AbLMF
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Calculate what fuse to add to a led chain
For safety reasons I would like to add a fuse to a led chain. Please help me to calculate what fuse I should use, and would it be useful for safety?
I bought a chain of 40 led to replace the little lights of our Nativity scene. The chain of LEDs that I purchased has blue, green, yellow and red leds; on its box there are its specifications: 230V 0.016A 3.84W Led: 3V 0.016A Nr. Led. 40 Pot. Led: 0.048W. While on a label attached to the power cable there are listed the following specifications: Power. 240V 0.016A 3.84W bulbs. R/Y 2V 0.02A 0.04W B/G 3V 0.02A 0.06W 40 LED.
On the wire that connects the leds there are signs that say: 1X0.5mm2; to arrange the LEDs in their positions in our Nativity scene I have to extend the wire between the LEDs, so I will buy some 0.5mm square wire. Then I will cut the wire between the leds and add the extensions, welding the joints and covering them with shrink tubing.
I have already cut the wire to separate all the LEDs, but before I did that I put some tape on both wires of each LED, to sign how they were connected.
I read that it is better to add a fuse, in case of incorrect connections, but I would like to add it also to improve the safety of our Nativity scene.
These are the leds that I cut away from the chain (I marked with tape and red signs how they were connected together, white tape with tape with red sign)
**broken link removed**
and this is the chain (without the leds, which I cut away)
You can see that there is a power cord, then there is a converter from AC to DC, which is this one
On that converter there are signs that say: AC 1.6A DC, as you can see in a detail from the picture above
After the converter there is a connector, from which three wires start, and the leds are all on one of those three wires, and all those three wires then end in another connector, as you can see in this picture (I cut away the led though)
All those three wires are of 0.5mm2 (there are the sign 1X0.5mm2 on the wires), as you can see in a detail from the picture above
In this last picture you can see the chain box, with a draw of the electrical scheme, and some instructions, in Italian
**broken link removed**
The instructions say, among other things, that in case a led broke the user could come in contact with a dangerous current; it also say that up to 30 chains can be connected together, for a total amount of 1200 leds.
So I guess that the current is dangerous because the converter provide enough current for 30 chains; as I am not going to connect other chains, I'd like to put a fuse that limit the current flow only to the amount necessary for 1 chain. Could you calculate what fuse I should add to the chain so that our Nativity scene could be safe for children and... adults too :holiday:?
For safety reasons I would like to add a fuse to a led chain. Please help me to calculate what fuse I should use, and would it be useful for safety?
I bought a chain of 40 led to replace the little lights of our Nativity scene. The chain of LEDs that I purchased has blue, green, yellow and red leds; on its box there are its specifications: 230V 0.016A 3.84W Led: 3V 0.016A Nr. Led. 40 Pot. Led: 0.048W. While on a label attached to the power cable there are listed the following specifications: Power. 240V 0.016A 3.84W bulbs. R/Y 2V 0.02A 0.04W B/G 3V 0.02A 0.06W 40 LED.
On the wire that connects the leds there are signs that say: 1X0.5mm2; to arrange the LEDs in their positions in our Nativity scene I have to extend the wire between the LEDs, so I will buy some 0.5mm square wire. Then I will cut the wire between the leds and add the extensions, welding the joints and covering them with shrink tubing.
I have already cut the wire to separate all the LEDs, but before I did that I put some tape on both wires of each LED, to sign how they were connected.
I read that it is better to add a fuse, in case of incorrect connections, but I would like to add it also to improve the safety of our Nativity scene.
These are the leds that I cut away from the chain (I marked with tape and red signs how they were connected together, white tape with tape with red sign)
**broken link removed**
and this is the chain (without the leds, which I cut away)
You can see that there is a power cord, then there is a converter from AC to DC, which is this one
On that converter there are signs that say: AC 1.6A DC, as you can see in a detail from the picture above
After the converter there is a connector, from which three wires start, and the leds are all on one of those three wires, and all those three wires then end in another connector, as you can see in this picture (I cut away the led though)
All those three wires are of 0.5mm2 (there are the sign 1X0.5mm2 on the wires), as you can see in a detail from the picture above
In this last picture you can see the chain box, with a draw of the electrical scheme, and some instructions, in Italian
**broken link removed**
The instructions say, among other things, that in case a led broke the user could come in contact with a dangerous current; it also say that up to 30 chains can be connected together, for a total amount of 1200 leds.
So I guess that the current is dangerous because the converter provide enough current for 30 chains; as I am not going to connect other chains, I'd like to put a fuse that limit the current flow only to the amount necessary for 1 chain. Could you calculate what fuse I should add to the chain so that our Nativity scene could be safe for children and... adults too :holiday:?
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