Inside an American emergency light (with schematic).

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This American style LED emergency light was sent by Andy for exploration. It's very neat, I like it. That might be because it's so different from the normal UK versions and has a certain "American appeal" to it.
The design is simple and functional, and the choice of red LEDs means that it should put in a good long service life. Changing the battery pack is easy and the circuitry is simple, so it should last a long time if the transformer runs cool.
The transformer is tapped for 120V and 277V for use with standard supplies or the higher voltage lighting circuits. Make sure you always insulate unused taps on transformers as explained in the video.
The case has no screws and just snaps together which is an interesting approach.
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.co...
This also keeps the channel independent of RU-vid's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

Опубликовано:

28 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 521

@themaritimegirl 5 лет назад

277V was popular for fluorescent light fixtures because in the days of magnetic ballasts, you could wire individual fixtures to the three phases of a 480V 3P system, and collectively reduce the effect of the lamps strobing at mains frequency. It not only reduced eye strain, but was a safety enhancement for fluorescent-lit workplaces with machines that could possibly be mistaken for not running due to the strobing of fixtures on a single phase.

@SaberTail 5 лет назад

In the USA, we use 480V 3-phase in a lot of industrial applications (presumably because 120V isn't good for delivering industrial levels of power). 277V happens to be the phase-to-neutral voltage of a 480V three phase. So that's why it's often used for industrial lighting; it doesn't require an extra transformer beyond what's already being used.

@gothroachkinski754 5 лет назад

Was going to add this myself - most office buildings are 208v 3P 4W, so lighting is typically 120v. Industrial settings for the most part these days are 480v 3P 4W, so 277v makes sense in that case - no extra components needed.

@joe72205 5 лет назад

Also more suitable for multi-thousand-foot runs in parking lots and warehouses due to the higher voltage

@johnfrancisdoe1563 5 лет назад

TailSaber Those are the same reasons most of the world runs on 400V 3P, which gives 230V phase to neutral or on 220V phase to neutral which gives 380V phase to phase. Britain was the odd one with 240V/415V . Unlike the US, none of us bothered with split phase after switching from DC to AC, as proper 3 phase has so many advantages even for household appliances like washing machines, plus it used to be common having small industries and homes mixed in each neighborhood, so would be impractical to use separate grids,

@roderickwhitehead 5 лет назад

277 V lighting branch circuits can have more fixtures for the given ampacity of the wire. Less voltage drop on long runs (such as parking lots) as well.

@dunzerkug 5 лет назад

We use 480V 3P because of current draw, voltage determine insulation, current determines how big your wire will be, reduce the voltage you can use smaller (cheaper) wire. There are also 575V motors so they can use 600v insulated wire and still have room for boosting voltage to do VD compensation.

@BenjaminEsposti 5 лет назад

That's the type I was talking about in the other comment section, the type with the 277V transformer. As someone else said here, the 277V tap allows this to be used in installations where there is 480V three phase. (277V from phase to neutral) 480V three phase is fairly common in large industrial or commercial buildings.

@petersage5157 2 года назад

I love a well-laid-out circuit board. Someone clearly took some pride in this layout! It reminds me of turret board construction.

@rogersmith9808 5 лет назад

Years ago I worked in a 3/4 star hotel as a "maintenance technician", (AKA engineering technician). As I was new to the field, I began as what was referred to as an "Engineer 1" then later on after I had learned more, I was promoted to an "Engineer 2". Ultimately, I was made the "Room Care Tech." (someone who's primary job was to refurbish both guest rooms and conference rooms to tip-top shape by repairing anything maintenance related). So... as I was learning my trade, I learned that in my particular hotel we didn't actually have 220 or 240VAC (the old industry norm.) but rather we had 120 and 208VAC. I was told the reason that many businesses or industrial buildings were converted or otherwise spec'd to 208VAC was the fact that the power grid in the US is becoming so overloaded they were backing the "industrial norm." to 208VAC to lighten the load on the grid. If a business really wanted or needed 220 or 240 they had to pay out the nose for it. During my time there, I found that most things that were designed for 220 or 240 would usually work just fine at 208. I enjoyed that job because I worked with some good people who taught me a lot. I just thought I'd pass that on as some FYI about American power grid voltages. Keep up the great work, Clive!! 🍻

@AThreeDogNight 5 лет назад

Yes Roger Smith I remember those days real well. I worked for Holiday Inn the same place two times for 6 months each but that was all that I could handle of it from all of the boredom after repairing everything that needed caught up. A boring lonely job that is, especially on the night shift.

@koitk 5 лет назад

In UK do you now have Brexit signs?

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

Now there's an idea for a project.

@kensmith5694 5 лет назад

@@bigclivedotcom But the engineer who designs it has to leave and then it goes "Bang" Backwards electrolytics way under their rated voltage will give you exactly the right amount of time for the boss to arrive before they go bang. I know because I did that experiment.

@hgbugalou 5 лет назад

Ba dum tiss

@kevtris 5 лет назад

we have a very similar exit light at work, but it had a few more transistors on it. After reverse engineering it, 2 of the transistors formed an SCR (cross-connected) so that when the device is shipped, the battery is connected, but the LEDs do not light. Once power is applied for the first time, the "SCR" is triggered and the LEDs light, and will continue to light when power is disconnected. Disconnecting the battery will reset the battery "freshness seal"

@DerekMartell 5 лет назад

Right. Our transformers are out in front of your house. 'Round here it's 2 houses to a box.

