Electrical current flow indicator

Claim 1

An indicator for use with electrical power dissipating devices and a source of line voltage for indicating firstly the presence of line voltage and secondly, whether or not the electrical power dissipating device is drawing current from the line of voltage source said indicator comprising in combination, means to connect said indicator to a source of line voltage and means to connect said indicator to an electrical power dissipating device, said first means including a pair of conductors connected to said first means and to said second means, a first circuit across said conductors, said first circuit including visual line voltage indicating means and a second circuit also across said conductors between said first circuit and said second means, to visually indicate electrical power dissipation across said conductors, said second circuit including a step up transformer having primary and secondary windings, said primary winding being in series with one of said conductors, a silicon controlled rectifier including a cathode, a gate and an anode, said secondary winding being connected to the line voltage input side of said primary winding and to said cathode, a neon glow lamp and resistor in series with said silicon controlled rectifier anode and connecting with the other of said conductors and means to control the conducting characteristics of said gate, said last mentioned means including a resistor in series between said line voltage input side of said one conductor and said gate of said silicon controlled rectifier, said last mentioned resistor preventing said silicon controlled rectifier from conducting unless said power dissipating device is drawing current, the connection of said power dissipating device to draw current operating said secondary winding of said transformer and providing sufficient polarity to said cathode of said silicon controlled rectifier to cause said silicon controlled rectifier to conduct thereby operating said neon glow lamp.