attaching IEC plug to cable

[TomHoward]

2. If you must use a wrap-around type, take great care with preparing the wire ends into eyelets, so that the strands do not splay as the screw is tightened, as this will invariably cause the screw to slacken over time.

Just to expand this point - I've wired a fair amount of those wrap-around IECs in the past, and wasn't overjoyed with the quality of the connector at the time - what would people think about using a crimp eyelet on the end of the cable and then attaching this to the wrap-around connection? Seems overkill (and it's only a theoretical situation) but I reckon it's what I'd do in the future if faced with them again.

[tony g]

2. If you must use a wrap-around type, take great care with preparing the wire ends into eyelets, so that the strands do not splay as the screw is tightened, as this will invariably cause the screw to slacken over time.

Just to expand this point - I've wired a fair amount of those wrap-around IECs in the past, and wasn't overjoyed with the quality of the connector at the time - what would people think about using a crimp eyelet on the end of the cable and then attaching this to the wrap-around connection? Seems overkill (and it's only a theoretical situation) but I reckon it's what I'd do in the future if faced with them again.

 

A small insulated crimp eyelet would be fine, some manufacturing firms do it that way, that is if there is enough space. There are also brass ring eyelets that are crimped over the end of the wire that is shaped to a ring in advance (a sort of ring ferrule if you will) which are excellent for pillar type connections.

[grizzly]

Most electricians I know would consider that wrong - you want to have both the L and N the same length so both are disconnected at the same time rather than leaving half the circuit intact.

 

Just to settle this one, You will find it near on impossible to wire a 13A plug with live and neutral the same length without kinking the live, I have a demo model of the MK toughplug, Duraplug, Crabtree, BG & WG plugs in my teaching kit box (I teach electrics when I'm not doing it) and you can't wire any of these properly with same length L&N, in any case the live will, generally always pull out before the neutral because the live goes straight up to its terminal whereas the neutral goes round a portion of insulation and down into it's terminal so it is mechanically more difficult to pull out. I've dug out a dusty copy of BS1363 (plugs, 13A) and that was the original rationale behind the design, that live will pull first.

 

As is usual with these things, the correct answer is somewhere in between to two extremes.

It is certainly correct that the majority of plugs need to have their L and N cut to different lengths, but a few need them to be the same length.

 

I've got a Permaplug, an MK Duraplug and an MK Toughplug in front of me, all with their wiring instruction cards (the ones that come with the plug, slid over the pins).

 

Both the Permaplug and the Duraplug require different lengths of L & N:

Permaplug L = 14mm insulation + 4mm bare end; N = 22mm + 4mm

Duraplug L = 11mm + 8mm; N = 16mm + 8mm

 

However, the Toughplug explicitly shows that it needs L & N to be prepared to the same length (both 26mm + 8mm). This is obviously due to the fact that the Toughplug has wraparound posts, and the L connection is on the other side of the fuse than in plugs that have receptacles.

 

So there you go. All electricians should be cutting the L & N to different lengths when wiring most plugs, but should be aware that there are always some exceptions

[oilyspark]

what would people think about using a crimp eyelet on the end of the cable and then attaching this to the wrap-around connection?

Yes, it works, although the crimp terminal takes up much of the available room and projects a long way towards the cable entry point. There have been connectors (the Healee comes to mind) that were specifically intended to be used with ring terminals crimped onto the ends.

 

Lucien