@JohnOConnor1005 5 лет назад

277v is nothing. In Canada we have a terrifyingly high voltage of 347/600V for our lighting systems. Always fun sniffing out a broken neutral.

@StreuB1 5 лет назад

Ontario!!! I have designed machines to go into those installs. PITA to be honest!! 330/575/3ph delta is the official designation for 4W and 575/3 for 3W delta. Typically just called a "600v" system. Still its a real pain for equipment designers like myself. Thats where we push off the distribution transformation of voltage onto the customer and supply a normal 120/1 system.

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

Many years ago I fixed shipboard RADARs for a living. The bridge display units had 600V DC at multiple points and I took shocks to the hands many times. At 600V the arc burns a perfect pin-sized hole into the skin right to the bone. Didn't actually hurt too much and after a day it will close over and then swell up a bit. LOL

@kraio-sfu 5 лет назад

Martin Green That is terrifying

@drkastenbrot 5 лет назад

@@kraio-sfu as someone who loves to play with pulsed high voltage and also high frequency tesla coils, i can assure you that there is worse. You can get a shock with the skin effect, which will basically cause a really large wide burn without the feeling of getting shocked. the pain comes much later.

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

@@drkastenbrot - You should probably point out that "skin effect" is not so named because it burns human skin, but is actually the tendency of very high frequency electricity to flow most heavily at the outer edges of the conductor. The higher the frequency, the more the current is pushed outward, to the point that at the frequencies used in RADAR and Tesla coils, you can actually cut out the middle of the conductor (saving copper and weight) without reducing the ability of that wire to carry the current since the wire core wasn't really carrying current anyway. I've never played with Tesla coils, but I have a mental image of super high frequency/voltage flowing through the outer millimeter or so of my flesh without affecting the inner tissues. Yikes.

@PeterOekvist 5 лет назад

You were inside an exit sign. The paradox are complex... 👍

@cmfrancis1 5 лет назад

I think the extra capacitor is to keep the the battery from activating when the ac line crosses zero. There is a smoothing capacitor on the other side of the rectifier diodes, but you can still see the LEDs pulsing a bit when run on AC power.

@umxrr8677 3 года назад

That's correct!

@pileggitech 5 лет назад

I took one of these apart around five years ago. The unit I had was exactly the same although I never got around to reverse engineer it. Thanks for uploading this video and finally putting my curiosity to bed!

@rfdave3980 4 года назад

Awesome Clive CAD drawings. Keep up the channel enjoy so much.

@PixelatedH2O 5 лет назад

I like the graphic of the European sign, especially since it makes it easier to understand for those who can't read. However, I feel there's much more simplicity in the visual design of the American sign which also makes it fairly clear. I also think the red is a better color for the purpose.

@Peter_S_ 5 лет назад

Your eyes are roughly 20 times more sensitive to green photons as they are to red photons, thus the change. Also, in the case of fire the green will be seen as a sign rather than possibly confused for a spot of flame.

@PixelatedH2O 5 лет назад

@@pingumcping never seen them in the US, only European media so didn't know that

@BenjaminEsposti 5 лет назад

IMHO, they should have used blue (or a blue-green) because most colorblindness is green or red. But then again, men are affected more often by it, so it wouldn't surprise me if the agencies don't care. I'm going to miss the red exit signs though, they always stood out more than the green ones, in my opinion. (and I'm not colorblind) But that might also be due to my interest in engineering and/or design, where green means "good" (I guess you could say though, the exit is a "good" place to go? XD)

@aldorahdo6476 5 лет назад

@@pingumcping we fucking NUKED Japan! Why the fuck should we have to adopt their signs?

@SuperAWaC 5 лет назад

@@pingumcping we use the running man ones in the usa too. in both red and green. it just depends on where you are. places have different fire codes and laws. i know state sovereignty has become hard to understand when you have your eu parliament dictatorship unilaterally handing down laws to you for your own good.

@xeroinfinity 5 лет назад

my apartment building just replace all their old Exit signs with these new LED signs. I grabbed the old ones and scrapped the transformers and circuits. It literally took them 2 hrs just to install one sign! I dont know if maintenance was having trouble installing them, or just milking the job. Thanks for sharing the new ones I didnt really get to see inside these.

@HIDLad001 Год назад

In the US we have a couple different kinds of 3 phase power, 208Y/120V, 480Y/277V, and 120/208/240 high leg Δ, as well as 480Δ (these are the 4 I know, but there are probably more). That is why the transformer has a 277 volt tap on it.

@chr0mius 5 лет назад

I love the way Clive ends the videos. Doesn't reference all the other videos he wants us to watch. No like and subscsribe. No 30 second fade out. Just business.

@magomat6756 5 лет назад

Its a good idea to cover off every wire that is not in use always

@BenHelweg 5 лет назад

I think the floating lines is a bit of a ridiculous idea. Surely they could have had some binding posts or something and if you want to wire up to either of the windings you can, without a hazardous thing flapping around.

@ivan_dramaliev 3 года назад

@@BenHelweg Or both wires could have come capped right out of the box, letting the user uncap whichever one is going to be used.

