I have a question regarding taking mains AC voltage, straight through a bridge rectifier to a large capacitor. Is there any inherent danger or disadvantage to this over using a NTC resistor in series to prevent the startup current spike?
The reason I ask, is I have a cheap chinese TIG welder that does just that... It creates a huge spark when I first plug it in. I took it apart and it has a couple 220uF caps with no current limiter.
Do I have to worry about the caps exploding? Shortened life? Just curious... Caps are cheap but removing shrapnel from my face isn't...![Stick Out Tongue :p :p](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
The reason I ask, is I have a cheap chinese TIG welder that does just that... It creates a huge spark when I first plug it in. I took it apart and it has a couple 220uF caps with no current limiter.
Do I have to worry about the caps exploding? Shortened life? Just curious... Caps are cheap but removing shrapnel from my face isn't...