Re: Remote Power Supply Connection

"BretLudwig" <bratzirules@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:00e22eedd5d8dcd17ee932fa1e451f86@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
>>> "> **** Brussels.
>
> You are in-and don't take this personally-a very ****ed up country.

Well, actually it's just one country of 25 EU member states, all having
common regulations.  As far as electrical safety is concerned, they
make a lot of sense. We still cannot agree however upon a common
mains voltage, or mains connector.  The voltage from country to
country ranges from 220V to 230V (most of Western Europe and
Scandinavia) to 240V in the UK.   The problem has been resolved
by specifying the mains voltage at 230V -6/+10%

As regards the mains connector, most European countries use thre
Schuko plug type F, or variants thereof. Many of these can be inserted
either way round.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko

The UK and Ireland have the best plug of all, with a substantial
brass ground pin at the top. This can only be inserted one way,
and has an internal fuse.

http://www.russandrews.com/product-UK-Reference-13A-Mains-plug-1861.htm

>Mind
> you, mine's headed that same goddamned way.

We get the impression that yours is *far* worse:-)

> That said...First, I KNOW for a fact that in Australia and New Zealand
> both as well as the UK, there are people running vintage Mc and Altec hi
> fi with separate factory power supplies as well as numbers of ham radio
> operators using Collins, Drake, Yaesu and Heathkit gear with separate
> power supplies. If THEY are allowed to get away with it why are YOU not?
> Geese and ganders and all that.

Perhaps you misunderstand. The regulations apply to
new equipment, and do not differentiate betweeen
commercial built or DIY.  As you say there are a great
number of people still using original amps with octal DC
connectors. One also sees American guitar amps with a
two wire AC feed and "death cap" on a switch, remarkably
often.  You may not build and sell such a product any more.
People use old and unsafe equipment at their own risk.

>
> There is NOTHING unsafe about high voltage power cords as long as they
> are correctly specified and terminated. Long experience has proven that
> electrocutions with using and servicing high voltage equipment are
almost
> invariably from the AC mains and not internal HV. That's even true of
> microwave ovens and the old tube oscilloscopes and avionics.

You may well be right. But where were you when the
legislation was being drafted?  :-)  Now we have to
comply with what we have.


> And....NEVER sell working homemade mains powered DIY equipment ever.
> Ever.  ALWAYS disable it and sell it as parts with no connected AC cord.
> If nothing else remove the power transformer and cut the wires off the
IEC
> connector or fixed cord and terminate the cord with wire nuts or cut it
> off. That way the buyer "repairs" it and is now the builder. Why do you
> think 80% of new piston aircraft registrations worldwide are
Experimental
> Amateur Built?

Once again, I am sure you are right, but there are so
many people eager to take over second hand home-built
equipment.  Here, you can make a sales receipt on which
the buyer accepts that the unit may not be fault free,safe to
use, or comply with the current safety regulations.  He/she also
agrees to have the unit brought up to compliance before use.
This is done to protect those who restore old radios, etc.

Iain