[Amps] Amps Digest, Vol 93, Issue 16

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Bill, W6WRT wrote:
>ORIGINAL MESSAGE:
>
>On Sat, 11 Sep 2010 15:40:22 -1000, Ken Brown
><ken.d.brown at hawaiiantel.net> wrote:
>
>>Trying to hot plug or hot unplug a high voltage wire is hazardous 
>>whether it is shielded or not.
>
>REPLY:
>
>Not if the right connector is used.
>
>With an unshielded, deeply recessed female connector on the PS side
>and a flying lead hard wired into the amp side, you can hot-plug all
>you like with no danger.
>
>There must be a solid ground connection between the two chassis,

And if you ever forget to make that ground connection before you hot 
plug the single-wire HV connection, you'll have a lethal live chassis.

We all make mistakes, but that particular one would be a pure waste of a 
life.


> but
>that is true for any connector configuration.
>

No, that is NOT true! If you choose a coaxial HV connection 
automatically, it comes with its own built-in ground return. Even if no 
other connections exist, you won't have a live chassis.

Coaxial HV does have its own set of fault scenarios, but none of these 
can possibly override the safety advantages of the built-in ground 
return.

SHV connectors have been very carefully designed with deeply recessed 
pins on both male and female. If they are hot plugged, the connector 
bodies will make a good ground connection *before* the HV contacts come 
together. Likewise when unplugged, the HV connection is broken before 
the ground connection.



-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek