Why is my oven crackling and sparking at the on/off switch and will it start a fire in my wall?
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posted by fruitopia
on May 4, 2013 -
11 answers
The front passenger speaker and window control stopped working on my Ford Crown Victoria. The front passenger power lock switch is working fine. The window itself works normally and I can lower it from the driver side control panel.
I had to take the whole dashboard apart earlier to replace a heater core so I unplugged a lot of wires. What did I miss when putting it back together? Where do I look?
posted by racecar
on Mar 31, 2013 -
1 answer
We had lots of wiring replaced recently, including two lamps connected to a dimmer switch; the dimmer was also replaced. Yesterday we noticed that the dimmer was now only allowing fully on or off. Today the light went off with a loud popping sound and a visible spark from one of the lamps, though both bulbs themselves work fine. What happened and how do I fix it? Is it likely just a faulty dimmer switch? Do I need to turn off the circuit (which has many other lights on it) as a precaution?
posted by parudox
on Mar 25, 2013 -
8 answers
The electric smoker that I was
so excited about last week doesn't work! After I plug it in, it runs for about 5 minutes before tripping the GFCI outlet that I had it plugged into. I did have it on a 10 foot long extension cord (no electrical outlets on my back porch). I assume this means there is a short somewhere?
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posted by rossination
on Mar 16, 2013 -
9 answers
I learned today that it's dangerous to store combustibles such as clothing near the fuse box or electrical intake. I keep my off-season wardrobe under the stairs, and the electrical intake/fuse box is also under the stairs. How far away do I need to keep this stuff? What is a safe distance?
Is it feasible to use compact-o-stuff vacuum bags to reduce the crowding in the understair cupboard?
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posted by tel3path
on Feb 27, 2013 -
12 answers
Most SAD therapy lights are somewhere between utilitarian and ugly in terms of design. I want one that is beautiful, such that you could actually design a room around it. I think I would probably need to have it custom made, but I don't even know what sort of person I would begin trying to talk to. Let's ignore the question of cost for the time being, where would I find a person with the requisite skills (lighting, electrical, design, etc...) to build this for me?
posted by mmmmbobo
on Feb 12, 2013 -
4 answers
Looking for a good overview for a proposed audio/visual, security and computer layout in an urban residence. e.g. list of equipment, layout, controls, outlets, wiring, speakers.
This is new, not retro-fit, the walls are open, all the wiring and controls can be neatly coordinated.
Help me see this in plan; as a well-tuned clock; not a mish-mash.
posted by ebesan
on Feb 5, 2013 -
5 answers
What are the best resources and references for a novice interested in modern electrical engineering?
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posted by clearly
on Jan 26, 2013 -
13 answers
I'm looking for a purely online course for an introductory electrical engineering course from a legitimate certified institution for the purposes of transferring to my current institution.
posted by gzimmer
on Jan 22, 2013 -
2 answers
How could changing a car's battery cause the panel lights to come on when turning the car OFF? Or is everything in my car falling to pieces coincidentally at the same time?
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posted by Eicats
on Jan 4, 2013 -
13 answers
When I was learning to program I enjoyed reading popular computer science books like Godel Escher Bach in my downtime for motivation and inspiration. Can anyone suggest good popular electrical/electronics books that are similarly inspiring and are suitable to be followed along while on a train or before bed?
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posted by Joe Chip
on Jan 2, 2013 -
5 answers
My 1991 Nissan 240sx won't start - it won't even try to turn over. This one is a real mystery; I think it must be the starting circuit, so I'm trying to go through the service manual carefully and check everything. However, I still can't find the issue. Does anyone have any ideas? Details inside on what I've tried so far.
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posted by koeselitz
on Dec 21, 2012 -
26 answers
I'm looking for major theatrical plays, set no later than 1950, that feature a lamp, flashlight, or other luminous prop as important to the story. If possible, please summarize the prop's usage including where in the story the prop is used. Thanks in advance!
posted by landonmoon
on Nov 12, 2012 -
10 answers
I'm struggling in Electric Circuits 1 - particularly with analyzing series-parallel circuits, thevenizing and superposition. Before I look for a tutor, can anyone suggest some resources to learn it myself?
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posted by SampleSize
on Oct 31, 2012 -
5 answers
Please help me verify the electrical work of my apartment maintenance high-schooler. I don't trust the work he has done.
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posted by Dunwitty
on Aug 21, 2012 -
15 answers
Have you ever heard of people using duct tape and electrical tape to create art? I've been doing it since middle school, but lately, my designs are suffering from the tape refusing to hold its place, and it eventually will wrinkle, shift, and completely come undone. Need help thinking of a solution to prevent it from happening.
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posted by NotSoSiniSter
on Aug 16, 2012 -
11 answers
Where can I get a giant electrical throw switch?
