We would like to make a glowing costume with EL wires.
What happens if a wire breaks and the body gets in contact with the EL power supply?
EL wire power supply and broken wire with body contact
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Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.
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Hooverhoover
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adafruit_support_mike
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Re: EL wire power supply and broken wire with body contact
There's very little risk of injury.
EL wire uses a 1kHz AC signal at around 90-100v and 5-10mA. Any voltage over 30v is potentially dangerous, but the current is only around the level where a person can feel it.
Mechanically, it's very difficult to break a piece of EL wire in a way that presents a physical risk. The core wire (coated with EL dye) is large and relatively strong, and is electrically connected to GND. There's no risk from touching that directly. The exciter wire (which carries the potentially hazardous voltage) is extremely narrow.. it's commonly referred to as 'angel hair'. Its strength is probably comparable to a spiderweb.
The exciter wire is encased in a plastic sheath, and there's usually at least one more layer of sheathing around that. The mechanical properties of the combined wires and layers of plastic makes it very unlikely that a break would expose the exciter wire and the core in a way that could make contact with a person's skin. It's far more likely for the exciter wire to break within the sheath, and the wire will simply stop glowing without presenting any safety risk.
The wires that carry power from the interter to the wire itself are larger and (somewhat) more likely to break in a way that exposes the ends of both conductors in a way that can come into contact with a person's skin, but there's still very little risk. The exposed ends are more likely to short to each other, and if you do receive a shock from the wires, the current path through the skin will be fairly short, and most likely pass through an extremity.
To present a safety risk, you'd have to separate the inverter wires so they come into contact with the skin on opposite sides of a person's chest, and even then it would only present a significant risk to someone who already has heart problems or an artificial pacemaker.
Don't do that.
EL wire uses a 1kHz AC signal at around 90-100v and 5-10mA. Any voltage over 30v is potentially dangerous, but the current is only around the level where a person can feel it.
Mechanically, it's very difficult to break a piece of EL wire in a way that presents a physical risk. The core wire (coated with EL dye) is large and relatively strong, and is electrically connected to GND. There's no risk from touching that directly. The exciter wire (which carries the potentially hazardous voltage) is extremely narrow.. it's commonly referred to as 'angel hair'. Its strength is probably comparable to a spiderweb.
The exciter wire is encased in a plastic sheath, and there's usually at least one more layer of sheathing around that. The mechanical properties of the combined wires and layers of plastic makes it very unlikely that a break would expose the exciter wire and the core in a way that could make contact with a person's skin. It's far more likely for the exciter wire to break within the sheath, and the wire will simply stop glowing without presenting any safety risk.
The wires that carry power from the interter to the wire itself are larger and (somewhat) more likely to break in a way that exposes the ends of both conductors in a way that can come into contact with a person's skin, but there's still very little risk. The exposed ends are more likely to short to each other, and if you do receive a shock from the wires, the current path through the skin will be fairly short, and most likely pass through an extremity.
To present a safety risk, you'd have to separate the inverter wires so they come into contact with the skin on opposite sides of a person's chest, and even then it would only present a significant risk to someone who already has heart problems or an artificial pacemaker.
Don't do that.
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iacoco
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Fri May 03, 2013 12:27 pm
Re: EL wire power supply and broken wire with body contact
Hi.
What about if we talk about high brightness ElWire with Lihitum battery?
I suppose they carry more current.
What about if we use them in bike helmets during rain?
Thanks.
What about if we talk about high brightness ElWire with Lihitum battery?
I suppose they carry more current.
What about if we use them in bike helmets during rain?
Thanks.
Please be positive and constructive with your questions and comments.