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Old 6th Sep 2020, 5:44 pm   #141
kalee20
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Default Re: Bodges

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Buzby123 View Post
To stop other people 'borrowing' his extension lead, he put a trailing socket on the iron, and a 13A plug on each end of the extension.
That is really terrible, but I love it!
Well, if anyone borrowed the extension lead, they'd only borrow it the once...
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Old 6th Sep 2020, 6:12 pm   #142
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You may jest, but when we needed 50 leads making up for computers and monitors with an Electrak mains plug on one end and an IEC at the other, the customer (a well known Supermarket) got their electrical contractor to make them, and a lovely job they did too, until I pointed out that they'd used male IECs.
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Old 6th Sep 2020, 7:35 pm   #143
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Hi, in the Australian system there appears to be provision for neutral loop-ins at both the ceiling rose or fitting and the switches; very useful in wiringing but presumably allows yet more variants on bodges

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Old 6th Sep 2020, 8:40 pm   #144
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In the 1990's, a work colleague bought a bungalow which had had a loft conversion. After some time, they discovered, in the back of a fitted wardrobe, a 13a socket with something plugged into it. He either flicked the switch off, or pulled the plug out, and all the lights in the loft conversion went out - the lighting circuit had just been terminated in a 13A plug and plugged in!
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Old 6th Sep 2020, 10:22 pm   #145
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In the 1990's, a work colleague bought a bungalow which had had a loft conversion. After some time, they discovered, in the back of a fitted wardrobe, a 13a socket with something plugged into it. He either flicked the switch off, or pulled the plug out, and all the lights in the loft conversion went out - the lighting circuit had just been terminated in a 13A plug and plugged in!
I've heard of all of the electrics (at least all the lighting & sockets) in a flat being wired into one plug.

It might have been on this site, it was an a big old house that have been split into flats.
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Old 6th Sep 2020, 10:40 pm   #146
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Yes, I remember that description, and tried to find it by using search some days ago. Couldn't find it, alas.

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Old 7th Sep 2020, 2:00 am   #147
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Another from the 80's.

In the age of 'wine lakes' and 'butter mountains' there was a rush on building refrigerated warehouses to hold the stuff. This one was in Germany, built to replace one full of butter that had mysteriously burnt down.

These warehouses were owned by three brothers, all somewhat reminicent of 'Del Boy' Trotter.

( On a long autobahn journey with a Del Boy, I speak no German and Del speaks no English, but he does manage to ask me should we stop for a drink. I sign yes, expecting to stop at a service station, but Del pulls over to the hardshoulder, gets out and opens the boot, returning with two bottles of beer and an opener. )

We were commissioning an aisle stacker crane for this warehouse. These cranes have a few motors for driving and winching, about 2kW each. Power was collected from 3ph bussbars above the crane.

When we reached the stage of running the crane, it travelled about 5mtr before it started slowing down, eventually stopping. Quick check with a meter showed the voltage from the bussbars was seriously low.

Off to switch room to see what's wrong.

None of us were certified electricians, but even we could recognise that the main breaker on the incomer to the building was 'OFF'. How was anything running without any power to the building ?.

A bit of investigation revealed a thin cable exiting from under the incomer panel. It snaked across the back of the switch room, through a door, up a flight of stairs, then out of a window. From there it was strung across a road, finally ending in a car repair workshop.

Turned out the workshop was also owned by the Del Boys, and as they hadn't yet paid for power to the warehouse, they decided that they would run the warehouse from a 3ph socket that they had paid for.

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Old 9th Sep 2020, 4:15 pm   #148
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As a schoolboy I was asked to fix one of the ubiquitous 1950s "five valve" AC/DC radios that had a noisy volume-control.

Taking the cover off I was surprised to see that this was a six-valve radio! As well as the expected five B9A valves there was an Octal too - its socket mounted on a nicely-turned circular wooden pattress.

Only the heaters were wired - across a failed section of the dropper-resistor.

I replaced the noisy V/C, fitted a proper replacement dropper-resistor sourced from a friendly RS-account-owning relative, and kept the 'impostor' valve (was something like a 25L6) which still had good emission despite having been run for hwo-knows-how-long with no cathode-current.
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Old 9th Sep 2020, 8:35 pm   #149
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I came across an "interesting" plug when servicing a customers amplifier today, lucky the cord grip was cranked up tight or a bang would have ensued if pulled

******************************oPbq1YsmJvH7M2pr5
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Old 9th Sep 2020, 9:09 pm   #150
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Sitting wide eyed with shock at that photo!
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Old 9th Sep 2020, 11:42 pm   #151
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13A fuse too, nice. First thing I do on any item is check the plug and mains lead.
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 12:48 am   #152
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Default Re: Bodges

Me too. Even if it's a brand-new appliance (with a rewireable plug, obviously!)

Nice to see an original Ever Ready fuse though
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 1:28 am   #153
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Some of you might recognise the nasty output circuit board from a Fender Blues Junior.

VERY nice work!!! WHY were the bases changed in the first place? Especially as the pin circle diameter on the new ones are different from the origionals.
I also have to replace the rigid "flexible" cables as they have a few of the conductors broken off flush with the PCB. Customer said this cost $440!!!!!!

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Old 10th Sep 2020, 2:43 am   #154
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After my repairs!! WELL there is little else to be done, multiple tracks missing.
New valve bases have been fitted with somewhat longer pins protruding through the PCB. Wire repairs have been wound around the base pins then soldered. It's in fact a very poor design in the first place as the only physical strength is afforded by the soldering. There is no other physical mountings used.
Broken interconnects!!! This can catch you out!! its not visible without very carefull inspection. Mind you, anybody with half decent hands would not have broken them in the first place.

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Old 10th Sep 2020, 8:33 am   #155
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Default Re: Bodges

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13A fuse too, nice.
Yes - I wonder which would go first, the 13A fuse or that stray strand of wire.
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 8:54 am   #156
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It’s a simple idiot-proofing scheme that’s very effective. But no idiot-proofing can overcome a determined idiot.”
― Andy Weir, Artemis
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 9:40 am   #157
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Default Re: Bodges

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13A fuse too, nice. First thing I do on any item is check the plug and mains lead.
I can say with absolute conviction that 95% of mains plugs examined during my career had the default 13amp fuse in place even if it was a tablelamp, saw quite a few silver paper ones as well!, having the plug moulded on these days has at least some benefits.
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 10:03 am   #158
Dave Moll
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having the plug moulded on these days has at least some benefits.
... but still doesn't guarantee that the correct fuse is fitted.

As a post above says, no idiot-proofing can protect against a determined idiot.
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Old 10th Sep 2020, 12:30 pm   #159
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Default Re: Bodges

Quote:
Originally Posted by greg_simons View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Outrun_uk View Post
13A fuse too, nice. First thing I do on any item is check the plug and mains lead.
I can say with absolute conviction that 95% of mains plugs examined during my career had the default 13amp fuse in place even if it was a tablelamp, saw quite a few silver paper ones as well!, having the plug moulded on these days has at least some benefits.
Greg.
I have also seen lots of badly wired plugs in my time.
I once rescued some kit from a big place that was upgrading. About half of the plugs were badly wired and fitted with 13A fuses.
They ought to have known better.
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Old 11th Sep 2020, 3:27 pm   #160
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I am speechless looking at this photo!

What strange planet must the person who wired that plug have come from? Electricity isn't the same as water, just flowing through the cable like it's a pipe!

Oh, honestly, I despair sometimes!

Sorry!
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