Hello John, that extension tower really needed the upgrade and all that wire coiled in the bottom is just a little scary. It probably would be ok for light duty where only one or two devices are powered at a time but other than that - no way. Regards, Dave
Hi Dave. It is scary my friend. It's dangerous even unless modded. I didn't want to say that directly on the video as I'd probably create a flame war from folk who love them. I mean they do have their place, just not at 3kW. I made sure the Amazon reviews section has a suitable warning about this. Take care Dave John
@3:12 “Fire retardant shell” probably means it is made from ABS-FR which simply means it cannot sustain a flame due to the FR additives which make the ABS self extinguishing, not that it won’t catch fire/melt.
I'll have to look now Scott as I'm intrigued to know what it's made of. Or I could just cut a little piece off and see how it reacts to fire & smells during the process. You can normally ID plastic pretty good by looking for soot or sniffing for a phenolic, candlewax or engine oil smell. I'd have to check which is which first though :)
@@OrbiterElectronics Just look for the recycling logo on the bottom, it might have one, could save you the trouble of that... ABS-FR doesn't smell very good either, it can be lit and will support a flame initially, but it will go out.
Smashing job john, you have made it much safer and you have peace of mind too :-). I would check the earth connection with an old earth pin, even known quality house sockets lose there grip with use. Sounds like me, i lost my grip a loooong time ago lol :-D I use spare mains cable as meter probe wires, often an upgrade for cheap meters.
Hi Harv, and thanks. Oh and LOL. You're always funny... Not in a bad way though haha. If you're referring to the build up of crud on the Earth pin Harv don't worry. That's just because it's been in the garage drawer for about 10 years. There's no wear on the pin though, and my wall socket contacts are bent inwards so that they're REAL tight :D Cheers mate John
@@OrbiterElectronics You misunderstood me, check the tightness of the earth holes in the 16 sockets with a earth pin from a plug, stick earth pin in each socket to make sure they are making contact. Do you stand under me now lol.
@@OrbiterElectronics lol no you did a perfectly good job :-D I was given a simple fluke meter as it didn't work, it was really grubby and black. The switch contacts wanted a swab of alcohol and the knob clicker wanted a good clean. It looks decent after a scrub up. I think it was a bottom end electricians meter, fluke 111. it agrees with my maplin gold meter, so it must be ok ha ha :-D
I was taught not to put solder on wires if they are to be crimped or used in a screw terminal. I think it can cause a worse connection over time. Looked it up and apparently what can happen is that since copper and solder have different expansion with temperature differences, the joint deforms with higher temperatures and then when it gets cold again the joint can loosen up and rise in resistance.
Hi McG, I can see where the concerns come from over soldering or not to solder, however for my own stuff I always solder connections like this. If there's ever the slightest hint that I'm getting loose connections I just fix them. I have had a plug or two with soldered connections come loose, but I've also come across plugs without soldered connections come loose too. I think vibration and general movement have a lot to do with the outcome and as you say thermal expansion and materials also adds a factor. Cheers buddy John
Another good video John and good cautionary tale for the unsuspecting (particularly with regard to the inadequate cable gauge and coiled wire in the base). Just a few thoughts on your modifications. Although unsuitable for this application, the 0.75 cable ' looked' to be perfectly good copper cable for lower current uses...I hope you did not really bin it? The plug you used must be pretty old as it did not have insulators on the Line & Neutral prongs - watch your fingers :-) Finally there is some debate on soldering wires going into screw terminals. I used to do it that way but understand that this makes for a weaker connection over time.
Thanks buddy, & some good points 👍. No I've not binned the 0.75mm² cable. I felt like doing that though when I saw it, but no doubt I'll just strip it & use it as test wire etc. It is a very old 13A plug, and well spotted on the insulators, or rather lack of them. These plugs are just ones we've had for years & are only used by me, otherwise they'd go in the bin. I can see both sides of the solder or not to solder plug wires debate. I've just always soldered them. When I was younger I always felt that it was a sure way of getting every wire strand into the pin holes together, before they had a chance to creep out or bend against the side of the pin. And as long as the cord grip was tight, wire movement inside the plug was minimal so any stress on the connections would be minimised preventing a bad connection issue. Saying that thought I have noticed sometimes that soldered connections do seem to come loose easier if they're not tightened fully. I'm actually taking some of my sockets apart tomorrow I think (ones that I know I have in the passt soldered) So I'll see what they're like with regards to being tight/loose. However this means that If I spot anything loose now I'm going to have to change my ways :( Cheers mate John
Thanks John, nice job. I'm going to assume that the spare socket you used that had a 3A fuse in it, that you upgraded to 10A, is actually capable of supporting 10A? Looked beefy enough, just curious. BTW, first time I'd ever seen a fuse built into a socket like that...I have a 120VAC test cable with double fuses for the bench but it's the only one I've ever seen on this side of the pond. Stay safe!
