ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades 1961 Electrical Regs

Pauluk, I've also seen the white,single insulated stuff here. It was used for hanging pendant lights between the ceiling rose and the pendant.

Don't think its available now though except as speaker cable. Was it ever 415V rated ?

The 3-conductor flat doesn't seem to have been anywhere near as common as the 2-core version of "zip cord." Twisted twin (also single-insulated) was also very common for table lamps and such like, and for pendant fittings.

I don't think any of it was ever rated for more than 250V though. I can't think of any reason why it would need to be.

I have seen flat 3-core cable only once, on one of those weird handheld immersion water heaters.

Here that stuff was/is rated 300V, but there has been serious debate whether it's actually allowed in Austria or not. Basically it's violating the rule of double isolation for everything, but on the other hand some people say there is an exception. At the big box stores that stuff carries a "42V max.!" label anyway, but according to the designation (A05V-F) it should be rated 300/300V.

I think it was somewhere around 1975 that new trading legislation here specified that the cords on all new appliances must be double insulated.

There were exceptions for one or two specific things though: Fairy light strings for sure, and possibly electric shavers?

To be honest, only two sources I know of say such cord has been Legal after about 1970 for low voltage wiring: a German DIY book (not thee best thing anyway, but seems at least halfways solid) and the label on the circa 1995 rolls of cord themselves (Kopp brand). New rolls say 42V max. anyway. Still, the harmonized designation is weird.

There has been double-insulated flat cord here too, but it only looks like it can be ripped apart, actually it's solid, only with a shallow ridge. The core colors on that were yellow and white, don't even ask me where _that_ stuff came from! In some parts of our house it was plastered in to supply some ungrounded receptacles...

Aussie240,
I know the one you're talking about.
The actual "strain relief" was a knot (not unlike a reef knot) in the Phase and Neutral conductors of the cord, the Earth conductor (if present) was un-knotted.
The knot had to be done a certain way or it would damage the wires, I seem to remember an elderly Electrician here telling me about it, about 10 years ago, he's long since passed away.
There was a name for that particular knot, can anyone help?.
The cord was often rubber-sheathed cotton braided, with a jute filler.
Not unlike an iron cord, but more basic, I have seen tinsel/cotton wires on some radios here.

[This message has been edited by Trumpy (edited 02-24-2006).]

Possibly what would be called an Underwriter's knot in the U.S.?

Paul,
Yeah, that's the one!.