@umxrr8677 3 года назад

Its weird how he left the wire there, he should have cut and taped it. Was he certified to do the job?

@heronimousbrapson863 5 лет назад

In Canada, many commercial buildings, apartment buildings, etc. are wired on a 120/208 three phase scheme, or on some sort of intermediate voltage such as 277/480 or 347/600. Where intermediate voltages are used (mostly commercial buildings), as many loads as possible are wired on this intermediate voltage, however, transformers are still needed as there are still a few 120 volt loads to be supplied.

@technodruid 3 года назад

Red lights are to help navigate in darkness. The light doesn't effect the dilation of your pupils so if you were to go into a hallway that is pitch black, you can see the signs clearly and still see surrounding area so you don't trip.

@mysock351C 5 лет назад

Wouldn't normally think that its essentially an auto-transformer. Definitely worth noting...

@Peter_S_ 5 лет назад

Those little 120/277V transformers are marvelous for building Cockroft-Walton ionizers.

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

I've toyed with whether they could be used like that. Theoretically a small secondary load like an indicator LED would help with primary coupling too.

@phils4634 5 лет назад

Nifty gadget! We have a similar design in our local Hospitals (with green lettering rather than red). Ours are designed for 240V operation only though.

@trickster721 5 лет назад

It's a misnomer or misunderstanding that US residential power has 230V across two "phases", we have transformers with one distribution phase and two 115V secondary windings, one turning in the opposite direction, to create two "poles".

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

Relative to GND the two sides of a North American power installation are indeed 180 degrees out of phase, but it's really just one 220V phase with a center tap.

@BenjaminEsposti 5 лет назад

Technically you could call it "two phase" but usually it is referred to as "center tapped," or in the case of being connected to circuit breakers and such, "two pole." (Two "hot"/live wires) The reason why "two phase" is not correct is, there were older power distribution systems that used two phase, *90* degrees apart, thus making it easy to run motors. Of course, if the loads are not balanced, the phasing will be off, so the circuit won't work well (possibly even overheating the motor!). So, it wasn't very popular.

@russellhltn1396 5 лет назад

I prefer the term "split phase".

@heronimousbrapson863 5 лет назад

trickster721 Technically, it's called "split phase".

@igfoobar 5 лет назад

There is no such thing as 110 volts or 115 volts in North America. Standard line voltage is 120/240 single phase or 120/208Y three phase. Commercial buildings are often fed with 277/480Y three phase, in which case the 277 volts is often used for longer lighting runs with less copper, while one or more transformers step it down to 120/208 for standard loads. You will NEVER see 110, 115, 220, or 230 volt mains in the United States.

@timwhite8500 5 лет назад

I like it. Elegant in its simplicity. Even the PCB looks to be designed to use minimal etching. No switchmode PSU rubbish either

@kensmith5694 5 лет назад

Chances are the transformer costs less. An isolated switcher still needs a transformer.

@annoloki 5 лет назад

Two transistors - considering the point of the transistors is only to reduce the resistance in the circuit (the 33ohm resistor plus the two diodes) that the battery current has to go through to light the LEDs (after all, if you remove those transistors, the battery will still light the LEDs, but dimly) that might be a clue that it's to reduce the resistance further... that the chosen transistors have too high a voltage drop across, but this value is halved by putting two in parallel, allowing the battery to light the LEDs brighter, and warm the transistor less... IOW, it's a cost issue or something, a single transistor at the right spec may cost more than two cheaper transistors that will reach the spec by team effort.

@Seegalgalguntijak 5 лет назад

The US light is just like the display screens on German airports. They light up once they're connected, no matter whether the airport is online or not. Thus, this summer, they found out that at the BER airport of desaster, all the screens will have to be replaced before the airport is even in use, just because they've reached their end of life displaying nothing at all. I wish I knew where the trash bin for those "old" new screens is sitting...

@igfoobar 5 лет назад

I disassembled one of these (in the US) in the 1980's. Back then they had two sets of incandescent bulbs inside - a pair of 120 volt tubes for normal use, and a pair of 12 volt automotive bulbs that had to be connected to an emergency lighting circuit.

@kensmith5694 5 лет назад

Many industrial buildings in the US run the lighting off the 3 phase power. This is the reason for the slightly odd optional voltage input.

@Bodragon 5 лет назад

I remember back in the late seventies, when I was completing my electricians' "apprenticeship", these signs becoming standardised in colour and form. I think this was due to EC conformity (but I may not be entirely correct here). We (as students), were told that the signs were now to all be green, due to each language having a different word for: "EXIT". And green means *"GO"* as opposed to red, which universally, means: *"STOP"* (At least as far as I am aware). This made total sense to me then, as it still does now, and I cannot understand why this red colour, (or should that be color?), continues to predominate in American emergency exit signs today. In fact, the standardised European emergency exit sign no longer employs the word "EXIT" but features a graphic of a running biped in a particular direction accompanied by an arrow should the direction of the running figure prove a little distracting for those of a thoughtful and contemplative nature.

@St0rmcrash 5 лет назад

Outside of traffic applications the use of traffic colors in other applications is usually a code for severity rather than permissiveness. In that context Green often meant OK/normal while Red indicates Emergency and was considered conspicuous and attention grabbing. Though several states in the US do recommend or require Green Exit signs rather than Red, but the legend on it is still the word EXIT rather than the ISO pictogram

@jgroenveld1268 5 лет назад

New Zealand like Canada has officially moved from the green "EXIT" signs to the running man. Older installations are grandfathered in but cannot be used in new installations.

