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Electrical Wiring
Ask questions here about proper wiring and electrical installation here.
4,935 Questions
Why are household electric wires covered with plastic or rubber?
Household electric wires are covered with plastic or other materials as insulation to prevent short circuits and fires, and to prevent electric shocks.
What is the full form of XLPE cable?
XLPE = Cross-Linked Polyethelene
There are actually two semi-conductive layers on high voltage cable. One is between the actual conductors and the XLPE. The other semi-con is on outside of the XLPE insulation underneath the concentric neutral.
The semi-con is used to equalize the electrical stresses over a large area. For example, most conductors are made up of multiple strands of copper or aluminum. The outer edge of the conductor bundle is not smooth. It has several ridges on the outer edge where the individual strands meet one another. These high spots will stress the insulation leading to a premature failure. The internal semi-con makes a smooth voltage level for the XLPE where it meets the conductor strands.
Is cotton wool a conductor of electricity or an insulator?
Cotton wool is not a conductor or an insulator it is a semi conductor. It is sort of in the middle, electrons can travel through cotton wool but not as good as silver, bronze, metal and so on.
What three sockets are currently used for Intel processors?
775 - but almost phased out
1156 - for coewi3 nad core i5
1366 - for flagship i7
there are others for the xeon server chips (i think) but that's business and enterprise not consumer
Can you use a 220v device in a 240v country?
In general, yes. There are three things you need to concern yourself with when using electric or electronic devices in other countries: # The voltage
Most, but not all devices have a tolerance that will accept a range between 220 and 240 volts. Many modern electronic devices accept a voltage range from 110 Volts to 240 Volts.
# The frequency
Some devices - especially anything with a motor built into it - will only work properly if supplied with an alternating electric current of the specified frequency. In North America, the frequency is 60 Hz, in Europe it is 50 Hz, and it varies elsewhere. Even if you have the correct voltage, plugging a motor into a supply with the incorrect frequency can damage the motor.
# The plug form factor
Plugs differ from country to country, even when those countries use the same voltage and frequency. Without the correct plug adapter, you may not be able to plug your device into another country's power receptacle.
Should the ground and neutral wires be wired together?
The answer to that question depends on exactly where in the building's wiring is being asked about.
The only place the neutral and ground (or "earth") wires in a building should ever be tied (or "connected") together is at the incoming service main breaker panel "upstream" of all the fuses and/or circuit breakers which are there to protect the hot (or "live") wires for the various circuits installed in the building.
In the absence of an earth wire (= ground wire in US/Canadian English), if the appliance suffered some damage that caused a short circuit between the high voltage "hot" lead and the case of the appliance, the damage would make the case live and it would cause an electrical shock to anyone who touched it.
If the case is earthed by using a ground wire (= earth wire in British English), if that same damage occurred the hot lead would immediately be shorted to ground and in theory cause the fuse to blow or circuit breaker to open, thus eliminating the danger of a live case.
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In the USA I think we refer to what you are calling an "earth wire," as a GROUNDING CONDUCTOR, which in effect is a separate conductor which seems to be doing nothing but is in fact a protective wire. It is there, ready to take the current away to earth if it, or the body/frame of the electrical device it is connected-to, makes contact with any "hot" wire. [120 Volts mains power is carried in two current carrying conductors "hot" and "neutral".]
So, IF one of the "hot" conductors should contact the metal frame or housing - perhaps because the appliance got damaged by being dropped from a table, or similar accident - the third wire which is the "ground" or "earth" wire, which runs directly from the housing to the grounding [or earth bus] in the fuse or breaker panel, will in effect cause a short circuit which should blow the fuse or trip the breaker.
This third wire also guarantees a current path back to the load center where the fuse or circuit breaker protecting that circuit is located, in the event the hot wire should be in contact with the frame, but the other [neutral/return] conductor should happen to be cut, disconnected, or open.
The idea is to guarantee that if a part of the device should become "hot," which could be fatal to anyone who then came into contact with it, would trip/open the circuit protection device [fuse or breaker], turning off the flow of current to that circuit.
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All the neutral and ground (or "earth") wires in a building are tied or linked together at the incoming service main breaker panel. This is the only place they should ever be tied together because it is "upstream" of all the fuses and/or circuit breakers protecting the hot (or "live") wires for the various circuits installed in the building.
Warning: we must never assume that a neutral is safe to touch: it has to be checked with a voltmeter or a voltage indicator to be sure it is not "live". This is because a neutral wire is designed to carry current under normal circumstances.
