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General => General Technical Chat => Topic started by: chicken on December 19, 2016, 04:03:04 pm

Title: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: chicken on December 19, 2016, 04:03:04 pm
I sure hope this LED Christmas tree passed its EMI tests.
(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/unsafe-christmas-decorations/?action=dlattach;attach=279096)

via the German magazine "Der Spiegel" that asked its readers to send in Christmas decorations at their workplace
http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/weihnachtsdekoration-am-arbeitsplatz-fotostrecke-143570.html (http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/weihnachtsdekoration-am-arbeitsplatz-fotostrecke-143570.html)
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: Towger on December 19, 2016, 04:05:05 pm
Does it plug in to the cigarette lighter socket?

Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: chicken on December 19, 2016, 04:07:57 pm
I'm pretty sure that the white cable leads to a "UL listed" wall wart.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: Halcyon on December 20, 2016, 06:42:40 am
I'm always a bit nervous around those 240v Christmas lights that plug directly into a mains socket. No plug packs, no fuses, nothing, just wire and light bulbs.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: tautech on December 20, 2016, 07:14:44 am
I sure hope this LED Christmas tree passed its EMI tests.
(https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/unsafe-christmas-decorations/?action=dlattach;attach=279096)

Cool, link sent to pilot daughter.  :)
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: Paul Moir on December 20, 2016, 07:36:10 am
I don't see the problem:  I'm sure Santa has TCAS.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: Muttley Snickers on December 20, 2016, 08:13:10 am
It's a plug and play ILS   :-+ :) :--  , she who crashes the car when parking could do with one of those on the dashboard.    ::) :-BROKE
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: station240 on December 20, 2016, 08:16:46 am
Could just be powered off a USB powerbank or AA batteries.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: rollatorwieltje on December 20, 2016, 08:39:37 am
Almost caused a fire once with one of those shitty mains LED light strings. It had a small box that controlled the blinking patterns. The mains wire had no strain relief at all, at some point it broke and shorted out, but not enough to actually trip the fuse or RCD. It went full PhotonicInduction. Good thing I was actually there, otherwise it would have set the house on fire.
No more cheap garbage mains stuff for me since then.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: KhronX on December 21, 2016, 10:51:58 am
When i read the title of this thread, i instantly thought "The entirety of bigclivedotcom's Youtube channel"  :scared:  :-DMM
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: karoru on December 21, 2016, 03:01:46 pm
I'm always a bit nervous around those 240v Christmas lights that plug directly into a mains socket. No plug packs, no fuses, nothing, just wire and light bulbs.

Do you also feel nervous about your toaster?  It's even worse as it has exposed mains-connected heating filament:) Only anti-electrocution solution is this grounded mesh that can be defeated by a badly positioned kitchen fork or simply connecting the appliance to unearthed socket.

People from electronics era are for some reason scared about any device that connects to mains directly despite it was the most common way to do anything since the beginning of electricity.
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: helius on December 21, 2016, 03:43:08 pm
I'm sure disasters involving light strings aren't very common, but correct practice is not to leave them plugged in unattended. Cut Christmas trees are capable of amazing pyrotechnics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eHBqVYa8A (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eHBqVYa8A)
Title: Re: Unsafe Christmas decorations?
Post by: Towger on December 21, 2016, 05:34:57 pm
I am amazed with the stuff I was allowed to do as a child. Shortening the length of fairy lights and plugging them into the mains.... Aged 6 or 7....  Flame throwers out of quater inch copper pipe, cotton wool and methylated spirits... Gathering the dud caps from nail guns off the ground on building sites....

I got my one and only real electric shock off those lights. One way of been taught to respect electricity at a young age.