@raymondmucklow3793 5 лет назад

I really like it when you not only tell us but show us the differences from the UK and USA. I've heard 2 reasons why North America uses 110v volt 1 is the Edison and Tesla rival and amount of copper needed and number of substations to run DC the other reason was recent from AvE he said this major copper mine was producing so much copper they pushed to run 110v( SMALLER VOLTAGE THICKER wire) but if that was the case why didn't we go with DC. I know Edison zapped the baby elephant in public to show teslas electricity was bad. Edison was a dark dude.

@mysock351C 5 лет назад

No complaints here about only having 110. Been shocked more times than I care to admit, one being grabbing a metal pull chain on a light fitting that had become live, while I was bare-foot. Interesting situation to actually let go. Had to wait for the zero crossing before I could open my hand.

@mysock351C 5 лет назад

Also the choice to stay away from DC was simple: Voltage drop and transformers. That was the major downfall of DC was that it could not be stepped up or down. Even with thick transmission lines it was still an issue. With AC voltage drop is handled nowadays by multi-tap transformers at substations. As the load changes, different taps are selected to handle under and overvoltages.

@FreeOfFantasy 5 лет назад

you want high voltages for long range transports and high power applications. You don't want that for local installations. Transformers are easy and cheap. Basically the only way back in the day to change DC voltages was a motor/generator pair.

@dr666demento 5 лет назад

@@FreeOfFantasy As ukezi said AC is much more efficient at moving high voltage/high amperage at distance. DC loses much more power beyond about 100 ft./30m.

@e.m.grimoire9778 5 лет назад

@@dr666demento beyond 300km HVDC transmission is more efficient.

@SueBobChicVid 5 лет назад

Thanks Andy. I was hoping we'd see one of these.

@stargazer7644 5 лет назад

Oh Clive, you didn't just say that we in the US get 240 by going across two phases, did you? We have single phase power in residences in the US. It is 240V, single phase, center tapped with two 120V legs. You get 120V from each of the two hots to neutral (yes, the white is neutral, not "common".), and 240V across the two hots. It is single phase. Not two phase.

@garbleduser 5 лет назад

Is Andy Photonic Induction?

@Chaoddity 5 лет назад

that story was a very good cautionary tale.

@tylerkelley2881 5 лет назад

I've never understood why exit signs in the US are red. The color red has a negative connotation which seems like the exact opposite of what you would want for something that is supposed to lead you to safety. And in the case of a fire, the sign wouldn't stand out near as much against the flames as a green sign.

@heronimousbrapson863 5 лет назад

Tyler Kelley Perhaps the reason exit signs are gradually being changed to green, with the running man on them.

@LeSarthois 5 лет назад

Well, it make sense in the context that other fire-related equipment is red. I don't think they'll make green fire extinguisher since green "extinguishers" already exist (they are portable showers to be used for cleaning chemicals from people's faces and body).

@toxlaximus3297 5 лет назад

Hmmm, the led's on the sign only started to flicker when the power was connected, is there a way to stop flicker with stuff connected to mains?

@mikecowen6507 5 лет назад

Tox Laximus Maybe don't use 60Hz equipment on 50hz with low voltage? You won't drain the filter cap so easily.

@braeburnhilliard8340 5 лет назад

That looks like the Lithuania emergency exit light. They come in green and red and are usually pretty cool lights. I've installed many of those over the years on both 120 volt and 277 volt.

@fillg 5 лет назад

Looks like autocorrect turned your "Lithonia" into "Lithuania" :)

@braeburnhilliard8340 5 лет назад

@@fillg lol... Silly Autocorect strikes again!

@the_clockwork_jackass6897 5 лет назад

In America we have 3 phase, 2 phase and high voltage I can't tell you much about the three phase right now, but I know that the two phase is in everybody's houses and operates in 120 volts AC and high power is 220 for things like clothes dryers and stoves Wikipedia's definition for 3 phase: Three-phase electric power is a common method of alternating current electric powergeneration, transmission, and distribution.[1] It is a type of polyphase system and is the most common method used by electrical gridsworldwide to transfer power. It is also used to power large motors and other heavy loads. A three-wire three-phase circuit is usually more economical than an equivalent two-wire single-phase circuit at the same line to ground voltage because it uses less conductor material to transmit a given amount of electrical power.[2] Polyphase power systems were independently invented by Galileo Ferraris, Mikhail Dolivo-Dobrovolsky, Jonas Wenström, John Hopkinson and Nikola Teslain the late 1880s.

@heronimousbrapson863 5 лет назад

Etham Cohoon What you call "two phase" is actually "split phase". Actual two phase is an obsolete system used in the early 20th century. It consisted of two single phase circuits 90 degrees out of phase with each other.

@DMSparky 5 лет назад

As a Canadian I haven't installed anything but the green running man in years. I don't think these meet building code.

@CentralStateHyan 5 лет назад

That light color is very close to Portland orange (the color seen on the 'stop' hand on a crosswalk here in the US). Then again, could be the yellowing of my screen. Either way...

