounds.
eneuro, kingofkya, amyk
will check your links tonight - at work just now and the firewall is blocking them xD
Most importantly, what is the best way to probe the circuit with my multimeter while keeping myself at arms length? I dont have crocodile leads rated to 250V which basically leaves me with my standard Fluke TL71 probes - do I just have to bite the bullet and get in there manually? Ideally I shouldn't have to touch the 230V coming off mains, but at the same time what if I wire it wrong - better safe than sorry! (And better sorry than dead - at least in most circumstances)
Thank you all for your help by the way! I'll get a few circuit diagrams up tonight for "approval" xD