Bonehead connected to the electronics forum

[roughshawd]

Assuming your repair has 4 terminals for a two blade ac cable from 110v-120v wall plate.. ac1 ac2 ac3 and ac4.
It has further two cable's with a switch in it. The slang being "always switch the line not the load" I have to think that the load is the terminal that has the switch in the cable. So when the bonehead does the continuity test to find the correct blade in the plug-in cable, er um...which blade is considered the line?

 

[Bluejets]

Pretty obvious.....line comes from the mains.
Load is the active cable going to the load.
Neutral is a permanent connection on the other side of the load.

There are certain variations on this such as double pole switching on appliances fed via a flex lead. In that instance, one can never be certain which way the plug may be wired so this arrangement covers all bases and makes certain there is no live feed at the appliance when the switch is off.

Other variations as well but won't go in to that.

 

[Minder]

A two blade AC Plug in N.A. has the neutral on the larger pin, the live on the smaller.

 

[dragon]

I still dont get what line is.

how can you have two wires, one for mains, and one for the load, that would give u
two positives!!!

 

[Bluejets]

As above, line referred to active.
No positive or neegative in AC thankyou.

 

[dragon]

Sorry, I just meant "origin and destination"

I drew that picture to myself in my head, and I dont understand it.
wouldnt the line just short straight to the ground and the load doesnt get anything?

 

[Harald Kapp]

Check out the image posted by @Bluejets in post #5. There is no short at all.

 

[Minder]

I still dont get what line is.

how can you have two wires, one for mains, and one for the load, that would give u
two positives!!!

The AC L & N start out as both identical conductors, i.e., no difference will be detected between either.
When one is connected or referenced to earth GND it is then Referred to as Neutral.
Otherwise nothing has changed.
P.S.: There is no current to ground, or through ground, unless a fault occurs.