@stepheneyles2198 5 лет назад

Watched all the way to the end and you didn't tell us what the three diodes in the centre of the board were for... I want my money back!! :-D

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

As an English ex-pat who was moved to Ontario Canada when I was almost 8 years old, I grew up with American-style red EXIT signs. In 2005 I worked a 9-month contract in Denver Colorado, and was really surprised to find that ALL the EXIT signage was international green in colour. What really caught my attention though (and maybe this is normal in UK/Europe too but it's not in Canada) is that the signs are mounted at floor level in hallways and corridors. This is so they remain visible if you need to find your way out under a hanging smoke cloud.

@LeSarthois 5 лет назад

I don't think it's normal in Europe. I replaced a few units (and kept a few for myself , heh) and they are always (in France) at "over the door" level. there is a maximum distance for them to be set up (no more than 25 meters between two units if I remember right) but I never heard nor seen a requirement for being visible at floor level. I remember reading about international versions, and European ones are either outputting more light or working longer, I don't remember which. Supposedly European emergency lights must work at least one hour. (I got old, lead based models with a fluorescent light and it's about that; LED based ones seems to last more, almost 2 hours). On the technical side, Euro ones connect on 230 volts, and on a 12Volt line for testing and/or possibly centralized/extra 12V independant power supply.

@brendancarlson1678 5 лет назад

Can you put one of those on the outside of your front door?

@noakeswalker 5 лет назад

Nice reverse eng. The cap on the base of the transistors might be just to hold them off after power fail for a short time - though I still can't see a good reason to do that from your cct. I like the way you had a stab at what wavelength the leds are Clive - very good ! ( I just checked, and yeah, 640nm looks a good guess - very orange-y)

@johnrehwinkel7241 5 лет назад

The board looks like it has positions for T1-3/4 LEDs alongside the "piranha" style ones mounted. However, it looks like there are only positions for 5 of them. Are they just wired in parallel with the other patterns?

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

I noticed that. They share the same resistors, so presumably are an alternative to the square superflux LEDs. If you look at the superflux pads you'll see there are a pair of pads for standard LEDs in the same location.

@westonmook7280 5 лет назад

Something else neat about red lights is that when it's dark and you look at them it doesn't affect your night vision

@zx8401ztv 5 лет назад

A very neat and clever design, double pnp transistors give less vdrop when on, i would have thought :-D

@Mikey8567 5 лет назад

Clive you made a little mistake on the colors. At @7:20 you called the white common wire "Black". Oppps

@PinBallReviewerRepairs 5 лет назад

Woo a little bit of home. Or at least some states electronics. ;)

@bernrudolph2422 5 лет назад

We have them in Canada also, unless you mean North America, then, yea.

@RimWulf 5 лет назад

Could you give us a visual/illustration of the story? I'm having trouble visualizing it.

@steampunkskunk3638 5 лет назад

A red exit sign, never seen them in red. Here in Australia they have to be green.

@stephenbelcher Год назад

Great Shot: Exit” Sign Clive✍️✌️😃

@Furiends 5 лет назад

That is such a sad story. It's worth reminding people though wearing gloves helps a lot. It's saved my life at least once. Plus AC detectors are fairly cheap. You don't have to wear gloves all the time but holy fuck if people are saying they are being shocked proceed with caution.

@thegothicking6221 5 лет назад

When I went to New York on holiday earlier on in October I saw these around most parts of America they are very different to our ones in the United Kingdom

@jeffreyhebert5604 5 лет назад

more cowbells..I need more cowbells...I mean fairly lights...lol...old joke...just being corny...good job sir

@HiSmartAlarms 5 лет назад

No offense but ISO exit signs in the U.K. Or aka the running man suck. I love our American exit signs. They are very simplistic and easy to read quickly. The mounting bracket is also known as a canopy also that's pretty rare because it has a earth most do not. Also please look at an American emergency light.

@robt2151 5 лет назад

Green running man = gents' toilet (Ladies don't run)! Here the local fire inspectors have mandated edge-lit panels with "EXIT" in green letters and even though 'exit' is not in the local language that seems to be the local standard, at least since joining the EU.

@singeslayer8367 5 лет назад

loose live wires are always great fun

@steuk6510 5 лет назад

When a lightning fitting failed and fell down I went to consumer unit swirched power off. Then fixed it I thought safety first. Then got my work light. And fixed it replaced it. I uster work with my dad long tiime ago from. 4 years old. Mate. Safety first

@AndyMarsh 5 лет назад

Would certainly not pass IEC regs for a number of reasons.... just one would be cell reversal protection. Under discharge the LED must cut off before 1V per cell is reached.

@beefchicken 5 лет назад

And yet they somehow magically work.

@AndyMarsh 5 лет назад

@@beefchicken It's an interestingly different approach to safety. I'd like to find a copy of UL-924, just to see how it compares to IEC60598-2-22.

@The2GigAndSMCLagunaEnthusiast Год назад

Hubbell LED Exit sign CSXWREB3

@AgentOrange96 5 лет назад

Me: Oh no, is he about to plug a 120V fixture into a 240V outlet? Especially after telling Berry Lewis what he did horribly horribly wrong? (That was amusing) Saved yourself though!

@SmoosWorkshop 5 лет назад

fellow scotsman here, been following your videos and learning loads

@cojones8518 5 лет назад

So you set up your own workshop after AvE released you huh?

