Best way of overriding a fuse?

[andrew1210]

Seen this last year. I operated the lighting at my school when I was there. Strand Tempus dimmer pack, channel blew a fuse. I remove the 15A fuse carrier and yep the fuse is blown, so I borrowed one from the dimmer below on a free channel, open up to find a filed-to-size screw! On checking the others, there were 3 in total like this.

Needless to say, no one knew how they got there few days later after sending the technician to supplier, all sorted lol

 

[JohnW2]

There are (or were) special "13A" plugs without fuses available for hospital portable X-ray machines.

Yep, I've seen the infamous 'red plugs' still in use fairly recently (within the last 2 or 3 years), but I think that they were only ever used by a couple of manufacturers of hospital portable X-ray machines (plus those few machines designed for 'domicillary' use). Most hospital portable machines use 30A plugs.

For those who consider that the only purpose of the fuse in a BS1363 plug is to protect the flexible cable attached to it, these plugs do not present a compliance problem in that regard if used for the intended purpose and according to the MI - which states a minimum flex CSA of 4mm² (hence adequately protected by the circuit's OPD); apart from the absent fuse, the other difference from BS1363 plugs is that the cable clamp and internal architecture is designed to take cables up to 6mm².

The reality is that these machines take well under 13A nearly all the time, the brief excursion above this only being during the X-ray exposure (usually less than 1 second) - so I'd actually be surprised if a BS1362 13A fuse would actually operate in response to that, even if it were present.

Kind Regards, John.

 

[JohnW2]

Ooooh that looks like a good idea, I need a 32A supply for my new coffee machine in my coffee shop, this looks just the ticket. Where can I get the supplies for this? Or do they make them pre-made?

I doubt they are pre-made - I don't see any insulated sleeve on the earth pins

Kind Regards, John.

 

[AndyPRK]

Almost as good as the widow maker ....... two times 13A plugs to a 32A ceeform socket

Handy. I'll have to make some of those up

 

[securespark]

http://www.public.navy.mil/navsafecen/Documents/Photo/101-200/photo178p.pdf

There's an IP breach on those pattresses.