Assignment For Badge

That's what I'm thinkin'!

Maybe Paul Daniels has got one of these babies up his sleeve?
 
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Well, the cheap units which work as described above need at least two conductors intact and not shorted to each other in order to give any sort of indication. If you have only one line connected, or only two but they're shorted, then you can't get power to any of the LEDs.
 
I think the best test method is to put a different voltage on each conductor at one end and check that the same voltages appear at the other end.

An open circuit meant a zero at the far end of that wire and any shorted conductors meant the voltages on the affected wires will be incorrect.

But it requires a lot of circuitry to make the necessary voltage checks unless one uses a micro-processor.
 
Most larger companies and schools IT departments will usually have a large box of spare ones - with Shuko plugs on the other end that would have come with all the computers and monitors.
I've worked in IT departments and IT companies, large and small.

I've never seen any equipment arrive with Schuko plugs.
 
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Have done a bit a sheet for the lads:

Wondered if I'd missed anything obvious?


PLUGS, SOCKETS AND FUSES.

We have not always had the plugs and sockets you see today. Many years ago, there were different types of plug and socket installed in houses – sometimes different designs were installed at the same property. And the way they were wired was different too.
After the Second World War, materials were scarce, so it was decided that a new, standardised system would replace the various old ones and it was designed to make much more economical use of cable than the old system. Several types of plug and socket were made for use on this new system but gradually they fell out of use, in favour of the ones we use today.
65 years later, despite there no longer being a materials shortage, we are still installing the same system!

Plug Fuses:
Value in Amps Appliance Rating Fuse Colour
3 Up to 700W Red
13 Above 700W Brown

13A and 3A are the two main fuse sizes for plugs, but there are others: 1A, 2A, 5A, 7A and 10A. These are all coloured black, so if you use them, don’t get them confused!

Three Pin Plug:
Two things you will notice about the pins on the plug straight away are –
(i) The top pin is longer
(ii) The bottom shorter pins have a plastic covering
Do you know why?
 
could you mention the shuttering, maybe get them to try to poke something into the L&N holes, find out they can't, explain why the socket covers are an UNsafety item?

try to explain Amps in terms of water passing through a bigger pipe, you get more flow, even if the pressure (volts) are the same

And why a large appliance like a tumble-drier takes the same Amps as a small appliance like a kettle, but far less than a radio or a table lamp or a big TV. And that almost all the electricity turns into heat which is just another form of energy.
 
try to explain Amps in terms of water passing through a bigger pipe, you get more flow, even if the pressure (volts) are the same.
I've been trying to think of a way to demo the analogy with a reservoir whose height can be adjusted (voltage), showing more water coming out of a tube (current) - so far so good, but to use a tube with a very low pressure rating, such that you can burst it easily (current carrying capacity).

Can't think of a way to make such a tube.
 
. . . tumble-drier takes the same Amps as a small appliance like a kettle, but far less than a radio or a table lamp or a big TV . . .

I assume that was just a grammatical error !

The radio & table lamp take far less than the kettle or drier.
 
try to explain Amps in terms of water passing through a bigger pipe, you get more flow, even if the pressure (volts) are the same.
I've been trying to think of a way to demo the analogy with a reservoir whose height can be adjusted (voltage), showing more water coming out of a tube (current) - so far so good, but to use a tube with a very low pressure rating, such that you can burst it easily (current carrying capacity).

Can't think of a way to make such a tube.

Problem is the analogy breaks down, and you'll never get the pipe to burst at constant pressure with increasing flow. In a fluid, as the flow increases, the pressure drops. If the pipe survives the stagnation pressure then it will take any flow.

The easiest way would be to use an ELV system with a few power meters, some small lamps and a fuse wire. The water analogy works to a point but isn't any good for what you're doing.
 
I've been trying to think of a way to demo the analogy with a reservoir whose height can be adjusted (voltage), showing more water coming out of a tube (current) - so far so good, but to use a tube with a very low pressure rating, such that you can burst it easily (current carrying capacity).

Can't think of a way to make such a tube.

Perhaps a sensitive, adjustable pressure relief valve, or a dump valve controlled by a PLC or similar with a pressure switch/transducer in the tube. Maybe a bit over the top but at least you won't have to keep replacing the pipe ?

EDIT: Seeing as we are talking about current rather than voltage the flow will have to be monitored rather than pressure (voltage)
 
Here is the latest version. As it started life as a task to do with changing a plug, I have kept the topics more to do with that side.

I've decided to leave the other stuff, voltage, current, for another assignment.

PLUGS, SOCKETS AND FUSES.

Evolution:

We have not always had the plugs and sockets you see today. Many years ago, there were different types of plug and socket installed in houses – sometimes different types and designs were installed at the same property. And the way they were wired was different too.
After the Second World War, materials were scarce, so it was decided that a new, standardised wiring system and plug and socket design would replace the various old ones and it was designed to make much more economical use of cable. Several types of plug and socket were made for use on this new system but gradually they fell out of use, in favour of the ones we use today. The standard these are designed to is BS1363 and the fuses are designed to BS1362.

65 years later, despite there no longer being a materials shortage, we are still installing the same wiring system!


Safety by Design:

1. Plug Fuses:

Value in Amps Appliance Rating Fuse Colour
3 Up to 700W Red
13 Above 700W Brown


3A and 13A are the two main fuse sizes for plugs, but there are others: 1A, 2A, 5A, 7A and 10A. These are all coloured Black, so if you use them or come across them, don’t get their values confused!

2. Three Pin Plug:

Two things you will notice about the pins on the plug straight away are –
(i) The top pin is longer
(ii) The bottom shorter pins are partially sleeved with plastic

Do you know why?

3. Socket:

Take a look at a socket: what do you notice about the L & N apertures?

Socket covers are designed to be placed into sockets to stop babies and young children tampering with them.

Can you think how they could actually become a danger?


Disposing of a Moulded Plug:

Sometimes, if a plug is damaged, or you need to feed the flex through a gap, you may have to cut off a moulded plug and replace it. It is imperative that you make the moulded plug safe once removed so it cannot be reinserted into a socket and re-energised. To do this, with heavy pliers, bend each of the pins so they no longer line up with the apertures on the socket.


Counterfeit Plugs:

There are some counterfeit plugs available on the internet which, despite being marked “BS1363”, are not manufactured to any standard. They have plastic sleeving on the earth pin as well as the live and neutral pins. They are highly dangerous and should be SAFELY disposed of, as above.
 
It is imperative
You MUST
that you make the moulded plug safe once removed so it cannot be reinserted into a socket and re-energised.
become live and dangerous
To do this, with heavy pliers, bend each of the pins so they no longer line up with the apertures
holes
on the socket.


Counterfeit Plugs:

There are some counterfeit plugs available on the internet which, despite being marked “BS1363”, are not manufactured to any standard. They have plastic sleeving on the earth pin as well as the live and neutral pins. They are highly dangerous and should be SAFELY disposed of, as above.[/color]

they may also not have a fuse
 

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