It is my understanding that in a laptop, voltage from a low voltage (say 10V) battery can be converted into higher much higher voltages by way of inverter for an LCD display module. Is this voltage dangerous in any way if I were to put a load on the output, such as my wet finger?
I believe these inverters have a high source of impedance and don't supply much current? Yet I was wondering if there would be a circumstance in which one could possibly feel a shock.
Earlier today, as I was typing on my LED backlit Macbook Pro keyboard, I spilled water all over it while simultaneously having accidentally dug a portion of my finger under a key. Although not part of the display, I thought I would have felt something. Why didn't I?
Apologies for the scattered array of questions.
Thanks
Best Answer
Macbook parts are relatively well known. The backlight driver IC in a Macbook is an TI LP8550. This has a maximum output voltage of 40V.
Not that dangerous.
Traditional CCFL backlight however, create a voltage of several thousand volts. And from experience I can tell that this hurts quite seriously when you touch this.
Dangerous.
In order to get shocked there needs to be a path. A wet keyboard battery powered laptop do not form a path. There is a path when you're holding the monitor chassis with left, and touch the inverter with your right palm.