is Electrical Tape Safe for... please help.

[Drunkenmaster]

Hey guys and gals!

I was wondering if anybody here has the knowledge of fixing a torn wire.
It's a Magsafe charger for the Apple Airbook. It has a tear on the secondary side. (The side that plugs into the airbook and not the side the plugs into the wall socket)
The plug that plugs into the laptop has 5 leads, the outter leads i believe is GROUND, and the inner leads are 14.5V 3.1A. and the middle pin is some Charge control Pin.
Inside the wire is A mesh wire (which i think is the ground) which wraps around another wire. The inner wire I think is the hot wire.
I just Twisted the inner wire together and wrapped a lot of tape around it to prevent it shorting to the ground wire.
then i did the same to the ground wire. I wrapped it around many times just to make sure it doesn't short.
and then i wrapped more electrical tape around the repair so it doesnt split again too easily.

My questions are..
Is it Safe to use electrical tape to make the repair. the wires are conducting 15V 3amps. Im afraid it may cause a fire but the tape does say Fire Retardant.


I do feel that it is safe, but i'm giving this charger away to a friend so I dont give it away if it's a fire hazard.

I did do a real good and clean job of the repair but am right now afraid to let my friend have it to use.

by the way, the tape is green electrical tape. I know i should of used the black. but I thought all electrical tape are the same cept it's used for colour coding.

if anyone has electrical knowledge please give me your input. I know i should of soldered the wires together but i still a lot on my mind about the electrical wire.


Also sorry if i posted this in the wrong place.. I know of no other forums..

Thanks. =)

[flashy_mcflash]

This is literally the exact reason electrical tape exists.

[manmanny]

where you been?


Drunkenmaster


Join Date
Jul 9th, 2006
Posts
21

[Drunkenmaster]

This is literally the exact reason electrical tape exists.

and that's why I used it. But are you an electrican and are you sure it's safe?
I've been googling for tips.. some say repairing it yourself may cause a fire.. and i really don't want that. Remember there are 4 amps being pumped through those wires..

I decided to post here to see if anyone knows anything.

and besides just posting on RFD for the hell of it.. do you even have any good information or facts?

[Drunkenmaster]

where you been?


Drunkenmaster


Join Date
Jul 9th, 2006
Posts
21


Where have I been??.. apparently Mastering the art of beng drunk..

Look.. i just want to get a straight answer and not replies from people that are posting for the hell of posting.

Please, if you can say your a Certified Electrician, and what i did was totally okay and fine. that's all i need.

Thanks.

[sylpherware]

15V will not punch through electrical tape, so the 3A doesn't mean anything.
I'd use a meter to test for shorts before plugging anything in, though.

Provide pics of the fix to give us a better idea of your handiwork.

B.E. UVic, M.A.Sc UWaterloo

[Drunkenmaster]

both of you that replied have over 2000 posts.. you 2 just reply just to reply.. and to bump up your RFD posts.

for all i know.. you guys no nothing.. and are just sitting in front of your computer trolling..

I need real life information.. if anyone has knowledge, please share..

[Drunkenmaster]

15V will not punch through electrical tape, so the 3A doesn't mean anything.
I'd use a meter to test for shorts before plugging anything in, though.

Provide pics of the fix to give us a better idea of your handiwork.

B.E. UVic, M.A.Sc UWaterloo


Thank you very much! finally somebody with real information.
Will do! I will buy a volt meter just to check this repair... =(
and for the handiwork.. ohh man you'll jizz when you see it..
very very clean job.. plus i've wrapped it up tight soo the inner wires can't even be seen.

thanks for your help

[mcplar]

Wow... what a ****************

Would be cheaper just to buy a new charger + then I would be 100% my overpriced Macbook would be safe.

[Drunkenmaster]

*********************

Would be cheaper just to buy a new charger + then I would be 100% my overpriced Macbook would be safe.

******************************

I did get a buy a new one.. *********************************************

and how would it be cheaper? electrical tape 1 dollar... new charger 100 bucks.??**************

im repairing this one for a friend. geez.. what has RFD become..

[sprdave]

Hey guys and gals!

