A lost art

[herulach]

Do they still come with the card showing you exactly how to wire them up?

I've no problems doing this or a variety of other appliance based tasks, but completely agree about simple DIY skills - mine are almost non-existent! Generally, if I can see the screws/bolts etc. I can figure it out, but I'm completely lost at sea in a number of tasks where they're not so visible or you have to get the right part as two recent examples showed up:

1) Toilet problems - had a problem with the flushing unit, which is easy to diagnose and find replacement parts for. But then the button for the flush (pneumatic link) broke and is that a standard one? No. I can understand the mechanism, ordered what *looked* very much like a the right replacement part, but part of it is too thick and fouls the mechanism. Still working out how I might bodge it, otherwise it's a whole new pneumatic system just to get the right button

2) Door handles! Recently pulled one off one of those multi-bolt PVC type doors. I haven't got a clue how to fix it - I'm used to door handles that have grub screws or similar to attach, none of which are visible for these kind of doors, it seems to be some kind of one-way washer type things.

I know some villages have hobby clubs for young and old to mix and share skills/help each other, but round here it's mostly commuters who I guess would pay other people to fix it, so I've not found such a club.

Most of the ones I've seen are blind bolts, so the inside has screws that clamp through the door to the outside.

[SeriousSam]

It isn't just basic DIY skills... I was talking about growing tomatoes with one of the lads I play WoW with and someone else asked "what's compost?"

[Saracen]

It isn't just basic DIY skills... I was talking about growing tomatoes with one of the lads I play WoW with and someone else asked "what's compost?"

Seriously??

And that's no pun on your forum name, Sam.

What is the world coming to?

[Zak33]

I had to make up a specific cable extension yesterday, which involved putting three pin plug on a cable. Wiring a three pin plug is something I've done scores of times, but not for a while with the introduction of mounded cable sets.

It used to a rite of passage for (mainly) sons learning from their Dads - I was about 8 or 9 when my Dad showed me, but I wonder if it is now a lost art or considered "too dangerous" for other than electrician to do?

excellent subject

I was shown by my Dad... and he also taught me to have a certain amount of slack, and how to strip the cable.. and how to bend the copper core in advance of slipping it into the plug connectors, because so many cables are so stiff and the copper is tough to make it fit AND get the case back on.

I practiced a LOT, with cables not connected to hardware...

BUT... this is where my Dad was clever... he then removed EVERY plug from my practices and stored them separately from the practice cables.

Years later..... I had cut a load of cables from old devices with a few feet of cable to store spare plugs... and in a flash of inspiration realised that if they were plugged in... the exposed ends would be deadly.

[Hoonigan]

Where are the black and red wires?

I'm confused!

[Ferral]

Black and Red wiring is Pre 2004 as that is when regulation came in as to the color coding.

Red - Live
Black - Neutral
Yellow - Earth

Old houses will still have this (like ours) in places if never rewired.

[peterb]

It was actually way before that! The colours for appliance wiring (that is the bit that goes to the plug) changed with the publication of the 14th edition of the wiring regulations in 1970, to harmonise with Europe.

The colours up to then were red, black and green, and changed to Brown, Blue and red/yellow stripe.

At the time, the thee phase colour scheme was red, yellow and blue, with black for neutral/ star point, so there was some harmonisation with the pre-1970 colour codes. It was considered too confusing/dangerous to change the three phase wiring standard at the same time.

In 2004, the three past colour codes changed to Brown, black and grey, with blue for the neutral, or star point in star connected 3 phase system - so again bringing it back into some form of harmonisation, again in line with Europe, although the three phase colours are not standard, and good practice recommends labelling the cables as L1, L2 and L3.

(Three phase systems that are connected as a delta layout do not have a neutral point, but are usually reserved for high voltage distribution systems. 440V distributions are star connected giving 240 volts phase to neutral, or 440V phase to phase.

[b0redom]

Many moons ago, my mate posited that as it was alternating current you should be able to swap the brown and blue wires around and it should still work. He tested it on his hifi and it worked. The obvious problem with doing that though is that the live current is no longer fused. I hate (and have no patience for) any form of DIY, but even I can wire up a plug!

[DanceswithUnix]

Still working out how I might bodge it, otherwise it's a whole new pneumatic system just to get the right button

Sounds like an ideal excuse^H^H^H^H^H^Huse for buying a 3D printer

[peterb]

Many moons ago, my mate posited that as it was alternating current you should be able to swap the brown and blue wires around and it should still work. He tested it on his hifi and it worked. The obvious problem with doing that though is that the live current is no longer fused. I hate (and have no patience for) any form of DIY, but even I can wire up a plug!

Ouch - he was lucky as earth and neutral are (or should be) connected together, so it should have blown the fuse - unless the amplifier was double insulated and didn't need an earth ground connection.

[jimbouk]

Do they still come with the card showing you exactly how to wire them up?

Not always, so I have one stashed away in the toolbox. I always like to double check, no matter how recently I've had something apart!

[Ttaskmaster]

Do they still come with the card showing you exactly how to wire them up?

Nah, is easy stuff - bLue goes Left, bRown goes Right, the yellow one can then only go to the top.

I know some villages have hobby clubs for young and old to mix and share skills/help each other, but round here it's mostly commuters who I guess would pay other people to fix it, so I've not found such a club.

Do you not have something like a HackSpace group, perhaps?

I only recently discovered that it was typical in the UK at one point to sell devices without the plug on the end.

I grew up with that!
Then again, it wasn't so long ago that I realised cars no longer have a manual choke, either!

[Spreadie]

Nah, is easy stuff - bLue goes Left, bRown goes Right, the yellow one can then only go to the top.

Nah, Brown to yellow and Blue to bits

[DanceswithUnix]

Ouch - he was luck as earth and neutral are (or should be) connected together, so it should have blown the fuse - unless the amplifier was double insulated and didn't need an earth ground connection.

Erm, I would hate to see a neutral connected to earth largely because of the possibility that a socket or plug might be mis-wired in an old fuse protected house.

In a more modern wiring setup, I would have expected the residual current breaker to trip if it sees an earth-neutral short.

Edit: ISTR it was quite common to earth the centre tap of the output of the mains transformer as part of connecting an amplifier chassis to earth for protection, isolated from the mains input.

Nah, Brown to yellow and Blue to bits

I used to mutter things like "Brown to E because that's exciting" when wiring plugs. Occasionally gets people looking worried

[Hoonigan]

Where are the black and red wires?

I'm confused!

This seems to have been taken seriously.

I can wire a plug, honestly.

[peterb]

Erm, I would hate to see a neutral connected to earth largely because of the possibility that a socket or plug might be mis-wired in an old fuse protected house.

In a more modern wiring setup, I would have expected the residual current breaker to trip if it sees an earth-neutral short.

Edit: ISTR it was quite common to earth the centre tap of the output of the mains transformer as part of connecting an amplifier chassis to earth for protection, isolated from the mains input.



I used to mutter things like "Brown to E because that's exciting" when wiring plugs. Occasionally gets people looking worried

Earth and neutral are bonded together all the way from the substation, and broken out into three wires at the consumer unit.

http://www.arca53.dsl.pipex.com/index_files/elect4.htm

This seems to have been taken seriously.

I can wire a plug, honestly.

I take everything you say seriously

(And more importantly, anything to do with high energy electrical circuits)