Electrical Safety for Electronics
Current through the body is what hurts — understand the risks before working on circuits.
Beginner
- Around 10 mA of AC through the body can cause muscles to lock; around 50–100 mA across the chest can cause fatal heart fibrillation.
- Voltages above about 50 V AC / 120 V DC are generally treated as hazardous.
- Mains (230 V in India) can kill. Never work on live mains circuits; use an isolation transformer and a proper enclosure.
- Capacitors in power supplies can stay charged after unplugging — discharge them through a resistor.
- Lithium batteries can catch fire if shorted, punctured or over-charged.
- Use one hand when probing high voltages, wear safety glasses when soldering or cutting leads.
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