DSE/Tandy recall SM adaptors

Old news. They announced that recall around mid May.

** The notice is dated May 25th - never posted here before.

Have you seen it in the daily papers ??

........... Phil

I seem to recall reading it in the terrorgraph, sometime last week, hidden amongst the rest of the rubbish they call news in there...

** I was in the DSE Burwood store today and did not see any notice.

Then I was not looking for one.

Wonder how long before DSE electrocutes another customer :-(

........... Phil

Another ? have they electrocuted any already ?

Actually I hate to think of the effect of rectified and filtered mains (quite deadly) voltage on unwary fingers. (assuming these are a switchmode supply)

"KLR" "Phil Allison"

** At least one that I know of.

He died while working on a Musicolour IV kit.

His missus sued DSE - unsuccessfully as it turned out.

** All the cat. numbers in the notice refer to the "Digitor" SMPS daptors - see page 225 of the current catalogue.

You would have to be a *darn* unlucky person to get a shock if a typical transformer adaptor broke apart - but a switching one is likely to be full of exposed live conductors on the PCB.

Nasty.

............ Phil

The effect is that it *really* gets your attention. Once I was working on a partly disassembled JVC (I think) VCR while someone was chattering in my ear. When I picked it up to move it, my fingers contacted the rectified mains on the SMPS board and I sure dropped it again in a hurry! The bloke doing the talking/distracting thought it was hilarious.

Bob

KLR wrote:

"Bob Parker"

** Wot - no RCD used on your work bench ??

......... Phil

I like the Sub Directory they filed it in,

isroot ..

they left the "ed" off though ....

There always has been since that incident. In this situation I doubt that an RCD would have helped, because the VCR chassis wasn't earthed. But I refuse to work on any mains-powered gear without an RCD now.

Bob

"Phil Allis>

Got caught on a monitor many years ago, both hands & couldn't let go. Finally managed to pull out the plug with my little finger (the only one I could move). I'll never forget the smell of burning flesh. A few skin grafts later & I've learnt not to touch anything unless it's via a safety switch.

(I hate single pole mains switches, particularly when they're not wired right).

--
Australia isn't "down under", it's "off to one side"!

stanblaz@netspace.net.au
www.cobracat.com (home of the Australian Cobra Catamaran)
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cobra-cat/

"Stan Blazejewski" "Phil Allison"

** I had one similar, VERY frightening experience with a fluoro desk lamp about 30 years ago.

Never again.

.......... Phil

A RCD is of no use if your hands are across the active and neutral with no leakage to ground. Under these conditions you would simply appear to be a "load" across the supply and the current would flow through you from active to neutral, rather than from active to earth . In the former situation it would not make any difference unless you were able to establish an appreciable imbalance in current flowing in the active lead compared to the neutral lead, and the only way you could do that is to have more current flowing from active to earth than via the active to neutral circuit.

Albeit there is no doubt RCD safety switches save lives, where the current flows from and to, determines their effectiveness and if they operate at all.

Cheers, Alan

I can relate to both those very nasty experiences. I was holding a preamp vertically on its side on the bench, with one hand flat against the bare bottom cover. With my free hand I thought I was reaching for the power button on the front panel, but somehow touched the terminals of the switch itself on the inside of the front panel. It was like getting kicked in the chest by a horse, and of course this instantly broke the connection. I got only a minor burn on my finger, but I was very lucky. An RCD would have tripped if I'd used one. Now that I think back, I always used an RCD after that, so I probably was powering that VCR through one. Both happened over 12 years ago, and my memory ain't that good these days...

Bob

"Phil Allison" wrote:

less deadly than unfiltered unrectified current though

doesnt matter. thats not how they work. they cut out if Iactive- Ineutral > 30mA

"Arpit" Bob Parker

** That missing 30 mA+ has to go via another path.

........... Phil

If you don't understand a subject, don't make assumptions which make it obvious to everyone else.