@SmoosWorkshop 5 лет назад

Eh what's ave?

@cojones8518 5 лет назад

@@SmoosWorkshop ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-TIGSBEUGYeU.html

@kimsleep4111 5 лет назад

Its been sooo long since Ive seen a actual Transformer, rather than Capactive dropper....REMEMBER THOSE!

@locouk 5 лет назад

I wonder why we use green, could it be more visible through a smoke filled room?

@alsanova 5 лет назад

Green is the colour of safety and like traffic light, green mean go 🙂

@Killzilla6 5 лет назад

Also the human eyes are more sensitive to green light

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

@@Killzilla6 The human eye is MOST sensitive to green light.

@alanjones3873 5 лет назад

Basic idea same as traffic lights - Red Stop, Green Go.

@kensmith5694 5 лет назад

Amber means go very fasts

@PixelOutlaw 5 лет назад

How do you know it's American? Too few vouwels in the wourd "Exite".

@PeterOekvist 5 лет назад

PixelOutlaw Originaly it had a picture of an eagle instead of "exit"...

@jrmcferren 5 лет назад

Here is another type of US Exit sign, these don't require any electricity, but instead use radioactive tritium to provide light: www.exitlightco.com/product/SLR.html

@Mr1bassman1 4 года назад

That sign is way out man.

@Mr1bassman1 5 лет назад

That sign is way out man

@acat6821 5 лет назад

How about clive you build a led string with varnished wire for your beard? Be a fun project to watch

@leerman22 5 лет назад

I thought it wasn't a good idea to partially discharge NiCd cells (due to memory) unlike fickle lithium cells.

@ProdigalPorcupine 5 лет назад

The Eh Team - The memory effect is a misnomer. What was actually happening was partially discharged NiCads were being put into primitive chargers and given full charges, or worse. It was simple damage by overcharging, causing a loss of capacity. Treat them well and they’re actually a very robust chemistry. NiMHs can be cooked by overcharging too! Delta V intelligent chargers go a long way to improving NiCad longevity. It’s said that NiCad’s internal resistance is lower than NiMH, so they perform better when very high current delivery is required. For example, RC models, power tools etc. The main reason NiCads became less popular was likely due to concerns over toxic cadmium ending up in landfills. Given an equal playing field, ie modern intelligent chargers, and tested over a wide range of working conditions, it’d be interesting to see how much better NiMH cells really are than NiCads...

@alexmarshall4331 5 лет назад

did he just say 'six hundred and faulty'...? nano metres?

@sparkyprojects 5 лет назад

Had to laugh at you not wanting to touch the 120v, i've touched 240v many times without getting a shock, just got to make sure you don't complete a circuit :D

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

I'm isolated at the bench. I just like to encourage caution. people do get too casual with the usual small shocks. They don't realise that the one day they get a shock with wet hands or feet on a grounded surface it's going to be very different.

@sparkyprojects 5 лет назад

Totally agree, you would have to give out a warning everytime, and that gets tedious.

@bdf2718 5 лет назад

This is the second video in which you've said UK emergency lights have to run for 3 hours. Not true. The duration can be one, two or three hours. Which one is used depends upon circumstance like if the building will be evacuated immediately, if it will be re-occupied before the batteries can fully recharge, etc. See www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

I've only ever come across the full 3 hour duration lights.

@bdf2718 5 лет назад

@@bigclivedotcom Three-hour duration is by far the most common, but the regulations permit the other durations in appropriate circumstances. Many manufacturers may choose to only offer 3-hour lights simply to cut down on the number of products they sell and components they stock. It wouldn't surprise me if the ones that do offer other durations simply take a 3-hour model and stick a label on it that says 1 hour or 2 hours and make the price reduction minimal. Nevertheless, if it's a large building and the circumstances permit then it may be worth fitting shorter duration lights. If you can get them cheaply enough. If anybody even makes them any more.

@gregorythomas333 5 лет назад

'Murica!

@t7g 5 лет назад

Old exit sign LED light; imgur.com/a/X205gAF Taken from an abandoned asylum (1996?)

@rogersmith9808 5 лет назад

Yep. Used to "upgrade" an old incandescent exit sign. There were florescent conversations too which were pretty slick as there was two separate tubes used and when the first tube failed, the second turned on and took over. The oddest little power-saving/long life conversion bulbs were long tube shaped bulbs that had a string of tiny little Christmas tree light bulbs (or fairy light bulbs in the UK) inside on a string all running dimly.

@gavincurtis 5 лет назад

A real transformer for longevity and a user replaceable battery. So much better than the replace entire fixture every 5 years disposable stuff.

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

Yes indeed. This does look reliable.

@HighestRank 5 лет назад

The Dollar Guy the originals with incandescent bulbs would always melt the fixture from the inside because of the absolute lack of any cooling solution.

@aserta 5 лет назад

Yeah, i'm impressed by the way they did this, i'm actually considering them for replacement with the garbage ones we have here in Europe. Especially the tube ones, ugh.

@throttlebottle5906 5 лет назад

looks old, they're more chinesium electronics now... although many with old school SLA batteries are around, the battery cost is causing them to be replaced

@SlocketSeven 5 лет назад

Not if it's your objective to sell lots and lots of exit signs....

