New ISO bar boards

[Tiny Spark]

So has anyone installed one of the new gen Schneider Iso Bar boards?

Ime in the process of making a training board for the apprentices so I ordered a 18 way TPN Iso Bar Board which is the standard board we use on site.
Anyways I had 1/2 hour spare earlier so thought I would just mount the Main incomer, Fix the earth bolt and screw it to the board which should of taken all of 10 mins.
So I unbox it and take of the cover to find everything had changed inside.
The earth bar is now situated at the top of the board, The design of the iso bars has changed and so has the neutral bar cover.

So as you do when you get these changes I thought I would see what they are like.
First things first I try flicking the iso bar covers and find I cant as they are stiff as hell! At this point I notice a little yellow thing on the top of the bus bar block. Whats this I wonder, Glance at the instructions and notice its the tool for flicking the iso bar covers so I give it ago.
Still cant budge the damn thing my tool slips, my hand flys across the DB and tears my finger nail on something on the way.
Que lots of shouting and swearing!

Deciding to leave it until I actually have to fit a breaker I decide to get the neutral cover off which now consists of removing 2 screws and then yanking the thing off with the force required to pull a African elephant off your beloved tool box!

By this point ime stood there scratching my head thinking WHY THE **** HAVE THEY CHANGED IT!?!?

There was nothing wrong with the old Iso bar boards, The neutral cover came off easily and the Iso bars covers moved swiftly.

Ime quite literally dreading have to do the above operations on a live board. You dont want to be exerting heavy forces while working on a live board it just aint helpful or clever!

Ime hoping they break in and loosen up :s

 

[Darkwood]

Fitted them and had no issues that you specify ... the busbar sliders are easily moved if you dont apply pressure, exerting a down force onto them will make them hard to move, the earth bars are better at the top i must admit it was a right jungle of wires trying to add circuit earths when alot of the earth bar was hard to access with all the L/N passing by.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Not to fussed about the earth bar moving tbh. I guess it depends which way your wires have to run.
But as for the sliders mine just weren't shifting!
Didnt push down on them but had quite a bit of sideways force going on (hence the lost nail).

They look pretty though HAHA

 

[Darkwood]

Must be a bad batch had no issues myself.... ring Schneider and explain your issues, you'll be surprised sometimes with what response you get.... they are proud of their products and will help in any way they can ..... maybe even a freebie

 

[Tiny Spark]

Must be a bad batch had no issues myself.... ring Schneider and explain your issues, you'll be surprised sometimes with what response you get.... they are proud of their products and will help in any way they can ..... maybe even a freebie

Thanks Darkwood.
Ile have another look tomorrow, May be a dodgy board as you suggest as by the sounds yours is not as stiff as mine!
(god that sounds dodgy LOL)
The thing I found odd though is the little tool thing for sliding the sliders has a smaller blade than the cut out in the slider.
I would of thought it would of been a fairly snug fit?

Must say though I still prefer the old board where you could just slide em over with your finger nail and take the 4 screws out of the N cover.

 

[Darkwood]

Maybe the range has changed again fitted mine a year ago had top earth bar but still had 4 screws on N guard and never noticed a supplied tool for operating sliders?, ill keep my peepers open next time i order one.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Hmm maybe. We have not fitted one for about 2 years so it came as a bit of a surprise but ile take a pic tomorrow to show you

 

[Darkwood]

Does it look like this one? Took me ages to find a board to match the paintwork .... this was half way through the install so noted the swa's are not grouped properly (they are now)

 

[Tiny Spark]

Nope, they are the ones I like LOL
Ile try to find a piki otherwise ile take one tomorrow.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Nope cant find one on Google.
Guess they are really new LOL

PS Tidy job there DW

 

[Darkwood]

No worries got a job soon so will be fitting one as its the only brands i fit in factories due to the internal isolators means you can make safe a circuits without too much hassle.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Yeah they are fantastic boards and the ability to work safely on them while the rest of the system is live is a big bonus in the factory.
Lets face it nobody wants you turning the production lines off to add a socket circuit LOL
Well at least thats the way they normally work but ime really not sure about this one :s

 

[Darkwood]

Nope cant find one on Google.
Guess they are really new LOL

PS Tidy job there DW

It has 2 trunking entries at the top so all the singles not been installed in this shot hence fully number coded cables.... I rarely come across other sparkies that do this even though they are required to when using singles.

 

[Tiny Spark]

I always code mine up.
Though I dont use individual codes like you have there.

I go 1L1, 1L2, 1L3 etc or 1L123 etc for 3 phase.

Bring back RYB......

 

[Geordie Spark]

Nope cant find one on Google.
Guess they are really new LOL

PS Tidy job there DW

Aye , very canny.

It must be one that his mate did! :wink_smile:

 

[Darkwood]

Ive since started doing it 1L1, 1L2.....etc its just a habit from panel building lol.... still complies but yep the 1L1 method is better suited.

 

[Geordie Spark]

I always code mine up.
Though I dont use individual codes like you have there.

I go 1L1, 1L2, 1L3 etc or 1L123 etc for 3 phase.

Bring back RYB......

I preferred the even older R W B ................ it was nice and patriotic.

 

[Tiny Spark]

I preferred the even older R W B ................ it was nice and patriotic.

Wayyyy before my time that LOL

 

[netblindpaul]

Isobar4 is now obsolete, what you have is Acti9, the sliders are now interlocked so they can't be moved unless breakers are fitted, if you have then the board is probably ****ed!
This has been known for about 3 months if not more now, that the Isobar range was to be obsoleted.
Also all the C60H series breakers are now obsolete.

 

[Tiny Spark]

Isobar4 is now obsolete, what you have is Acti9, the sliders are now interlocked so they can't be moved unless breakers are fitted, if you have then the board is probably ****ed!
This has been known for about 3 months if not more now, that the Isobar range was to be obsoleted.
Also all the C60H series breakers are now obsolete.

Ahh well that will explain it.
How the hell are they interlocked I couldnt see anything?

Bring back the isobar LOL