Hi Dino, Thanks my friend. Yes the plug was a proper 13A rated one. And even though it's an older one, it's actually more robust than many of the newer 13A models I have knocking around. All UK plugs are fitted with the fuses Dino, or rather they should be.. However I'm sure most of those black plasticky Chinese plugs that come with some things don't have fuses, even though they are a 3 pin UK socket design. Nooo I haven't binned the old 0.75mm² cable, I will keep it handy for test wire or something 👍 Cheers friend John
Very dodgy. As you obviously know 0.75mm cable is only good for 6A, 1.00mm for 10A, so any reputable maker would at least put 1.25mm cable on which is rated for 13A. Your device is pretty grim for the average consumer who may run it at the full 10A, and one can only hope never unattended. Good of you to share this.
Thanks Mike 👍.. I was in a debate with myself over what cable to use for this thing as It's only used for my own bench area. The whole circuit is only rated for 13A or 3.1kW (Fused) so I decided that 1mm² and a 10A fuse would be ok for this, as the Socket Extension would never see even 10A really. And even if it did It would't be for long & I would be there. Cheers buddy John
This ain’t got knotting to do with the vid but I just watched ur Xbox hdmi replacement I just wondered instead of replacing it is there any adapter I could plug into Xbox with something to put my hdmi in
It is indeed buddy, especially if the folk who buy these things leave them unattended under any sort of load. I've already written an Amazon review over this, & an email to them is in the works. Cheers John
Hello John, that extension tower really needed the upgrade and all that wire coiled in the bottom is just a little scary. It probably would be ok for light duty where only one or two devices are powered at a time but other than that - no way. Regards, Dave
Hi Dave. It is scary my friend. It's dangerous even unless modded. I didn't want to say that directly on the video as I'd probably create a flame war from folk who love them. I mean they do have their place, just not at 3kW. I made sure the Amazon reviews section has a suitable warning about this.
Take care Dave
John
@3:12 “Fire retardant shell” probably means it is made from ABS-FR which simply means it cannot sustain a flame due to the FR additives which make the ABS self extinguishing, not that it won’t catch fire/melt.
I'll have to look now Scott as I'm intrigued to know what it's made of. Or I could just cut a little piece off and see how it reacts to fire & smells during the process. You can normally ID plastic pretty good by looking for soot or sniffing for a phenolic, candlewax or engine oil smell. I'd have to check which is which first though :)
@@OrbiterElectronics Just look for the recycling logo on the bottom, it might have one, could save you the trouble of that... ABS-FR doesn't smell very good either, it can be lit and will support a flame initially, but it will go out.
Ah so you've been playing with fire too aye 😂.
Yea I'll check first though.
Cheers
John.
@@OrbiterElectronics Not exactly, I work in the plastics industry, we use several materials including ABS-FR.
@@TheDefpom Ah ok 👍
Smashing job john, you have made it much safer and you have peace of mind too :-).
I would check the earth connection with an old earth pin, even known quality house sockets lose there grip with use.
Sounds like me, i lost my grip a loooong time ago lol :-D
I use spare mains cable as meter probe wires, often an upgrade for cheap meters.
Hi Harv, and thanks. Oh and LOL. You're always funny... Not in a bad way though haha.
If you're referring to the build up of crud on the Earth pin Harv don't worry. That's just because it's been in the garage drawer for about 10 years. There's no wear on
the pin though, and my wall socket contacts are bent inwards so that they're REAL tight :D
Cheers mate
John
@@OrbiterElectronics You misunderstood me, check the tightness of the earth holes in the 16 sockets with a earth pin from a plug, stick earth pin in each socket to make sure they are making contact.
Do you stand under me now lol.
@@zx8401ztv Ah got ya. I've done that already though! However I've not had the Fluke 1663 on them so that means I've done a rubbish job 😥 :)
@@OrbiterElectronics lol no you did a perfectly good job :-D
I was given a simple fluke meter as it didn't work, it was really grubby and black.
The switch contacts wanted a swab of alcohol and the knob clicker wanted a good clean.
It looks decent after a scrub up.
I think it was a bottom end electricians meter, fluke 111.
it agrees with my maplin gold meter, so it must be ok ha ha :-D
@@zx8401ztv Sounds good to me Harv 👍
I was taught not to put solder on wires if they are to be crimped or used in a screw terminal. I think it can cause a worse connection over time.
Looked it up and apparently what can happen is that since copper and solder have different expansion with temperature differences, the joint deforms with higher temperatures and then when it gets cold again the joint can loosen up and rise in resistance.
