Re: AC Power Cord for the UK


"MikeyMann" <mikeyamps@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:DtudnUetM6FJZ9PeRVn-tw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Any builders or tech's in the group that have experience building for UK
> clients? Anyone know where I can get an AC Power Cord for the UK?
>
> I have 2 DRRI's in the shop that I'm rebuilding, both client's are located
> in England. One of the amp chassis' came to me directly from the client in
> England. It's a UK version DRRI so it's already setup with a AC Power Cord
> that fits the outlets in England. The plug is huge, much bigger than our 3
> prong plugs in the US. It looks kinda like the AC plug on a washing
> machine/dryer. It has 3 prongs, but they're rectangular bars that are much
> thicker than the prongs on US plugs. They're evenly spaced around the
> circumference of the plug, where ours are more in a triangular pattern in
> the US. Also, the plug end also has a small fuse built into the plug
> assembly.




>
> The other client came to the US to visit a friend and picked up a used
DRRI
> when he was here. He shipped the chassis to me from Florida, and it's a US
> version with our standard 3 prong plug. Basically, in addition to
rebuilding
> his amp, I'll also need to convert the AC Power Cord to UK specs so that
> he'll be able to plug into his wall recepticle. Anyone know who carries
> European style AC power cords?
>
> Also, on the Fender DRRI chassis that came from the UK, the chassis' fuse
> holder and fuse are a bit different than on the US versions. Here, we use
> the larger 1-1/4" 2A slo-blo's. On the UK amp, the fuse is an F1A, it's
> about 1/2" long and is a 1A fuse. The fuse holder is a bit different, in
> that the fuse is held in place in the holder by 2 semi-circular pins. They
> look similar to the pins in tubes sockets. The fuse pushes the pins apart
> just slightly and the tension holds the fuse (just like the pins in tube
> sockets hold the pins of the tube) until the fuse cap is reinstalled into
> the holder. Anyone know if there's anything special about this setup, or
on
> the US amp that I have to convert, would I be able to use the stock fuse
> holder and just use a 1A full size slo-blo?
>
> Much thanks!
>
> Mikey

You'd need an electrical engineer to give you the definitive answer to the
fuse question (maybe the old formula "ivy watts" might help - I X V = watts,
or a transposition of that), but as a quick layman's guide to the connectors
(bear in mind we work on 240v here):

The UK plug you describe is our standard mains plug, which conforms to
British Standards 1363 and can safely handle loads of 13A @ 240v; from
experience, most guitar amps will not exceed 5 amp.
Our fuses are usually colour coded - red for 3 amp, black for 5 amp, brown
for 13 amp, the body is ceramic with metal end caps and the dimensions are
approx 1/4" diam X 3/4" length; our mains wiring is colour coded
green/yellow for earth, brown for live and blue for negative. Pretty much
every electrical/ electronic appliance produced for the UK market now is
fitted with the so-called "kettle plug" also known as the IEC connector or
"europlug, and this is a small 3 pin 'plug' which is usually moulded onto
the end of the mains lead - the female end is on the power supply, and the
male end is in the chassis of the appliance.

You might learn enough about the actual connectors and fuses from this
site - which is a major supplier of electronic and electrical parts to the
general public/ hobbyist market - to help you as well:

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1496&doy=14m10D the IEC
chassis plug

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1493&doy=14m10D the IEC line
socket

http://www.maplin.co.uk/images/Full/1176i0.jpg typical amp mains lead with
moulded bs1363 plug including fuse and moulded IEC line socket

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=1161&doy=14m10D UK mains plug
(bs1363)


http://www.2ndchancepc.co.uk/a-c/PowerCablesAccessories.html whole bunch of
UK mains related items


I did try to find you a stockist of suitable UK mains connectors in the US,
but - sadly - google let me down despite numerous search string variations.

I do hope that at least one of the above gives you something useful, even if
it's only a guide to the mains connectors we use over here.

Regards

Fretbuzz





>
>


.

Relevant Pages

  • AC Power Cord for the UK
    ... It's a UK version DRRI so it's already setup with a AC Power Cord ... It looks kinda like the AC plug on a washing ... Also, on the Fender DRRI chassis that came from the UK, the chassis' fuse ... that the fuse is held in place in the holder by 2 semi-circular pins. ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: AC Power Cord for the UK
    ... It looks the same as a US IEC cable, but has the UK fat plug for their 230v ... the IEC connectors are equipped with a fuse, in case this is required for UK ... Anyone know where I can get an AC Power Cord for the UK? ... > that the fuse is held in place in the holder by 2 semi-circular pins. ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
  • Re: Laptop PSUs - bit OT - sorry
    ... Apparently they'd lent it to a friend and got it back minus the 13amp plug. ... Interestingly, although they'd tried a number of fuses, it was always the 'master' fuse that blew. ... As was common with such amplifiers, it was built with a common earth bus bar of 16 swg tinned copper wire, connected to the chassis at one point only, adjacent to the input sockets. ... What had puzzled me previously was why the mains sockets in the hall were still live after the siver paper fiasco. ...
    (uk.tech.broadcast)
  • Re: tv blows fuse
    ... switching transistor in the TV's switchmode powersupply. ... This would of course lead to a fuse blow before pressing ... mains switch on the set. ... Well assuming he's in North America, the mains plug is not fused. ...
    (sci.electronics.repair)
  • Re: AC Power Cord for the UK
    ... It's a UK version DRRI so it's already setup with a AC Power Cord ... It looks kinda like the AC plug on a washing ... the plug end also has a small fuse built into the plug ... > that the fuse is held in place in the holder by 2 semi-circular pins. ...
    (alt.guitar.amps)
Loading