@T0NGPU 5 лет назад

PLEASE more morbid stories. I teach electronics to students and nothing helps to emphasize the point of safety more than such stories. And I ran out of stories of me getting zapped because of my stupidity.

@dsloop3907 5 лет назад

I have many....... 1- never trust the guy that says "The breaker is open". 2- If you don't check for errant strands of wire on a terminal row, you will replace said terminal row. 3.-If you try to use a drive that is rated 410-3ph-1g-1n on a power supply that is rated 440 3ph1g, said drive will die gloriously. 4.- Check the new guy's work for a few days and make sure he doe's not put all of the "extra wires" in the bottom of a 480 x 240 x120 volt transformer into ONE LARGE WIRE NUT. It will release a LOT OF MAGIC SMOKE.

@jafafa 5 лет назад

Rent a copy of the Martin Sheen movie "The Believers" and show the opening scene. I was a teenager, not afraid of electricity, and since I saw that I've been very wary.

@leerman22 5 лет назад

I heard in class of a copper thief stealing the copper bonding from a transformer substation and died on his way out from the brand new electric fence.

@russellhltn1396 5 лет назад

Never be one "thing" away from a fatal situation. Always treat the wires as live, even if you know they're dead. That's saved me a couple of times. Once from my own stupidity and once from someone else's mistake. When death is on the line, you want as many safeguards as you can reasonably get.

@beware_the_moose 5 лет назад

When I was at school doing a project involving water pumps and a tank, the teacher handed me a "12v" transformer to wire up my damp windscreen washer pumps. The zero had rubbed off. That's the one time I've ever been electrocuted (based on the fact I passed out for a few seconds I'm going with electrocuted!) and I can't say I enjoyed it. Moral of the story - teachers are assholes :)

@Henchman1977 5 лет назад

We've transitioned in Canada to the green exit signs with the running man looking like he just stole something.

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

You probably live out west. In Southern Ontario I have NEVER seen a green EXIT sign anywhere.

@rick_. 5 лет назад

I think the green ones are required for new installations in Ontario. We have them in parts of the building I work in that were renovated recently.

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

@@rick_. Haven't seen any yet myself, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were correct.

@4jp 5 лет назад

@@rick_. Ontario requires for new construction and certain renovations. This has been case since 2014. It made all the papers. It was actually sort of interesting as the case made was that international persons or non-english/french speakers would not understand "EXIT"/"SORTIE", but they expected people looking for "EXIT"/"SORTIE" signs to figure out what the green man meant.

@gavincurtis 5 лет назад

They were tested in Detroit for a few years before certification.

@deelkar 5 лет назад

My first thought when looking at those wires: oversized USB lead

@davidmcgill1000 5 лет назад

When I saw that 5v on schematic I was thinking "... you can run this off USB?"

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

Technically speaking it should be an easy conversion. Possibly even a simple plug-on one.

@fireandcopper 5 лет назад

@@bigclivedotcom please do it Clive

@srkendal 5 лет назад

I work in a large industrial plant. (10 acres under roof) We often use this brand of exit signs. New in the box, they come with a second legend plate which can be exchanged for the blank back allowing mounting on the end or top to a wall or ceiling with visibility from both sides. Very versatile. I discovered the live transformer lead issue in a unit which was not working because the unused lead shorted to a metal junction box and dragged the voltage below the working threshold. Having heard arcing in the unit, I was very careful when examining it!

@czibbell74 5 лет назад

I've also installed these where I work, and all of ours came with the second plate for the back.

@carlyonbay45 5 лет назад

The best part of these videos is the notepad and schematic .....you must have a stack of notepads filled with scribbles by now Clive

@bigclivedotcom 5 лет назад

I've always had piles of notepads full of doodles, schematics and software.

@arthurtwoshedsjackson6266 5 лет назад

bigclivedotcom Hope you’ve made backups 😂

@hgbugalou 5 лет назад

@@bigclivedotcom you should publish those you could sell it and make a few bucks or just give it away free. Either way I'd check it out.

@bobroberts2371 5 лет назад

Hey BC, ever hear of the American electronics guy Forrest Mims? In the 1970's he authored ( by hand including text ) a series of small books that filed the racks at Radio Shack stores titled Getting Started in Electronics and Engineer's Mini-Notebook. There were also articles in various electronics magazines. Great stuff.

@FragGile 5 лет назад

It’s amazing how a simple “exit” sign can trigger nostalgia of many American films.

@CL-ty6wp 2 года назад

Reminds me of school

@charmio 5 лет назад

You should have a those radioactive tritium glowing exit signs you can buy. Apparently they last for 20 years. Not really electronics but I think it still fits in with your channel well.

@teardowndan5364 5 лет назад

Without the capacitor on the control transistor's base, the sign would switch to battery power whenever ripples on the input capacitor cause the voltage to drop Vbe below battery voltage instead of only while AC power is severely below spec or out altogether. The base capacitor reduces the circuit's sensitivity to input ripples and low AC input voltage so the sign doesn't waste battery power until it becomes absolutely necessary.

@Elodea 5 лет назад

Depending on local jurisdiction codes, we also have green EXIT signs in the US. There is some discussion on whether red or green is more visible in a structure fire situation.

