JRscooby wrote:
I fail to understand. I have been known to work on hot 120V circuits. But if somebody feels the need to ask about disconnecting they might not have a firm grip on how to work safely.
Not so much about having a "firm grip", but more about at least asking a very smart question before jumping into a potential pool of sharks.
As a Electronic Tech of way too many yrs, I have worked on "hot" chassis" electronics from tube radios and TVs to even more modern solid state TV chassis up to the 1990s.
I can say I would rather have someone ask this question that you might consider dumb and get a good honest answer without a snarky reply.
The honest and best answer is to always remove power before proceeding with messing with any wires unless power is required for troubleshooting with test meters.
Never "assume" it can't hurt you or cause other damage.
12V is generally considered "low voltage", it does still have potential to do some damage. Breakaway systems may or may not have a fuse (one of the few times fusing rules are relaxed) due to the fact that they must operate in the case of an emergency and a blown fuse can render the system inoperable condition..
One side of the switch will be wired "hot" directly to the battery, the other wire goes to the electric brake wires so you have a 50/50 chance of shorting the battery side to ground accidentally and if not noticed quickly can over heat the wire..
