Ok so i was experiencing a lightning storm, and suddenly i got a small shock from my laptop that i was using at the time. I could see the electricity travel from the wrist rest area to my fingertips. I am exetremly confused as to why my laptop still worked after that (shut it down, unplugged everything from it immediately ) and how i did not sustain serious injury. I would also appreciate any advice or information as to what i should do for my laptop, how is it still working, and if this covered under warranty if it stops working.

Here goes... I need another opinion other than my own. I have moved to land where only one utility meter is required. My family member gave me the opportunity to move my double wide trailer on their land and so we did. Have been living on this land with my family out of a double wide trailer. Our water hook up is one with theirs (land owners) but the electric system one only, one meter, which is connected to theirs (the main structure on the land). So, my trailer electricity is coming through with only an extension cord, which only powers the refrigerator, a couple lights and TV. The land owner charges me with water and light monthly of $280 a month (which I pay). I recently started learning about cost usage of kWh. Now I'm starting to think I'm being over charged. The land owners have a family of 12 and I'm a family of 5. Look at what the land owner and their family use during the year is way more than I use. Mind you I only run the refrigerator, couple lamps with LED bulbs, TV and starlink power. The land owner and their family have washer/dryer, refrigerator, couple window coolers (during summer), a couple of electric heaters (during winter, and other electric necessities. My question to you is, am I being ripped off??? Cause I feel like I am...

I'm going to be replacing the old ballast in a Dazor dual-18"-fluorescent lamp, because the old ballast doesn't work with LED replacement bulbs.

The new ballast I purchased probably won't fit inside the Dazor, so I may be putting it in a plastic enclosure and running wires to the bulb sockets. There are 8 wires from the ballast to the bulbs.

Would the 8 23 awg wires of an ethernet cable be sufficient to connect the ballast to the sockets? The ballast's max input current is .59A but I'm not sure what voltage and current the bulbs get.

If not would 20/8 thermostat cable work?

Kind of stupid that I even have to be asking this question, but to any electrician out there, I’m looking into finding out how much a 50ft Cat6 ethernet cable will add to my electric bill. Long story short, my roommates all are convinced this is what is causing our electric bill to be higher and I tried explaining to them my computer is not on that often and an ethernet cable of all things is very insignificant. Am I an idiot or are they all idiots? Thanks!

Hello,

In my home’s electrical installation, the circuit breaker (is called 'differencial in spanish, I have google translate the term) trips occasionally for no apparent reason. When it trips and I reset it, it stays stable for hours or even days until it trips again. An electrician replaced the circuit breaker, but after a month and a half, it started tripping again. It has even tripped at night at 5:00 AM, when the only thing connected was the refrigerator (and other appliances in standby mode like the microwave, oven, dishwasher, etc.).

From what I’ve read, it seems the problem might be in some connection or splice, but since it doesn’t trip consistently, I have no way to locate it. Do you have any ideas on how to locate this issue? (without the need to try to disconnect things for hours or days to try) I initially rule out the circuit breaker because it is new.

As I see it, as they are not a permanently trip, sound strange to me it is a connection problem.

Thank you.

So I have been dealing with a bad ground buzzing problem with my amplifiers for a while now, and I've gotten to the point where I feel uninspired to play because I cannot have fun with that constant screaming buzz.

There isn't really much that I can think to tell, but basically, my amplifier will emit a horrible buzzing when I am NOT touching the strings or other metal parts of the guitar (or even the metal chassis of the amp). This isn't a single-coil issue or something like that.

My guitar amps' wiring is admittedly not in the most virgin condition, but I have taken it to guitar center to test there and did not have the buzzing problem. This problem also happens to my bass and bass amplifier which has never been opened up to my knowledge.

The problem persists even with my relatively new Gibson Custom Shop with absolutely untouched wiring.

The cherry on top of ALL of that, when I plug in an outlet tester, the outlet shows completely normal operation. I haven't tried all the sockets in my house, but I have tried a few and haven't found a socket without the problem. Sockets I'm using are 3 prong. I admittedly don't understand electricity as well as I would like to, but I can't imagine this is an interference issue considering this seems to be triggered (or should I say UNtriggered) by me grounding myself to the guitar or amp. So I imagine it has to be something deep rooted in the house wiring, right? But then the outlet tester says "🤷", so I really am lost.

Any help and advice to get me back in a position where I can enjoy my guitar tone and hopefully record music again is greatly appreciated, thank you very much in advance.

Hi! So we're currently working on an airplane project that requires us to install lights to it aswell. In those lights include the strobe lights which are fast blinking lights on the tip of the wings that blink twice every one second and beacon lights which blinks once every 2 seconds. I would like to know how can I do this, what materials do I need to accomplish this and all that Thanks for the help!

