In article <hvfq24tkh5i6g2a508stfe3q9q52kdglvf@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
flipper <flipper@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> On Fri, 16 May 2008 09:36:48 +0300, "Iain Churches"
> <IainNG@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> >I have seen posts in which people from the US
> >refer to "cheater plugs" I have a feeling they may
> >have somnething to do with solving hum and ground
> >problems.
> >
> >Can someone please enlighten me?
>
> A cheater plug has the safety earth pin missing. Or, rather, that's
> how it's used.
>
> It has a 3 pin AC receptacle on one end with a 2 prong plug *and* an
> earth terminal (sometimes a wire) that is *supposed* to be secured to
> the wall plate center mounting screw (or 'something') to make earth
> through the conduit. Or so the theory supposedly goes, except there's
> not a single blooming residence in the U.S. that had *conduited* two
> prong outlets so there's no earth to connect the thing to even if one
> were inclined to futz with it.
I think you are way overstating the case. While it wasn't conduit, my
parents last house, built in 1950, had two prong outlets and was wired
with "BX" cable which did provide a ground path from the outlet boxes.
The metro area where I now live requires the use of conduit to this day
and I am sure there are thousands upon thousands of homes in older
sections which still have the old *conduited* two prong outlets they
were built with, except in the kitchen and other similar spaces that
have since been upgraded.
> A final note, the 'ground' pin on the cheater plug is larger than the
> other so it can (supposedly) only be inserted the 'proper' way.
> Unfortunately, in the U.S. it seems that two prong wiring is semi
> random and 'ground' might be on either pin, depending on how
> incompetent the builder's 'electricians' were.
Doesn't the same problem occur with the wiring of the hot and neutral
wiring of three prong sockets? The ground lead is the only wire that is
likely to for sure be connected to the correct screw.
Regards,
John Byrns
--
Surf my web pages at, http://fmamradios.com/
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