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Lostazhell (Randy)

Does that say 50 cycle? Where is this?

Looks like 50 cycles to me, too...

Maybe it's in a manufacturing plant that makes 220V/50Hz stuff for export, just a guess from a surveyor...

We have done a few buildings with both 50 and 60 cycle systems.

As Sir Arcsalot mentioned these where buildings that either made or repaired 50 cycle equipment.

Supposedly there are areas in theU.S. with 50Hz power systems instead of 60. I dont know where, just something I read somewhere.

Randy,
Exactly how are them wires coming out through that box?.
Obviously not through proper Bushes.
I can see Red, Green and a Black wire.
Shouldn't this have some sort of a recept on it?.
Looks like some sort of a test connection, but it's not the way I'd be looking to conect to 220V.

Would you be allowed to use an European outlet meant for 220V 50Hz at the appropriate amp rating? It wouldn't have the "UL" on it, but would the European approval be acceptable? Using the European outlet would prevent someone from plugging in a load that wants 60Hz. And it would be obvious to the userd that that outlet is the 50Hz one.

This is wake up lazy warehouse workers. Keeps them from leaning on the wall. The wire nuts were for the benifit of the guy with the camera, I'll bet they are normaly left off with live ends exposed.

There are USA (NEMA) style outlets made legal for use in some places in Europe. I would guess there would be some European style outlets made legal for the USA. But, I've never seen the latter. Apparently the 55-0-55 volt worksite power system used in UK likes to use the NEMA 5-15 outlet style. It would be close to the NEC article 647 wiring here (except they ave 50 Hz and we have 59.9999 Hz).

We have 59.9999 Hz??? Would you please expand on that a bit? Thanks!

[This message has been edited by SolarPowered (edited 05-04-2005).]

That's 6 thousandths of one rpm tolerance on a 3600 rpm alternator, 0.6%.
Alan

To expand my question a bit: As I understand it, the frequency of the net is very, very precisely regulated to 60.0000000 Hz over the long term, so that electric clocks will be accurate. I am unclear whether pdh was merely exercising a bit of levity, or if the actual standard is a bit off from 60 Hz, and clocks are designed to take that into account.

For comparison, the "60 Hz" field rate of NTSC television is actually slightly less than that, resulting in strange "drop frame" features in the SMPTE time code, among other things.

The 110V building site power here normally uses the very bulky connectors known as BS4343, CEEform, and other designations.

Click here to see 16-amp versions .

However, as far as domestic use is concerned, there's nothing in the U.K. to prevent the use of NEMA receptacles (or any other type for that matter).


The nominal frequency was adjusted down to 59.94Hz with the adoption of the NTSC color system. By contrast, the 50Hz field rate of British/European TV is still nominally 50Hz.

Paul,
Perhaps it should be pointed out that 110v is almost exclusively a UK 'building site' voltage, supplied by individual 240v transformers for safety reasons. Is this a legal requirement in the UK? If it's an EU directive, the French ignore it, because I've seen French tradesmen all using 230v kit, without hard hats on chantiers. Or proper guarded scaffolding for that matter, just those well named 'cripples' hooked over a pair of ladders with an old plank between.

In the uk, on building sites the "principal contractor" is responsible for site safety, and they must have insurance, which generally stipulates 110V (really 55-0-55V) on site for portable tools. So on most commercial sites anyone caught with a 240v tool will be dissmissed instantly.

HSE recommend the use of low voltage tools, but take a realistic view and recommend a RCD with 240V. Clearly self builders aren't going to have all 110V tools. You couldn't have and there isn't a law against 240V on site, as many big machines couldn't work on 110V.

It's interesting that hse allow 240v but are consficating pull-over mitre saws from work places.

Paul,

The 110V stuff is legally required for portable hand-held powertools on sites here in Ireland.

230V equipment (with RCD) can be used but, not handheld stuff.

SolarPowered: From some things I have read, the power grid sometimes fails to make up for every cycle lost in the times they do drop the frequency under heavy loads. As I understand it, if they can't make it up within a day or so, they just reset and move on. I've heard they have come out a few seconds short in the worst cases.

No one should be depending on them for accurate timing anymore, anyway.

I'm not sure of the exact details of the Health & Safety at Work Act, but this is one case where it's not an EU rule. The U.K. was using 110V site tools years before we even joined what was then the EEC.

We've had some discussions about 110V site tools before, such as this thread .


I'm not quite sure what type of miter saw that is, but who exactly gave the HSE any authority to confiscate anything? (Not meaning to go off topic -- Maybe this is a subject for a thread in non-U.K.).

I like PDH's description of the system as '55-0-55' volt, I must remember to use that, it describes much more accurately the reasons for using it (limited voltage to ground) than the usual description of '110 volts'.

So, to get back on thread, Randy, where IS that warehouse receptacle with American wire-nuts and '50 cycle 220v'?

So THAT'S what those little holes in those boxes are for!

So were those wires live ? ? What was that box supplying and why would those wires be sticking out like that ? ? With wire nuts on the end ? ?

If you'll look closely, you can see that there's an additional 2 screw clamp fitting coming from the top of the box. Also, what looks like a cord is fastened to the post in the background, and was possibly connected there.

It looks to me like this is an abandoned connection of some kind, the guy that disconnected it was bored and had a little too much play time on his hands.

Some of these boxes have a pair of ~5/32" holes on all 4 sides. I don't know just what these holes are really meant to be used for (obviously not this). They don't make very good attachment points for the box. They've just always been there.

Receptacle? What receptacle?



[This message has been edited by electure (edited 05-08-2005).]

electure,
Please bear with me while I learn my third language in 5 years - good ol' American English!

receptacle = socket
box = surface pattress


Alan

Alan,

Actually, that would be your fourth language, to wit, "NEC English." To that part of the US population who doesn't read the NEC in their leisure time, a "receptacle" is known as an "outlet", or a "socket." With a few illiterate types who call them "plugs." (To the rest of us, a "plug" is the male connector on the end of a cord.)

Regards,

Solar




[This message has been edited by SolarPowered (edited 05-09-2005).]

Oh yes, I'm well versed in the dangers of translation, like a pencil 'eraser' is not the same as a 'rubber', a 'fag' is not a cigarette, and a 'faggot' is definitely not a economic sort of meatball or a bunch of twigs to start a fire with! I've done it here too, most famously when I told the Maire's wife that my friend's new puppy, (son chiot) had eaten his slipper. Only trouble was, I pronounced the final 't' in chiot, thus saying that it had been eaten by his sh**house! You've never got a camera when you need one. And not to mention asking someone in the cafe to "Pass me a spoon, if it pleases you", and actually asking (in the local patois) for a certain spherical object, a part of the male anatomy!
Alan