My mattress was sagging in the middle so I lifted it up and pushed it against the wall to see if it was the bed frame causing the issue and then I realised I forgot to unplug the plugs in the sockets and the mattress had pushed one of the plugs out partially, does this wreck the socket or make it dangerous to use?

I can't identify with hole is live and witch isn't so when I connect the switch and trun the breaker on the breaker turns off emediately, any ideas to why?

Hello there! I'm new to electronics and could really use your guidance on powering my project with USB-C.

My setup

Let's suppose I want to power 20 WS2812B LEDs from a USB-C breakout board connected via USB cable to another USB port that acts as a power source. The LEDs require 5 V (which is also the default voltage provided by USB) and each LED draws about 0.06 A, totaling around 1.2 A.

My questions

1. How do I obtain the 1.2 A from the power source? I've read that USB-C negotiates voltage (and current?). Do I need to implement this negotiation in my circuit to get the desired 1.2 A?
2. If my power source is a legacy USB-A port that only supplies 0.5 A, will my circuit attempt to squeeze out 1.2 A anyway and potentially damage the port? How can I prevent this from happening?
3. I've come across breakout boards like the Adafruit HUSB238 that manage USB-C negotiation. Do they just negotiate voltage or do they handle current as well? Do I need one of these or will a regular USB-C breakout board suffice?
4. Will these specialized boards offer any protection when connected to a legacy USB-A port that only supports 0.5 A? Like limiting the current that the circuit can draw?

If you could recommend any USB-C breakout boards that would suit my needs, I would be really grateful! Thank you so much for your help!

I’m not worried that I pay for her electrical. I’m worried that it’s old wiring and the building is under-powered which makes me wonder if it’s a fire hazard.

Renters recently moved out of my rental property and I’ve noticed that, at least one is everyone, the faceplates on the electrical outlets have been removed, forcibly. I can’t seem to locate the faceplates themselves, but the screws still remain in the outlet. Is there a scam or potential issue that I should know about involving this kind of thing? Anything helps, and it’s non-urgent, unless it is and I don’t know. Thanks!

Hey everyone! I'm honestly not positive this is an electrical issue, but it seems the most likely explanation...if we could GET any explanation! Basically, on three separate occasions, within approximately a three month period, my bf and I have heard a loud sharp pop, followed by a terrible smell. The pop seemed to come from the wall, but we found no evidence of any scorched/melted electrical sockets, warm areas on the walls, smoke, etc. We were never certain of the exact location the pop originated from, just the general area. The breakers didn't trip (and they are pretty easy to trip here, if you plug in one two many things) and there was no effect on the power. The smell was the worst part. I know what burning electrical wires, etc, smell like - and this is nothing like that. It's reminiscent of natural gas to me (but we don't have gas). It's a strong, pungent, almost onion/body odor smell, with a hint of paint or some chemical. I know that sounds crazy, lol. The second time it took two or three days to air the smell out of the house. This last time it seemed to dissipate faster, or we could've just become noseblind to it. Our landlord checked everything over (including the plumbing) each time, and couldn't find any problems. He sent over an electrician the second time, who checked it all again, including the wiring in the crawlspace, and he also apparently found no issues. Nothing I've googled on my own has fit. We're at a loss. Something is happening, every couple of months, and it's frustrating to not know what or why, or whether we're in danger. Also, if anyone knows of other threads where I could repost this in search of answers, please let me know!

TL/DR: What's causing a loud pop, followed by a terrible gas-like smell, with no other obvious problems?

I’m trying to wire two motors in parallel with a dpdt switch to reverse the direction. I also want to use a potentiometer to control the speed of the motors. I think I’ve it wired correctly but it’s not working for me. Both motors are good and I’m pretty sure the switch is wired correctly (Matches dpdt wiring diagrams online).

I’ve 3v (recommended motor voltage) going to the two middle prongs of the switch, but the motors won’t turn for me.

I’m attempting to make a pottery wheel for my girlfriend and I’d really appreciate some advice with wiring as this is the final step.

Thanks

Ps. My first Reddit post!

I've lived at my flat for 13 months - it's supported housing. My energy provider (Utilita) refused/disputed the initial meter reading I was given by one of the support staff, so I've just been paying £100/month (which was brought down to ~70 or so) for the estimated usage in these 13 months. It turns out I was almost certainly given a reading from the wrong meter for that initial reading.

In August, I received a bill for an additional £900 (An additional aprx. £81/mo for the 11 months I'd lived here until then - I moved in Sept 2023). The estimated usage on this bill was close enough to the actual meter reading.

The flat is all-electric. I use the oven maybe twice a month, the (induction) hob maybe 3 or 4 times a week. The boiler runs automatically each day for an hour, and I "boost" it 3-4 times in a week. I have a small air-fryer, a toaster, microwave and a kettle, each of which I use ~2-3 times a week.

