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Author Topic: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?  (Read 12041 times)

Mike Sokol

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #20 on: June 26, 2014, 02:34:51 PM »

No... but you could try litres.

You Americans with your funny spelling!...


Steve.

Hey, my spell check passed it. How do I know you're right.

BTW: Try to say Aluminum 3x fast in front of an American sound crew if you want to hear them bust out laughing. But seriously, I do like your beer, music and cars.

Golly, don't know if this thread will ever get back OT. 

Steve M Smith

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #21 on: June 26, 2014, 02:59:59 PM »

Golly, don't know if this thread will ever get back OT.

Let me help out.  I can sort of bring it back on topic and steer it away at the same time.

As this thread has now involved cars, I have another bit of advice for the OP.

If during your time in Britain, you have need to drive a motor vehicle, make sure you drive on the correct side of the road, not the wrong side like you do at home!

How was that?

And I would never say aluminum although we do have Humphry Davy to thank for getting the spelling you use wrong. He managed to get potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and strontium right so I don't know why he messed up with aluminium by missing out the i.


Steve.
« Last Edit: June 26, 2014, 03:09:11 PM by Steve M Smith »
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Mike Sokol

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2014, 03:29:02 PM »

Let me help out.  I can sort of bring it back on topic and steer it away at the same time.

As this thread has now involved cars, I have another bit of advice for the OP.

If during your time in Britain, you have need to drive a motor vehicle, make sure you drive on the correct side of the road, not the wrong side like you do at home!

How was that?

And I would never say aluminum although we do have Humphry Davy to thank for getting the spelling you use wrong. He managed to get potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, and strontium right so I don't know why he messed up with aluminium by missing out the i.


Steve.

Steve, someday you and I are going to drink a (room temperature) beer together and discuss wiring in the UK.

See.... we're back On Topic  8)

Steve M Smith

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #23 on: June 26, 2014, 04:03:32 PM »

See.... we're back On Topic

Probably not for long.

Live - Brown, Neutral - Blue, Earth - Green/Yellow (hope that helps).


Steve.
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Wren Curtis

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #24 on: June 26, 2014, 04:49:25 PM »

...and I thought this was going to be a pretty dull, innocuous thread.... :D

Won't be driving, thankfully (I really don't trust myself to not do exactly the wrong thing), and that color code is SUPER-helpful - I didn't know that at all.  Thanks!
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Steve M Smith

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #25 on: June 26, 2014, 05:08:00 PM »

and that color code is SUPER-helpful - I didn't know that at all.  Thanks!

I will add to it:

That colour code is for all appliance flex leads which terminate in a plug.  It is also now the colour code for fixed wiring e.g. connecting sockets, etc.

However, up until recently, the fixed wiring code was Red - Live, Black - Neutral.  Installed cable over here is called twin and earth and is rated by the conductor cross section in square millimetres.

e.g. 1mm² and 1.5mm² is used for lighting.  2.5mm² is the usual size for ring mains and larger sizes betwenn 4mm² and 6mm² are used for heaters, ovens showers, etc.

This cable has a bare earth conductor in the middle which is fitted with an insulating sleeve when terminated.  Now green and yellow, previously just green.

Anyway, rather than me trying to remember this, read what some experts have to say:

http://www.diydata.com/materials/electric_cable/electric_cable.php
http://www.practicaldiy.com/electrics/electrical-cable/electric-cable.php


Steve.
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Mike Sokol

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #26 on: June 27, 2014, 06:56:02 AM »

...and I thought this was going to be a pretty dull, innocuous thread.... :D\

We don't do dull here...  8)

Andrew Broughton

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #27 on: June 27, 2014, 12:37:36 PM »

50 Hz in UK versus 60 Hz in USA. Of course, most electronic equipment doesn't care about that.
Not true. Anything with a transformer can be a potential problem as the lower frequency creates more heat in the transformer. If the transformer is not designed for 50hz, it can burn out. It's common that small wall-wart transformers designed for 60hz will burn out at 50hz.
Anything with a switching power supply is fine of course.
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Steve M Smith

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #28 on: June 27, 2014, 01:35:47 PM »

Anything with a switching power supply is fine of course.

Except for the piece of test equipment our American half of the business sent to me a few years ago.  It wouldn't work on a transformer.  I had to build a 60 Hz inverter to run it.

I was insisting that the frequency wouldn't matter but a work colleague kept suggesting that it needed 60Hz.  I built the inverter to prove him wrong - unfortunately, he ended up wearing the smug hat* for the rest of the week.

(* something we invented - I'm sure you can work it out).


Steve.
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Andrew Broughton

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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #29 on: June 27, 2014, 02:48:53 PM »

Except for the piece of test equipment our American half of the business sent to me a few years ago.  It wouldn't work on a transformer.  I had to build a 60 Hz inverter to run it.

I was insisting that the frequency wouldn't matter but a work colleague kept suggesting that it needed 60Hz.  I built the inverter to prove him wrong - unfortunately, he ended up wearing the smug hat* for the rest of the week.

(* something we invented - I'm sure you can work it out).


Steve.
Interesting. I've been touring all over the world and I've never had a problem with any switching power supply. Must have been a strange configuration. In fact, a proper universal power supply can work with any voltage from 90 - 240v 50-60hz.
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Re: First time working in UK - anything I should know about power?
« Reply #29 on: June 27, 2014, 02:48:53 PM »


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