I was wondering if anybody here has the knowledge of fixing a torn wire.
It's a Magsafe charger for the Apple Airbook. It has a tear on the secondary side. (The side that plugs into the airbook and not the side the plugs into the wall socket)
The plug that plugs into the laptop has 5 leads, the outter leads i believe is GROUND, and the inner leads are 14.5V 3.1A. and the middle pin is some Charge control Pin.
Inside the wire is A mesh wire (which i think is the ground) which wraps around another wire. The inner wire I think is the hot wire.
I just Twisted the inner wire together and wrapped a lot of tape around it to prevent it shorting to the ground wire.
then i did the same to the ground wire. I wrapped it around many times just to make sure it doesn't short.
and then i wrapped more electrical tape around the repair so it doesnt split again too easily.

My questions are..
Is it Safe to use electrical tape to make the repair. the wires are conducting 15V 3amps. Im afraid it may cause a fire but the tape does say Fire Retardant.


I do feel that it is safe, but i'm giving this charger away to a friend so I dont give it away if it's a fire hazard.

I did do a real good and clean job of the repair but am right now afraid to let my friend have it to use.

by the way, the tape is green electrical tape. I know i should of used the black. but I thought all electrical tape are the same cept it's used for colour coding.

if anyone has electrical knowledge please give me your input. I know i should of soldered the wires together but i still a lot on my mind about the electrical wire.


Also sorry if i posted this in the wrong place.. I know of no other forums..

Thanks. =)

Electrical tape is rated up to 600 volts, so that part's fine. I would be concerned about it being mechanically secured though....if you just twisted the copper together without a mechanical connector or solder then it could work loose and arc or something. It's low voltage so there isn't much risk of fire, I would be more concerned about damaging the equipment.

(source: apprentice)

[007craft]

You dont need to be an electrician to know that electrical tape doesnt catch fire, it simply melts if it gets hot enough (which it never will unless you throw it in a fire).

Ive done hundreds of electrical wire repairs in my life with the tape and never had a problem.

[mech9t5]

common sense isn't so common in today's world. I would bet that op is in his 20s (gen y)

[mcplar]

****************************

*******************************

and how would it be cheaper? electrical tape 1 dollar... new charger 100 bucks.?? *****8

im repairing this one for a friend. geez.. what has RFD become..

1st off.. you post this question in OT.. 2nd how much is a volt meter cost (you said you have to buy one). 3rd you run the risk of frying your expensive macbook (or your friends) if you screw up. 4th you should spell check prior to posting.

GL

[tsat]

common sense isn't so common in today's world. I would bet that op is in his 20s (gen y)

Common sense doesn't actually exist

[lildevilx]

Where have I been??.. apparently Mastering the art of beng drunk..

Look.. i just want to get a straight answer and not replies from people that are posting for the hell of posting.

Please, if you can say your a Certified Electrician, and what i did was totally okay and fine. that's all i need.

Thanks.

just because people some people have way too much post for there own good, doesn't mean they don't know anything :P
but as above said, electrical tape will work so long as nothing else is wrong with the charger

also, you would want to get a multimeter as a volt meter will tell you nothing unless you plug it in... and if you plug it in and it's shorted, you've killed the charger anyways~~

PS: you don't need to be a certified electrician to know any of these
simple google will help

and for the record B.Tech in EE

[dirkpitt]

Yes. If you've done the job right, and the conductors are separated properly, electrical tape will be fine.

15V * 3A = 45W. You're not dealing with a lot of power. Any damage done in the case of a short circuit will be to the power supply itself, or perhaps his Airbook.

If you're still nervous--plug it in to the wall without a load (read: no Airbook). No smoke? Repair job not warm/hot? Good job.

Still nervous? A cheap multimeter runs $20 at Canadian Tire (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/3/HouseHome/2/Electrical/ElectricalTesters/PRD~0520059P/Mastercraft+Mini+Analogue+Multimeter.jsp?locale=en ). Go for broke and get a digital meter (http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/MeasuringTools/SpecialtyMeasuring/PRD~0251059P/Hands-free+Digital+Multimeter.jsp?locale=en) for $30.

Check each of the output pins for the expected voltage.