I have a PC - it's only under load for around 4hrs/day on average, but I leave it running practically 24/7. The power supply is 600W. Ryzen 5 5600, RX 6600, in case those are helpful.

I have a small space heater in my room that I use roughly 3hrs a day, but only for the last couple months, and from ~December 2023 to ~March 2024. I had a wall mounted radiator in my room but it's being replaced, and hadn't been used since around March this year as well.

I do have the final bill from the previous tennant, which indicates the initial meter reading I had was inaccurate.

So, accounting for all that - is that extra usage within the realm of possibility here? That'd mean the total bill for those 11 months would be ~£1800, or ~£163/mo.

My bill lists the first period (Sept/Oct 2023) as 52.2p/kWh, "next" (ie September 2024) at 20.2p/kWh.

If it's looking a little steep - which is what I'm hearing from everyone I've spoke to about it (except utilita themselves of course) - then would it be a fault in the meter, or my electrics in general?

I've asked the support staff to give me weekly meter readings, and I'm trying to figure out the actual energy consumption of all my appliances.

What complicates things is I'm moving out in 2 weeks. I have taken photos of everything I can for future reference - the radiator in the living room (which I've used once in the whole year), the boiler, cooker etc.

I have had correspondence with Utilita, saying I think I'm being overcharged. Anything else I could be doing to either verify or dispute it?

And is there a more appropriate subreddit I could post this in?

Hi guys,

We are experiencing intermittent power cuts and I’m trying to get a grasp of what’s going on. The issue is a ground fault, not a short circuit, as the issue is RCD(s) tripping, not MCBs.

I apologise for the long post , but I’m trying to provide all possible relevant information.

Some relevant info:

• I am based in Europe, Belgium to be more precise.

• Been living in our house for 8 years now, without any electricity issues.

• Our electricity is divided over 3 Switch Boards (SB): SB1 is the main, with MCB’s for SB2 and SB3. Each SB has a 30mA RCD. SB1 also has a 300mA RCD.

• We don’t have any electricity running outside the house.

• We have added solar panels to our system in 2023 without issues.

• We are currently in the works to renovate floor 2, and electricity works were performed in June and July.

  • When performing the works, the workers forgot to pull a cable between the hallway switches on floor 1 and 2. Meaning we were only able to switch on the hallway light on the floor itself. Of course, very unpractical if you are walking up and down the stairs at night, so we asked to add the necessary connections. An extra cable was installed and we were able to switch on lights on the floor up/down, like was the case before. The hall switches are on SB3.

• I also installed rail LEDs myself in the living room. They are rails without transformator, grounded. These lights are also on SB3.

• Shortly after, the 300mA RCD started to trip rather randomly.

Timeline:

• 26 September: new cable is installed.

• 27 September: rail LED is installed.

• 4 October, around 07h00: The 300mA RCD in SB1 and the 30mA RCD in SB3 trip. We are able to reinstate electricity immediately and all works fine for more than a week.

• 15 October, evening and night: the 300mA RCD in SB1 starts to trip without any other circuit breaker or RCD tripping. We can always reinstate electricity without any other RCD or circuit breaker tripping. Sometimes we have electricity for only 10-30 minutes, sometimes for several hours.

• 16 October: workers come by but do not find an apparent issue. Admittedly, they don’t have a Megger.

• Following days, the 300mA trips seemingly randomly in the evening and at night. We can always reinstate. I switch off the circuit breaker to SB3, where the latest changes to the system were made, assuming I could exclude if the issue was related. With SB3 off, 300mA still trips. I (wrongly?) conclude that SB3 is not the culprit. Exceptionally, the night of 17-18 October, we don’t experience a power cut.

• 18 October: the workers replace the 300mA RCD to see if maybe the RCD itself was faulty. No more power cuts for the following days.

• 23 October, 03h00: I wake up and notice we don’t have electricity (have a clock next to the bed). 300mA tripped. I reinstate electricity.

• 23 October, around 07h00: 300mA trips. I reinstate electricity. I call another electricity company who has a Megger.

• 24 October, between 15h00 and 16h00: 300mA trips. I reinstate electricity.

• 24 October, between 16h00 and 17h00: The “Megger Company” detects a leakage in SB3, on the circuit which contains the switches in the hallway and a socket in our bedroom.

  • They immediately focus on the socket which has, admittedly, a lot of extensions. After measuring different configurations, they conclude that there is nothing wrong with what is plugged in, but there is an issue on the circuit of the socket. They need to come back to visually inspect the cables. They tell me to keep the circuit breaker switched off. I have the feeling they are finding a problem which is not the cause of the 300mA tripping, as the 300mA also tripped when SB3 circuit breaker was off. They try to explain to me that this does not exclude SB3 as the culprit.

