I plugged a potentiometer in wrong and there was smoke for a second... How much damage will there be to my board and pot and is the smoke toxic?
A lot, possibly
(But you survived to post the question, so not all that)
But could I die eventually or something because of the smoke it was like 10 minutes ago
UPDATE nothing was damaged but I'm avoiding the electronics and room I was in for a few hours
noodlespinbot:
UPDATE nothing was damaged
Are you certain?
That smoke doesn't come for free.
I checked what i had the pot plugged into by using the potentiometer again in the same way and it worked with the example code analog input, i
also checked my led i had plugged in and it worked
the smoke was from the pot which still works, i think the smoke may've been from rubber wiring
inside the pot or a mini circuit chip
Pot smoke isn't free.
(Well, the first one is)
TheMemberFormerlyKnownAsAWOL:
Pot smoke isn't free.
(Well, the first one is)
(Well, the first one is)
?what does this mean?
A joking reference to a different kind of pot
Ok and btw my pot smells burnt but workst too so im not too worried anymore
TheMemberFormerlyKnownAsAWOL:
A joking reference to a different kind of pot
I see, you have got a lot of experience...
You were intending to connect it with Vcc on one side, Gnd on the other, and the wiper to the analog pin of the Arduino, right?
What you actually did that made it smoke was to connect Vcc and Gnd between one side and the wiper, and the pot was adjusted such that the resistance was fairly low between them, so an excessive current flowed through the pot (which is not designed for such use); pot in turn got hot and smoked. Be careful not to wire pots like that - if Vcc and Gnd are both connected to the same pot, they must be connected to opposite ends; neither may be connected to the wiper.
This may or may not have damaged the pot, and if it was damaged, the damage may not be catastrophic, but rather a change in the resistance of the pot at some or all settings.
The smoke, while it smells bad, is not hazardous enough to be concerned about in small amounts.
noodlespinbot:
Ok and btw my pot smells burnt but works too so I'm not too worried any more
Pots are cheap, buy a new one and learn from the experience. You might find the old one works but is unreliable.
If smoke from burnt out components killed people then neither I nor most of the other people here would be answering your questions!
While most smoke is noxious and to be avoided (esp if asthmatic), you don't need to be too worried. Its not like you've set fire to osmium or uranium!
noodlespinbot:
But could I die eventually or something
Not could. You will die eventually. Just like everyone else alive.
As a child (30+ years ago) I've burnt quite a few trimmer pots, just because I liked the glow of the carbon track. Fun to play with. I'm still around, so it's not all that bad. Just don't make it a habit, smoking is bad for you, mostly because of the smoke part.
Indeed, the pot may work but indeed don't trust it too much any more.
wvmarle:
Not could. You will die eventually. Just like everyone else alive.
Are you sure? There are in excess of 7 billion people (I am one of them) who have so far managed to avoid dying, which is an awful lot of people who have not died yet.
PerryBebbington:
Are you sure? There are in excess of 7 billion people (I am one of them) who have so far managed to avoid dying, which is an awful lot of people who have not died yet.
Survivor bias.
There are way more dead people than live people.
PerryBebbington:
Are you sure? There are in excess of 7 billion people (I am one of them) who have so far managed to avoid dying, which is an awful lot of people who have not died yet.
Not yet. Exactly.
TheMemberFormerlyKnownAsAWOL:
There are way more dead people than live people.
This is not necessary true. Amount of people grows about exponentially (at least lately) - there is similar amount of dead people as living people. I don't know the real data but it may be even possible there is more living than dead. It will probably also depend who is considered "human" - how ancient humanoid you count. Or even ancient mammals who lived with dinosaurs?