Dodgy trade pictures for your amusement! - 1 Million Views!

[telectrix]

it'stime that someone invented an IDC tool for 1.5mm and 2.5mm T/E and flex.

 

[pirate]

Wid we no' need the sockets tae go alang wi'that but?
and how flexy wid 2.5mm t&e be?
Or are we gonnae be shovin' them intae telephone JBs?

 

[littlespark]

The original heating installation would have been specified and designed given the number and size of radiators that were installed. Did you take that into account before adding the extra 4 rads? We go ballistic when amateur electricians overload a previously sound installation based on their little bit of knowledge. Just saying.

Good point, however;-
The customer had already replaced the boiler previously after original broke down. He asked for a bigger model knowing that the loft conversion was on the cards. The heating engineer at the time had done the measurements and given him sizes of rads to buy.
And I'm not an amateur electrician... I'm a professional electrician.
Amateur at everything else. - Just saying

 

[Toneyz]

it'stime that someone invented an IDC tool for 1.5mm and 2.5mm T/E and flex.

I'm sure (think Crabtree ) once did light switches that had a push in (Wango type) connections.

 

[pirate]

Maybe...
IDC totally wrong shape for those...
Anyway, not an expert on that...or on anything, but insulation displacement may be fine for 5V, but anything more and I would be worried!
Funny, but those IDC things are so prone to working loose, just a wiggle or two and contact is lost...and when you see them stacked up...

 

[pirate]

#1533 Judd, I showed your pics to my daughter, and told her
"THAT'S what happens if you leave your straighteners plugged in!"

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Anyway, not an expert on that...or on anything, but insulation displacement may be fine for 5V, but anything more and I would be worried!

Maybe you've run into a lot of badly fitted or poor quality IDC terminations. Broadcast and comms facilities use hundreds of thousands of them because they have a very low failure rate. You can have a wall full of Krone 237A's and be pretty sure there will not be a bad connection anywhere. I have never seen one lose contact with 'a wiggle or two' when correctly fitted.

IDC is also in wide use for power cables and works fine for that purpose again when correctly sized and fitted. We have thousands of heavily loaded circuits wired with IDC DIN terminals and haven't had a fault yet.

 

[pirate]

Thank you for that Lucien...I simply was not aware of the situation, and my interest has been awakened! I love to hear about stuff I've not met before, and actually, thinking about it, I can readily acknowledge there must be billions of connections in comms relying on IDC. I expect my own ineptitude with IDC on telephone systems is the reason for my wiggle-free problems! I do have a neat inserter though...maybe time I learned how to use it properly! Off to do some research...

 

[telectrix]

bear in mind that the IDC tools for telephone connections and Data points are different.

 

[Rpa07]

bear in mind that the IDC tools for telephone connections and Data points are different.

How do they differ Tel? I would have to have one and the other next to each other for a check. Do the comms not give a good connection?

 

[rsgaz]

bear in mind that the IDC tools for telephone connections and Data points are different.

That's not strictly true Tel. 99% of everything you find in this country will be Krone LSA plus, i.e. the 'normal' ones. It's very rare to find the '110 block' type. More likely on very, very old equipment, or cheap tat from china perhaps.

How do they differ

The Krone ones have the IDC slot at 45 degrees...

The '110' type are at 90 degrees and need a different tool.

It's so rare that you'll need the '110 type', there's no point even forking out for a medium priced one, just get the 99p jobby, it could get you out of a pickle some day!!

 

[telectrix]

i have both the krone and the 110 in a tool with interchangeable tips. had it for donkeys years.

 

[pirate]

Well, I've learnt something already today
I have a ghastly plastic IDC thingy that came with an extension socket and lasted for 4 wires. It is still useful cos it props up one leg of my workbench.
The other gadget is a bit like a Swiss Army Knife, with a hooky bit, an adjustable stop/spring trigger thingy...I watched a youtube video, so I'm going to get that gadget out today and do some practising...
Worry not...I won't be posting my telephone JB on Show Us Your Installs!
(Partly because it will be boring in the extreme, and partly due to the poor grammar in that forum title...)

 

[Rpa07]

Gawd bless them Electrical engineers -
Been to an ex neighbour who moved to a bungalow own by said EE and his wife. He passed away 6 years ago so she sold up (to move to a bigger house? Mmmh don’t know where all the sense in that household was!)
So extract fan in bathroom not working. I notice proximity sensor, had power at the fan but he had disconnected the fan wires. I wanted to trace the path as there was a JB in the sensor hole but too large to pull through. Up in the loft had to take up tongue and groove around pipes etc. Long and short of it was that there were junction boxes that I removed and replaced with neat Hagers but the cherry on the cake was when I got to the jb for the sensor.
Poor bugger did a bad termination that didn’t bite through the insulation and didn’t know it, the fan wouldn’t switch off so he disconnected it.
I was the hero of the day and drank copious amounts of tea and cake.

 

[Old Tiler 43192]

Good point, however;-
The customer had already replaced the boiler previously after original broke down. He asked for a bigger model knowing that the loft conversion was on the cards. The heating engineer at the time had done the measurements and given him sizes of rads to buy.
And I'm not an amateur electrician... I'm a professional electrician.
Amateur at everything else. - Just saying

I never implied you were an amateur electrician, I was referring to Joe Public who are often the reason for many posts on here when they try to do electrical work themselves. Good to hear my points had already been considered and covered.

 

[littlespark]

Called to a job where they had only partial power since 10pm previous night.
This had taken out one of the RCD's on a split board.

Prime example of a DIY hero installing his own shower.
Supply neutral terminal had loosened causing heat.
It had been like this for 6 years before finally going out with a bang, while DIY hero was in the shower at the time.

Luckily there was enough spare on the cables to pull through and reterminate into a new pullcord switch.

 

[pirate]

Impressed that you re-terminated that into a new pullcord switch!
I confess that I do struggle unless I have a BIG back-box...had to do it differently on my shower...
No pics, so don't worry!

 

[westward10]

Don't do a lot of domestic but found this today on a periodic. Saw some downlights over a mini bar and made a bee line for them. Apparently the householder has paid an electrician to do this although I have convinced her this was no electrician and have disconnected it in the board. Further concerns are that this is connected from an old immersion supply which is now concealed behind some fitted wardrobes, the mind boggles.

 

[pirate]

Ummm...how does that work? I am a bit confused! Maybe reading it wrong...but then it IS wrong...
Nice the electrician left some long earth tails for future use!

 

[westward10]

It is a pull cord switch screwed above the plinth with no back box and the string dangling below.