• 24 October, 18h30: 300 mA trips. I reinstate electricity.

• 24 October, 02h00: I wake up and notice we don’t have electricity. 300mA tripped. I reinstate electricity.

• 24 October, around 07h00: 300mA trips. I reinstate electricity.

• 24 October, 07h30: my son tries to switch on the lights in the hallway (whose circuit breaker is off) and trips the RCD in SB3 and the 30mA and 300mA in SB1. I can replicate this problem. I try to switch on the circuit breaker for the hall lights, but it trips the 300mA. When I switch on the circuit breaker for the lamps in the hall and then try to switch on the 300mA, the RCDs in SB3 and SB1 trip. With RCD in SB3 is off, I can switch on the 300mA.

  • Note: the hallway switch tripping the 300mA while its circuit breaker is off, does correspond to the “Megger Company” explanation that a switched off SB3 circuit breaker does not exclude it from being the culprit.

So there’s quite a bit of things going on and for some reason, during the period of the 300mA tripping, things that worked before (hallway lights) now no longer work. Why that is, I don’t understand.

What I do think I can conclude is:

• Because the cable for the hallway switch is on the same circuit as the bedroom socket, the socket seems to give leakage, but the leakage is actually in the switch.

• One of the following could be the case:

  • Our system had leakages before, but never enough to trip the system. Due to the changes and adding extra leakage, we now have the 300mA tripping. Why it happens when it happens is still a mystery to me. Could be anything. What is always “working” at some point in the night or morning: the heating system and two fridges.

  • Our system did not have losses before, and they are all to blame on the latest changes. But that would not really explain why the system seems to work in between power cuts.

What are the thoughts of people with more expertise than myself? I’m trying to get a grasp on what’s going on, as I obviously want to prevent as much as possible opening up walls and ceilings looking for the cause. Many advanced thanks!

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Hello,

I've drawn up a quick electrical plan for my project.

I'd like some advice on how to improve its reading or even its logic.

I mainly use two-way switches and simple switches.

I'm not trying to make a technically detailed plan of the lights, just to simplify it and make it easy to read.

Thanks in advance for your help :)

https://preview.redd.it/2zqab9710cwd1.png?width=1211&format=png&auto=webp&s=0eebbe08511b72345519ae2dbd901801d44bbd46

What would happen if i tased a tomato? A pumpkin? A watermelon? Would it explode?

Asking for my coworker.

Hie everyone, I'm exploring the possibility of building a supercritical geothermal power plant in Canada. I'm excited about the potential for clean, renewable energy, but I'm also facing some challenges when it comes to selling the electricity produced.

I'm wondering if anyone here has experience with selling electricity from renewable energy sources. Are there any specific strategies or tips you can share?

Here are some of the questions I'm considering:

Location: Are there other countries or regions that might offer more favorable to that kind of projects

Domestic vs. International Markets: Which markets would be the most lucrative for selling geothermal electricity from Canada?

Government Policies and Incentives: Are there any government programs or incentives that can help support this project?

Energy Trading Platforms: Are there any reliable energy trading platforms that I can use to sell my electricity?

Challenges and Pitfalls: What are some of the potential challenges or pitfalls I should be aware of?

Any advice or insights would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Hey people, winter is almost here and im looking to find a cheep way to heat my room, i live on a rented apartment and i dont want heating in the whole house, my room is around 10 square meters and im curious is these IR Heating Pannels are eficient, also can electronics be affected by them? Like the TV and Laptops?

If anyone here dealed with these stuff please let me know! I found a 800W pannel that can heat a 15 square meter room and i want o buy it bute also i wana make sure is not a waste of time!

Hello Everyone!

I'm looking for a constant 14v 40amp charger that does not have automatic shut-off/non-smart. Just charges continuously without limitations/auto-off toggle. Is there such thing?

I'm trying to simulate a charging 14v output battery from a tractor that plugs in into a 2-way prong on a trailer. The trailer has an inventer that only accepts 13.8-14.8v input continously. Anything outside of the range will not activate the trailer's charging system.

Any product suggestion would be appreciated =)

My husband bought a couple of those "home energy saving" devices. I think they are a scam. My research has given me equal answers on both sides. So, once and for all, are they bogus or not? Thank you.

Hello, I need to move a large CRT around. I was thinking placing it on a large cotton bath towel and dragging it.Is that safe or should be concerned about static? The TV is a panasonic TC-29V26A 240V.

I am not electrically savvy at all.

I want to power an electric coffee percolator in my truck. My truck came with a built in 115V AC 400W “wall outlet”. While the coffee percolator I have says that it is 120V AC only 60Hz 800W.

Can someone give me guidance as to what kind of power inverter I need to be able to make some dang coffee?

What could you advice me to improve in electricity? I really need help