Wanted bu UK guys a kind hearted US based Autopian

I

imported_vindaloo

New member
Several of US keen UK based Autopians have bought a PC & a transformer which enables us to use them in the UK, different voltage etc.



What we need is a US outdoor (preferably) 2-pin extension lead (male to female) so that we can extend the PC lead & leave the transformer next to the socket in our garages. This saves us having to carry the transformer around the car with us.



Problem is we can't buy US power leads in the UK & it looks like no US supplier will likely ship an extension lead to the UK unless they use UPS or Fedex which is real expensive.



Ideally we need them shipped USPS as this is quite reasonable.

We have looked on Amazon & these leads can be had for $5.95 but they don't ship to the UK.



Would any kind US based Autopian either point us in the direction of a supplier that will ship to the UK via USPS or possibly (& this is where the kind-hearted bit comes in) buy them for us & ship to us.

We could pay you directly via PayPal as this avoids massive currency exchange costs.



I guess there may be 3 or 4 of us interested?

Sorry about being cheeky & the long post
 
I'm about to pull together an international shipment for jgv, and would be happy to help you guys too. But I don't know what you're talking about. Could you find a picture to post here, so I can take it to a hardware store and find them?
 
Thanks Bretfraz. Could do with finding out how much shipping would be, anyone know how much these are likely to weigh. I then need to get on USPS site to assess cost, it may be cheaper to ship individually as heavy packages carry a premium.



Can you UK guys let me know who definitely wants one of these.



Andy, Tony, Craig???
 
One of the guys has suggested that if shipping is a problem, we could make do with sets of plugs & sockets & use UK supplied cable, which seems like an excellent idea to me.
 
vindaloo here is what your looking for .. They are called "U" ground recepticals. The ones shown are industrial grade but still can be bought for about $2 each. A lot cheaper than mailing the heavy cord. Just use the UK 3 conductor cord that is 14 gauge if longer than 50 feet to prevent too much line loss.



I have one thats 100 feet ( 30 M) and I have a weather proof outlet box on the end so I can plug in the PC and a light etc .



12805dsc00581-med.jpg
 
Does that socket accept the 2-pin polarized plug that is on the end of the PC?

Our voltage transformers will accept the 3-pin plug no probs - but could we use 2-conductor cord and just not wire up the ground pin? The PC is double insulated, so this should be O.K. to do shouldn't it?
 
Being about as good with electrics as I am with brain surgery, I'd rather go with the extension cable but I suspect weight will make it a tad expensive - if we can get an idea of USPS costs to ship I'd be interested - nearly broke me back lugging transformer around yesterday!



If it's relatively simple to make up a lead using the plugs Jesstzn mentioned above then maybe one of the UK guys could put together some instructions (i.e. what cable is needed etc.) for us muppets.
 
Muppet, errrrr I mean Andy, the wiring up is really simple. I'll help you out. I'm going to B&Q sometime today or tomorrow to look at what cables they have. How far is it from your house to where you use PC? Sounded a long way in your previous post about using PC.



Those plug/sockets look fine to me and at $2 each the price is right too :up No need to wire up the ground pin :)
 
Thanks Tony,



I may be about to solve the distance issue by running power into my garage (we still have builders etc finishing houses on our estate) in which case I'd estimate 30 feet would be ample.



I don't mind building the extension cable as long as someone can instruct me how to put it all together! Assume it's no different to wiring a UK plug?



EDIT is it worth asking Newmarket Transformers whether they can supply the relevant plugs?



EDIT #2 emailed them - awaiting reply!
 
I've already got some cable from Homebase. 10m length, orange twin core, suitable for outdoor use, rated at 240v - 10amps. Don't quite know how this rating changes when 110v is put through it? Anyone know? Bearing in mind the PC motor runs at only 3.7 amps, I thought this would be O.K.



Andy - Jim has already emailed them! I'm also waiting to hear back from Autopia Sales.
 
Ok, a little bit of detective work on the web found me this site http://www.simetric.co.uk/siwire_elect.htm



In the PC instructions, there is a table showing the length of cable and appropriate cable size to use. Up to 50ft it says 18 AWG which in 'our' cable size is approx 1.0mm2 (that's square mm, dunno how to raise the 2 properly). If you go beyond 50ft then you will need 1.5mm2 cable. I am looking at collumn 3 and 4 on the above site. You may use 1.5mm2 for lengths under 50ft also.



The 1.0mm2 and 1.5mm2 sizes refer to the size of each individual conductor (copper bit for muppets :p).



pugoman, it should say somewhere on the cable packaging what size you have as well as the ratings you have said, but I would think it would be fine :) If it says 0.75mm2 then it will not be appropriate and you'll have to swap it.
 
OK I'm confused here...besides the current (voltage) differences, what is the difference between a U.S. spec and a U.K. spec cable & connectors???
 
Hi Tony - that wire conversation page is an excellent find - I've been looking for something like that. My cable is 1.0mm2. It says on the label that it's suitable for lawn mowers, power tools etc. 10m is approx. 34ft so I should be fine.



Just need to sort out where we're getting theses connectors from. :)
 
Don M said:
OK I'm confused here...besides the current (voltage) differences, what is the difference between a U.S. spec and a U.K. spec cable & connectors???
Click to expand...



Don M, the difference is in the connectors, the UK ones are totally different and look like this.......
 

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I think I get it...like earlier posted, I think it would be much easier to cut the ends off a UK cord and wire these on. Less expensive overall, less expensive to ship etc. I've used similar parts before and they're nearly foolproof.



12805dsc00581-med.jpg
 
pugoman,



The orange cord you have should be fine rated 240V 10 amp= 2.4KW

PC rated 110V 3.7 amp = approv 400w, even with a a decent safety factor thrown in for constant use
 
Nice one RTE60. :xyxthumbs



I'm about to leave work now. I'm off to my local electrical wholesaler to see if they can get some of these 2-pin polarized plugs/sockets. I'll let you all know how I get on later.
 
Hey guys I have included pictures of the insides of the plugs. Wiring is very easy and yes this recepticle will take the PC polarized plug.



On your converter the receptical will be have 3 holes in it for the plug prongs. The smaller of the slots is the negative leg. The larger is the positive and the "U" is the ground.



It is best you wire the cord to the plugs accordingly. With the PC being Double Insulated and having a polarized plug all will fit nicely.



The larger the wire you use the longer you can make the cord with less line loss.



I have included a picture of the plugs opened up and I have drawn in wiring connections.



Opened up



Wired
 
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