🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <519@bit.UUCP> grego@bit.UUCP (Grego Sanguinetti) writes:
>In article <6912@otc.otca.oz> brendan@otc.otca.oz (Brendan Jones) writes:
>>Well, many variations on a theme have been posted here, but the complete
>>answer has yet to be posted.  I have recently got an Electrician's license
>>so I can wire my own home, so I feel I am in a position to comment :-)
> ...
>
>Anybody reading sci.electronics should have more than enough basic knowlege
>to figure out house wiring.

Perhaps not - just because one subscribes to a newsgroup does not mean that one
knows as much as the rest of the readers of that newsgroup.  Otherwise, the
only question on the application form for that electrician's licence would be
"How would you subscribe to the group sci.electronics?"  :-)

>Anyway, the color codes you described are unfortunately opposite US N.E.C.
>codes and are therefore very dangerous to use.

That's probably because Brendan, judging from the "In article ..." line, is
in Australia.

I have a little booklet which has a table of international standards for
electrical wire colours, and which is probably only meant to refer to
appliance wiring rather than building wiring.  Most countries seem to use
black or brown for line, blue for neutral and green and/or yellow for
earth.  Canada and the USA are listed as using white or grey for neutral.
The old U.K. (and perhaps Australian) scheme of red for line, black for
neutral and green for earth is not listed.

But the real jokers in the pack seem to be Japan, Greece and Switzerland.
Apparently, Japan uses black for line, white for neutral and red for earth -
is this true?

The entry for Greece says that earth is yellow, neutral is grey, and line
is anything else except blue.  Switzerland seems to have different rules
for 2-wire and 3-wire cables.  3-wire cables use the standard brown line, blue
neutral, green+yellow earth.  2-wire cables use anything except yellow and blue
for line, and anything except yellow and red for neutral.  Would someone who
has seen a Swiss plug please confirm or deny this?

Anyway, the best general rule seems to be - there isn't one!  Learn the
specific rules for the country in which you are wiring, or from which an
appliance came.

-- 
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  adrian@uk.ac.hw.cee
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