And yes, I'm qualified.

[905bmx]

It may be fine for a temporary job but if your friend is not handy then it may become a problem. I can see the tape becoming loose over time from wrapping and travel.

If you want to be super safe, slobber some epoxy over the tape after you're sure there are not shorts.

[Drunkenmaster]

Electrical tape is rated up to 600 volts, so that part's fine. I would be concerned about it being mechanically secured though....if you just twisted the copper together without a mechanical connector or solder then it could work loose and arc or something. It's low voltage so there isn't much risk of fire, I would be more concerned about damaging the equipment.

(source: apprentice)

Thanks! I just learned from you they are rated up to 600v.
I was actually trying to find where it says that though.

I did twist both the inner wire (the hot wire) and the outter wire (im guessing the ground) together quite tightly.
wrapped the tape around the hot wire quite well making sure no copper is being exposed. also made sure the outter wire was complete isolated from the inner wire and wrapped up good also.
also I tripled wrapped it to make sure it will take a lot for it to loosen up.

This is my first time ever repairing anything like this and just a little paranoid.

[Drunkenmaster]

thanks to everyone that tried helping me.

[Little Johny]

Next time, put shrink tube on top to provide more protection.Google if you not familiar what shrink tubes are.

[15-20_God]

depends, what colour electrical tape did you use?

[i6s1]

Wondering if it is safe to use duct tape on my ducts.

Anyone know for sure?

Also, how does masking tape work for masking off an area I don't want to paint?

I have some hockey tape that I wanted to put on a hockey stick. Is this a good idea? NHL players only pls respond.

[kingrukus]

Can anyone tell me if scotch tape is good for sealing bottles of whisky? Please, LCBO experts only.

[wilsonlam97]

Can anyone tell me if scotch tape is good for sealing bottles of whisky? Please, LCBO experts only.

Hello kingrukus,

As an expert in wine and beer testing for LCBO for the past 25 years I've come to conclude that any liquor is best consumed nearest to the time of opening and that the contents should be maintained at a fair temperature pertaining to the liquor inside of it. Scotch tape would work well to reseal the bottle but you risk the lost of certain aromas and the "fresh" taste. I hope that helps!

Wilson
LCBO - Trolling Department

[kingrukus]

Hello kingrukus,

As an expert in wine and beer testing for LCBO for the past 25 years I've come to conclude that any liquor is best consumed nearest to the time of opening and that the contents should be maintained at a fair temperature pertaining to the liquor inside of it. Scotch tape would work well to reseal the bottle but you risk the lost of certain aromas and the "fresh" taste. I hope that helps!

Wilson
LCBO - Trolling Department

Thank you Wilson. I have proceaeded to o drunkk all pened hottales of laacker aerk,,,,,,,

[flashy_mcflash]

Anyone know what kind of tape I can use to measure the distance between one point and the next?

e: licensed contractors only, please. I don't want no scrubs.

[tsat]

Anyone know what kind of tape I can use to measure the distance between one point and the next?

e: licensed contractors only, please. I don't want no scrubs.

It depends, you want to measure in Cubits, digits, ells, or chains?

[Drunkenmaster]

Wondering if it is safe to use duct tape on my ducts.

Anyone know for sure?

Also, how does masking tape work for masking off an area I don't want to paint?

I have some hockey tape that I wanted to put on a hockey stick. Is this a good idea? NHL players only pls respond.


Dude, I love your sarcasm.. but 8000 posts? really? I bet this is what you do all day... Sad really.

[Drunkenmaster]

Anyone know what kind of tape I can use to measure the distance between one point and the next?

e: licensed contractors only, please. I don't want no scrubs.


So one question for you smarty pants.

Is it safe for electrical tape to be used as an insulator for all the wiring in your house?

IS IT?? I'm planning on buying coils of bare copper wire, WRAPP IT ALL UP WITH MY ELECTRICAL TAPE and wiring my entire house with it?

Please don't answer questions you don't know the answers to.

[mrperfect]

Locked for multiple threads. Please refer to your other thread and kindly refrain from attacking other users trying to help you out.

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/electrical-tape-safe-repairs-1198513/