I've been tasked with finding & buying a gigantic ( ideally 1-2 foot long ) lever. It will go up on the wall of our web development office and it will be labeled "Interwebs: on/off". Where can I find some kind of switch that is worthy of turning the internet on or off?
That's the immediate problem, but let me give you the background - I'd love other ideas too:
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posted by doub1ejack
on Aug 5, 2012 -
13 answers
having an issue with a 2000 GMC jimmy -- seemingly electrical or fuse-related.
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posted by austere
on Jul 23, 2012 -
3 answers
Rented carpet cleaner seems to have killed a bunch of outlets/lights in my house. Any ideas?
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posted by wongcorgi
on Jun 26, 2012 -
6 answers
I just bought a house (yay!) and I need some schoolin' by educated mefites about the relative importance of various electrical upgrades my inspector recommended. If you're an electrician, a handyman with electrical expertise, or just a homeowner that's been through this, I'd love some thoughts on what is worth spending $$$ to upgrade now, versus not that important.
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posted by iminurmefi
on May 18, 2012 -
26 answers
Home electrical mystery: Why did tripping a circuit cause all of the GCFI outlets within the circuit to fail (ie none of them can be reset now)? How can I fix this?
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posted by Slarty Bartfast
on May 10, 2012 -
15 answers
Light install went bad. We have a positive negative and ground wire dangling from the wall. Is it safe to turn the breaker back on if we put a wire nut on the end of each wire (separately)? More, does the ground wire need a nut?
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posted by arniec
on Mar 25, 2012 -
13 answers
How do I replace the "big 3" (battery to chassis ground, engine block to chassis ground, battery positive to alternator) on a Honda s2000?
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posted by skybolt
on Mar 6, 2012 -
11 answers
I just purchased a new Nest thermostat. My old thermostat gets power from an ancient millivolt system (thermopile on top of pilot light generates 0.7VDC). This is incompatible with the Nest, since the Nest requires standard 24VAC. Nest support told me they've heard some customers have had success using 24v step-down transformer. After lots of research, I think the wiring is supposed to go something like this:
W from furnace (common, -0.7VDC ?) --> W on T-Stat
24 VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> C on T-Stat
R from furnace (+0.7VDC ?) --> RH on T-Stat
24VAC power from transformer (+/- ?) --> RH on T-Stat
As you can see, I'm still a bit fuzzy on the details. Questions are below the fold!
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posted by jesseendahl
on Jan 22, 2012 -
17 answers
I just bought a house that was partially remodeled in 2009. In both the main kitchen, and basement kitchenette, there is a single 20amp 120volt outlet located in the cabinet above the sink. Neither cabinet is made to hold a microwave. What could this outlet be for?
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posted by Diddly
on Dec 20, 2011 -
12 answers
Help me understand the national electric code with regard to rewiring and updating several rooms in my 1940s-era house.
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posted by JohnFredra
on Dec 6, 2011 -
8 answers
Recently I obtained (for work-related use) an older arc lamp power supply. It's a Zeiss unit brand-wise but was manufactured by Ludl Electronic Products (LEP) on Zeiss' behalf. It may well turn out that this particular supply isn't suited to our needs (based on the lamp we want to use it with), but I would still like to find some way to determine the pinout of the output connector. Unfortunately, I've had a heck of a time finding ANY schematics for 75 W DC xenon short arc lamp power supplies, and despite my EE degree, I remain baffled following *mumble* weeks worth of ohming-out and circuit-tracing.
And at this point I've been staring at the darned thing so long that it's become hard to tell if I'm missing something really obvious or whether it's just futile to expect to be able to determine what pin serves what purpose without a schematic. Long, convoluted explanation beyond the "more inside" button.
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posted by aecorwin
on Sep 28, 2011 -
8 answers
Just got quoted about $3000 for a new 200 amp main breaker panel (upgrading from 150 amp). Plus 300 permit fees. Seems like a lot. Am I getting ripped off? The reputable company quoting the job says it will take about 5 hours to complete.
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posted by Rad_Boy
on Sep 27, 2011 -
12 answers
Ethernet ports in every room, but none of them work. The brains of the system which is in the wall of a closet is a Square D Multi-Link Structured Wiring System. How do I find out how it's set up and how do make it work as it should?
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posted by cgomez
on Sep 15, 2011 -
20 answers
I have a former light switch that I want to convert to a
combination plate where the switch toggles power to the accompanying outlet. However, there are some details that leave me uncertain whether or not this can be accomplished without a certified electrician.
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posted by CancerMan
on Aug 24, 2011 -
8 answers
Assuming an island with its own supply of power via generator and/or solar power, how much electricity is consumed to turn N liters of sea water into potable drinking water?
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posted by thewalrus
on Jul 27, 2011 -
11 answers
What does
this symbol mean? It's a rectangle with two circles on the bottom like wheels, and a squat diamond on top. It's on the back of a 3DS.
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posted by lucidium
on Jul 12, 2011 -
20 answers
