I've just been going through some of my archive! 
How about a 200W bulb and some network cable!
How about a 200W bulb and some network cable!
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- Thread starter SUNRAY
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...A fake 'Apple' USB PSU exploding when the cable touched an earthed optical bench.
An Apple laptop PSU. Although it was on the ELV side, the arcing damage was quite severe!
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...And we had a whole batch of computers (100's) supplied with cables like:
The cable wasn't fully molded onto the connector. The fault wasn't initially found.
It took years to find them all after they went into service!
The cable wasn't fully molded onto the connector. The fault wasn't initially found.
It took years to find them all after they went into service!
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I purchased a load of those too, it was 24x 6 & 10m IEC extension leads for stage lighting. I was never sure if they were like it new or if the cable had pulled/shrunk but every one was like it, one end or the other.
If that's the cable I think it is, some bright spark may say 'it's rated at 300V'.I've just been going through some of my archive!
How about a 200W bulb and some network cable!
View attachment 250411 View attachment 250412 View attachment 250413
I worked on a CCTV system years ago where the 16 mains powered cameras were wired with 4 core alarm cable. It had been in service for a number of years, my involvement had been to make changes.
Contrary to every reg under the sun but, in reality, probably not an actual problem (even with much lower 'voltage ratings') - PVC insulation is amazingly good!!
A bit over 4 years ago, I reported on my ongoing experiment, which is today still ongoing, after probably 7-8 years. Back then I wrote ...
When I last IRd them, a few months back, they were still all 'doing fine', including the "50V" alarm cable.
Kind Regards, John
That does not surprise me in the slightest.
I helped a friend move house... blimey before their daughters were born, youngest is 22 so at least 25 years ago, the only place for the freezer in a hurry was the shed at the bottom of the garden, I lent them an extension lead, soft orange ribbed non kink and imperial size but about 2.5mm² which was just laid across the grass, then moved to one side so he could cut the grass... the bits that still show have faded to a dirty grey but most has got burried under a flower border and foliage, the usual way that things get obscured. The shed was a home office for a number of years until he retired.2019 it got meggared and shows as open circuit all ways.
I know of a 7/0.029 T&E feeding a garage at the bottom of the garden which started out clipped to a fence and ended burried when the fence was removed. Garage was built 1966 so the cable is 55 years old and doesn't trip the RCD installed about 20 years ago when the house was rewired.
They had just picked up the first thing to come to hand to solve the problem.
What got me was the really poor wiring that pulled straight out from the terminals, the shielding flapping around in the bulb holder and the 13A fuse!
This all from people who develop space instruments!
...and the butchering of a decent length high quality network cable, when reels of appropriate flex was available, if only they had asked!
Nor me - and, like you, I have come across countless examples of 'totally inappropriate' cables having been in service for decades without sny problems (and, where appropriate, with the cable still being seemingly 'fine' if/when ultimately removed).
I really just wanted to put things into perspective. I would imagine/hope that most of us would 'throw up our hands in horror' on coming across, say, ("50V") alarm cable or network cable being used for 'mains'. However, I think the reality is that provided it has an adequate CSA for the purpose, has PVC insulation and that potential 'mechanical vulnerability is not an issue', the chances of any problem, let alone danger, ever arising are extremely small.
I have to confess that, in the fairly distant past, I have used 7-core 'trailer cable' ('rated' way below 230V) for 'mains' (mainly in relation to CH), and I suspect that some of that may still be in service, decades after I installed it.
However, just to be clear, I am certainly not suggesting/advocating that anyone should do any of these (obviously non-compoliant with regulstions) things!
Kind Regards, John
I do know how these botches sometimes occur, indeed I've been involved with my fair share over the years but only if I'm in total control of the situation. For example; As a temporary get out of jail I once used 3 coaxes, one each for L, N & E that were in situe to get power to a projector and its hoist after the electricians had done some work and not knowing what a mains feed was for they chopped the cable and removed half of it.They had just picked up the first thing to come to hand to solve the problem.
What got me was the really poor wiring that pulled straight out from the terminals, the shielding flapping around in the bulb holder and the 13A fuse!
This all from people who develop space instruments!
...and the butchering of a decent length high quality network cable, when reels of appropriate flex was available, if only they had asked!
In the 1960's and still at school I was asked to look at the lights in what had been an old and dusty book shop. The owner due to his failing eyesight had fitted several extra fluorescent light fittings using bell wire tacked to the ceiling.
My recollections of the late 50s and 60s is that it was far from unusual to see 'bell wire' or similar being used for 'mains' purposes (particularly things like table lamps and Christmas Tree lights - but sometimes 'worse'!).
Kind Regards, John
Ah but let's remember that different peoples idea of bell wire vary. To me it was the variously coloured thin twisted stuff from woolworths, to some it is the twin solid wide spaced (To fix with a pin through the web), or twin solid fig 8 about 1mm².
Personally I've never classed the figure of eight twin flex (in OP) as bell wire, but I'm sure others do, and it was certainly sold as mains flex in yesteryear.
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