Hi McG, I can see where the concerns come from over soldering or not to solder, however for my own stuff I always solder connections like this. If there's ever the slightest hint that I'm getting loose connections I just fix them. I have had a plug or two with soldered connections come loose, but I've also come across plugs without soldered connections come loose too. I think vibration and general movement have a lot to do with the outcome and as you say thermal expansion and materials also adds a factor.
Cheers buddy
John
Another good video John and good cautionary tale for the unsuspecting (particularly with regard to the inadequate cable gauge and coiled wire in the base). Just a few thoughts on your modifications. Although unsuitable for this application, the 0.75 cable ' looked' to be perfectly good copper cable for lower current uses...I hope you did not really bin it? The plug you used must be pretty old as it did not have insulators on the Line & Neutral prongs - watch your fingers :-) Finally there is some debate on soldering wires going into screw terminals. I used to do it that way but understand that this makes for a weaker connection over time.
Thanks buddy, & some good points 👍. No I've not binned the 0.75mm² cable. I felt like doing that though when I saw it, but no doubt I'll just strip it & use it as test wire etc.
It is a very old 13A plug, and well spotted on the insulators, or rather lack of them. These plugs are just ones we've had for years & are only used by me, otherwise they'd go in the bin.
I can see both sides of the solder or not to solder plug wires debate. I've just always soldered them. When I was younger I always felt that it was a sure way of getting every wire strand into the pin holes together, before they had a chance to creep out or bend against the side of the pin. And as long as the cord grip was tight, wire movement inside the plug was minimal so any stress on the connections would be minimised preventing a bad connection issue. Saying that thought I have noticed sometimes that soldered connections do seem to come loose easier if they're not tightened fully. I'm actually taking some of my sockets apart tomorrow I think (ones that I know I have in the passt soldered) So I'll see what they're like with regards to being tight/loose. However this means that If I spot anything loose now I'm going to have to change my ways :(
Cheers mate
John
@@OrbiterElectronics Thanks for the reply John. I knew you wouldn't totally waste that cable :-)
@@standishgeezer 🙂👍
16:40 I need a pair of those Knippex strippers.
They're a nice tool, I think there's another model or updated model now. Either are very good though.
Thanks John, nice job. I'm going to assume that the spare socket you used that had a 3A fuse in it, that you upgraded to 10A, is actually capable of supporting 10A? Looked beefy enough, just curious. BTW, first time I'd ever seen a fuse built into a socket like that...I have a 120VAC test cable with double fuses for the bench but it's the only one I've ever seen on this side of the pond. Stay safe!
Hi Dino, Thanks my friend. Yes the plug was a proper 13A rated one. And even though it's an older one, it's actually more robust than many of the newer 13A models
I have knocking around. All UK plugs are fitted with the fuses Dino, or rather they should be.. However I'm sure most of those black plasticky Chinese plugs that come with some things don't have fuses, even though they are a 3 pin UK socket design.
Nooo I haven't binned the old 0.75mm² cable, I will keep it handy for test wire or something 👍
Cheers friend
John
I thought it might be a 13amp fuse?
12:15 The Anti-Thunder technology :-)
Glad you liked that bit 👍️
@@OrbiterElectronics such a great technology put in 1 little component :-)
@@OrbiterElectronics i just discovered your channel, time for some bingewatching. Grts from Belgium
@@BjornV78 Happy to have you here my friend, hope you enjoy watching 👍
Regards
John
Very dodgy. As you obviously know 0.75mm cable is only good for 6A, 1.00mm for 10A, so any reputable maker would at least put 1.25mm cable on which is rated for 13A. Your device is pretty grim for the average consumer who may run it at the full 10A, and one can only hope never unattended. Good of you to share this.
Thanks Mike 👍.. I was in a debate with myself over what cable to use for this thing as It's only used for my own bench area. The whole circuit is only rated for 13A or 3.1kW (Fused) so I decided that 1mm² and a 10A fuse would be ok for this, as the Socket Extension would never see even 10A really. And even if it did It would't be for long & I would be there.
Cheers buddy
John
This ain’t got knotting to do with the vid but I just watched ur Xbox hdmi replacement I just wondered instead of replacing it is there any adapter I could plug into Xbox with something to put my hdmi in
Not as far as I know mate. I think if there was it would be a well known thing as the ports are being done all the time, as its a common repair.
This product looks like trouble to me.
It is indeed buddy, especially if the folk who buy these things leave them unattended under any sort of load.
I've already written an Amazon review over this, & an email to them is in the works.
Cheers
John
Looks like another sold on Amazon by chinese companies product.
Indeed it is my friend. I've already written an Amazon review over this item, & an email is in the works.
Cheers
John