So, if a neutral wire going back to the incoming main breaker panel has not been properly connected - or suffers a deliberate disconnection or some accidental damage which causes it to break - then it and any neutral wires connected to it further downstream will go live up to the break because of being connected to the downstream loads which still have hot feeds coming into them!
That is why we should never use a neutral as a substitute for a proper, separate, ground or "earth" wire.
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In addition to the above description it should also be mentioned that the presence of an earth wire allows a very sensitive safety device called a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) to operate. It will cut off the power supply to the appliance even if a tiny current of a few thousandths of an Amp is detected flowing in the earth wire, which should normally carry no current at all.
In USA/Canada, and similar countries which use mains supplies running at 120 Volts 60 Hz to feed power sockets, it is probable that the latest designs of GFCIs which are fitted to all new wiring work actually operate in the same way as the RCDs described in the next paragraph, although they are still commonly called GFCIs.
In Europe, where 230 Volts, 50Hz mains supplies are standard in homes, offices, etc. such protective "trip" devices are called Residual Current Detectors (RCDs) because, in addition to being able to detect small earth leakage currents, they have the ability to detect very small differences between the currents flowing in the hot (or live) wire and the neutral wire. Such imbalances might be caused by minor damage to the appliance which allows a small current - known as a residual current - to leak to earth either via the user or via the earth wire (if one is connected) even though the appliance itself is still working. So using an RCD helps to prevent a serious shock hazard to users if ever the kind of minor damage occurs which, in the absence of an RCD, would cause the appliance's casing to become "hot" or live.
Thus RCDs give a very high level of safe operation even if no circuit breaker has tripped and no fuse has blown and the appliance appears to be working normally. (But it has really become unsafe!) Because of the enhanced protection they give to users of appliances the latest European wiring regulations (= wiring codes in US/Canada and elsewhere) make it compulsory to fit RCDs to all new power circuits.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
How many amps are in 240 volts?
There is no correlation. Volts and amps are separate entities. If you liken current flow through a wire to water flow through a pipe, the voltage is the pressure in the pipe. Even if the valve is closed and no water flows, there is still pressure in the pipe. So, the voltage is like pressure. Once you turn the valve on, water flows. The amount of flow in gallons per minute is similar to amps, or current flow. So, asking what is 240 volts in amps is like asking what is 100 PSI in gpm? There is 100 PSI in the pipe. If the valve is closed, the gpm is zero. If the valve is open, the gpm might be 500. Both with 100 PSI in the pipe. There is no correlation. If you have an electrical circuit with 240 volts present, and the switch is off, the amps or current flow is zero. If you turn the switch on and the motor or lamp or whatever starts, the current will be some number greater than zero. The amount of current depends on how big the motor, lamp, or whatever is, and is not determined by the fact that 240 volts is present. Make sense?
How much electricity is wasted per year?
No reliable estimates are available for the total amount, but it is substantial in the US and around the world.
It should be noted that electrical generation is inherently "wasteful," because maintaining voltage across an entire electrical grid creates waste heat in the circuits and transformers. However, reducing unnecessary electrical consumption benefits consumers by lowering their bills, and also forestalls the need for additional capacity to be constructed to meet peak needs.
What is the xo connection in a transformer for?
The X terminal identification on a transformer designates the secondary side of the transformer. Depending on the type of secondary windings, the terminals can be designated as X1, X2, X3 and X4. On a single winding secondary the terminals will be X1 and X2. The "hot" wire will be supplied from the X1 terminal and the return wire will use the X2 terminal. On most control transformers the X2 terminal should be grounded to the control panel's chassis.
Magnetically coated ribbon of plastic housed in a cartridge?
A magnetically coated ribbon of plastic housed in a cartridge is known as a cassette. There are audio cassettes, which can be used to play music, and cassettes that are for backing up computers.
How is an electrical outlet mounted into a wall?
== == If you're asking about the electrical socket outlet itself, usually two screws fix it into its wall outlet box.
There are several ways to mount an electrical outlet box. Depending where you live, just go to your local Home Depot, B&Q, Homebase, Wickes or any similar hardware or DIY-supplies store and look around the section for electrical parts. If you're asking about the wall outlet box, usually 2 nails or screws fix it. If it's mounted into a hollow wall built using wooden wall studs and sheetrock/plasterboard, the nails or screws fix the box to the closest wall stud. If it's mounted into (or onto) a brick wall, the nails or screws fix the box to the brickwork.