@annoloki 5 лет назад

I'm not sure an exit sign needs to provide "a good long service life", I heard they're on the way out

@stepheneyles2198 5 лет назад

Baaaaaaed joke!!!

@TheHWcave 5 лет назад

I'd guess the extra cap at the transistor base adds a very small time delay before the LEDs will be switched back from battery to mains. Probably something useful when power comes back and goes a couple of times in quick succession.

@semiRockethr 5 лет назад

Or is used for additional smoothing since main capacitor is not enough. There is a noticeable flicker on camera when on mains.

@rayg9069 5 лет назад

@seraphina985 5 лет назад

That would kinda make sense especially when you consider that these things are after all designed to guide an evacuation in most emergency situations ranging from local problems with a single building to severe storms or other disasters that could afflict the entire regional grid with numerous transient faults.

@annoloki 5 лет назад

Probably the other way round, to protect the life of the battery... if the first capacitor isn't fast enough while charging to keep the voltage high enough through the whole wave as it discharges through the LEDs before its next charge part of the cycle, the voltage across the +5 to ground rails will spend time at a lower voltage than what the battery's able to kick out, and you'll end up using the battery for smoothing the power to the LEDs, causing them to switch between tiny charge/discharge cycles 120 times a second... with the second capacitor, which will discharge slower than the first as resistance across it's discharge path is much higher, will stop the battery from discharging anytime the +5V rail drops below the battery's voltage, as without those transistors, the battery won't start discharging until the +5V rail drops below the battery's voltage minus the voltage drop across the 33ohm resistor, which you'd hope the first capacitor is at least capable of stopping it dropping that low. The flickering you can see from the LEDs when running from mains is an indicator of how much the battery would be constantly discharging to fill in the flicker without the capacitor keeping the transistors off.

@steuk6510 5 лет назад

I leant from my dad he sadly died last year August last year and. Safety very important

@threeparots1 5 лет назад

Here in Calgary, the green running man exit is legislated for all new construction, while the old Red Exit are grandfathered until renovations. Red is a little less irritating definitely.

@PhoenixRevealed 5 лет назад

It's a "Western" thing... the US western states like Colorado and California have used international green EXIT signage for decades now, whereas the Eastern states still use red signage.

@alexb.1320 5 лет назад

@threeparots1, here in Ontario the Green Running Man is the new standard. Old buildings keep the traditional red exit signs until reno's or replacement time.

@dentakuweb 5 лет назад

I just noticed a green sign last week at a recently renovated MacDonalds in NS. It looked exactly like the on Clive showed recently.

@fillg 5 лет назад

I'm in Ohio and all of the signs I've bought for the last 5 or so years have come with a green panel you can put in to replace the red one and a switch on the circuit board to switch from the row of red LEDs to a row of green LEDs. I've always left them red because that's what I'm replacing.

@fillg 5 лет назад

@@pingumcping I guess we just like to live dangerously. :)

@iamdarkyoshi 5 лет назад

The older lead acid ones of these always had ballooned batteries in them lol

@MrSleepProductionsInc 5 лет назад

iamdarkyoshi LOL, that’s how you know when to replace the battery when the cover is pouched out!

@dashcamandy2242 5 лет назад

I miss the nostalgia of seeing the backside of the older signs with two bulb-shaped, brown-colored, heat-warped, spots from the old "test tube" bulbs inside.

@jamesvandamme7786 5 лет назад

They were continuously overcharged. Doomed

@agvulpine 5 лет назад

But lead is supposed to like being continually charged. They're just only good for five or ten discharge cycles (power outages).

@transtubular 5 лет назад

Here in US most new construction uses the green exit signs as well. I have seen both but I'm not sure of the code requirements, red may simply be older or it may be allowed under specific circumstances.

@throttlebottle5906 5 лет назад

OK article covering exit sign colors in USA. more governmental tomfoolery involvement for sure.. blog.1000bulbs.com/home/exit-sign-guide

@pegasuspinto 5 лет назад

IMHO this fixture is a bit dangerous with the loose wires. A lot of multi-voltage equipment I've seen, they don't strip the wires and they dip the ends in a sealant so there is no exposed conductor. MUCH safer. Make you strip your own wires!

@stuartcousins9269 5 лет назад

The white lead is neutral the black is hot where I live in America. This could be deadly if the wrong hot is assumed. 277VAC is a single tap off a 480VAC 3 phase transformer.

@jrmcferren 5 лет назад

There are several versions. This is your classic red. You have the classic green as well which is identical except for green plastic and green LEDs. You also have the tritium types and the phosphorescent types that are glow in the dark material and are charged by the existing room lights.

@thatsunpossible312 5 лет назад

As usual, the US is weird and varies state by state. The feds only require that it says "EXIT" in a certain size - color is left to states or even municipalities to regulate. Some are green, some are red - I think one is even orange. Some places let you use photoluminescent signs, which obviously do not need testing. Another "as usual", NYC is weird (for the US) and is switching to the green running man (not on the lit signs, but on fire doors).

@lyfandeth 5 лет назад

NYC is unlike most US cities, in that it is composed of five counties. In some of those counties, English is NOT the language spoken in some 50% of homes. About 40 other languages are in use, about 6-8 are used at the polls and in other places. NYC puts an unusual emphasis on not using English but using symbols instead, so there is less confusion for the many folks who speak no known language.