i was going to connect some 3.5mm jack plugs to my neon string but then friends dad who is very good at electronics said that there might be problems with insulation and that electricity could jump between the two connectors that you use to wire up the 3.5mm jack plugs and cause a short circuit. I am not a "electronics" person and was wondering if anybody could explain this a little better and........ Would this only happen if you attached speaker wire to the neon string then put it into the 3.5mm jack instead of putting the neon string wires straight into the 3.5mm plug. If anyone can a)understand this and b)give me an answerthen i will be very very impressed
He is probably refering to the fact that neon string runs off several hundred volts and mini jack plugs are only designed for a few tens of volts at the most. The insulation that seperates the contacts may, (good chance it won't), break down, effectively reducing the voltage to the string causing it to not work. Of course if you use a metal bodied plug you will also enjoy the delights of several hundred volts stimulating your nervous system
I got a few tingles from my inverter, also woke the gf up in the morning with it one day btw, dont let inverters run without any string as they dont like it for long hence me ordering another inverter a day later.... Phono plugs would probably be better for this as there is a big gap between the diff voltages and also you won't short the plug when plugging in, with a jack you would and thats a no no. Use some heat shrink to keep the cables apart over the soldering joints too.