If not nailed or screwed to a wall stud in a hollow wall, an electrical outlet box can be held-in with a pair of "jiffy clips" or the box itself has flip-up ears that clamp it to the sheetrock/plasterboard. These types of boxes are known as "EZ-Boxes". <><><> As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed. If you do this work yourself, always turn off the power
at the breaker box/fuse panel BEFORE you attempt to do any work
AND
always use an electricians test meter having metal-tipped probes
(not a simple proximity voltage indicator)
to insure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
American Wire Guage. The smaller the number the larger the wire. As in an AWG 14/2 wire is much smaller than an AWG 10/2 wire.
What do electricity and heat have in common?
Yes. These both are the different forms of energy (heat energy , electrical energy).
These can be converted one to another as per the conservation of energy- " Energy can
neither be created nor be destroyed but we can convert one form to another. "
Example:
1.In thermal power plants, the heat energy is converted into electrical energy.
2.In Electric heater, the electrical energy is converted into the heat energy. They can both be used to transfer energy, electricity through a wire or similar conductive material, and heat by conducting through a metal or grill. They can be changed one into the other. For instance, electricity passed through something with high resistance creates heat, whilst heat can be used to make steam and power turbines which make electricity.
What is the difference between ordinary transformer an center tapped transformer?
An ordinary transformer has two input/output terminals but a center tapped transformer has 2 input and 3 output terminals. One is taken from the center for a ground connection. This causes it to get 50% of the actual value.
And ordinary transformer contains 2 windings.
An autotransformer has one.
Why is electricity transmitted at a high voltage?
To move the energy through the lines to reach the farthest user, electricity leaves the power plant at 24,000 volts to a transformer area, there it is increased to 304,000 volts which is used to move the energy through out the service area and reduced back down to be accepted in your house or place of business
How do you hook up speaker wire to a speaker?
Each speaker needs to be connected using two wires. One wire is "grounded" and the other carries the alternating sound signal. This question is very simple to ask but is much more complicated to answer because you don't say anything about the kinds of terminals there are on the speaker or the amplifier! On the speaker are there threaded posts with thumb nuts? Or clip-on-wire connectors? Or some other system? On the amplifier what type of speaker output terminals are there: are they screw-down types which need a loop of wire under a washer? Or sockets for phono plugs? Or some other system?
There are so many possible wire/terminal combinations it doesn't make sense to write a long essay on all the possible hook-ups you could use.
If you cannot work it out from the User Guides that came with the speaker or the amplifier then it is best either to ask a friend who knows about speakers to show you what to do, or ask someone at any store that sells hi-fi systems.
How many watts does an 18000 btu inverter ac use?
Inverters and generators are not rated in BTU's (British Thermal Units). They are rated in KVA (Kilovolt amps) and KW's (Kilowatts). These two values are the product of amps times volts. KVA times PF (Power Factor) = KW.
Yes. (White) light can be split into the 7 colour spectrum; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. White light can be split into the colour spectrum by passing it through a triangular prism, as Sir Isaac Newton did sometime between 1670 and 1672. This is a process known as dispersion.
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/images/light_dispersion1.gif
In the above picture, you can see the white light entering the prism from the left and dispersing into the 7 colour spectrum on the right. The colours at the top of the rainbow bend less than the ones at the bottom. A second prism the same way up placed next to the first prism, will give a greater dispersion of the spectrum. A second prism the other way up placed next to the first prism, will recombine the spectrum to form white light, thus reversing the process.
This same process occurs in raindrops and this is why you see a rainbow in the sky when it rains.
Read more: Can_you_split_white_light_into_the_color_spectrum
What are the best conductors for an electric wire?
Silver, if cost is no problem. For reasonably priced wires that are readily available, copper. Aluminum is by far the poorer conductor in use today.
How do you know if electronics have water damage?
If you remove the back and battery there is a sticker indicator. The indicator starts out all white, or white with pink or red X's. When the phone is exposed to moisture, the red X's fade, turning the whole sticker a light pink to bright red. If the indicator started at all white, it will still turn light pink or bright red. You can also check the battery connection and charging port, as well as micro SD port. If the water damage is old, the connectors or ports may have a discoloration or corrosion.
What are some negative impacts of biotechnology?
The largest negative impact is when the biotechnology isn't controlled and it mixes with natural plants. Another is that food created using biotechnology has not been heavily tested to be healthy. Then there is the economical aspect where the biotechnology companies (such as monsanto) take advantage of the US patent system (which needs a refore). Also biotechnology companies take advantage of the contamination (which was my first point) to get more money.we we
Can a 2-pole circuit breaker be used for 110V 220V or 440V?
All three, on 110V a split receptacle, on 220V a baseboard heater, on 440V a construction heater or similar resistive load.
