Excess Of Three Pin Power Supply Leads

[ChrisH]

We keep 2 massive boxes in the office, one for singles one for doubles, and then hide the majority if we know the PAT tester is coming

Ive got stacks of spares at home too as I just take home the excess ones

Our PAT testers come armed with lock picks and xray machines :P

[GrumbleDook]

Our PAT testers waited until the last day they were in to actually approach us last year. They failed 7 machines because of cracked plastic ... "but you could stick a paperclip in there and get a shock from it ..."

Erm ... they would still only be touch the outer case ... you know .. the bit that the can also touch on the side and th eback of the machine.

"Well ... I've failed it now".

They flash tested some power adapters for printers ... and we got 3 new printers out of it.

They wanted us to remove the fused spur that goes into the Lapsafe cabinets so they could test them too ... and wondered why we said no.

They are in again in the next few weeks, but it will be the last time ... we are training 5 people and the job will be shared out over the year.

[john]

I hate Pat Testers, they have flash tested a server before, fortunatly all it did was damage the hard drive (again!) they also try flash testing network swtiches, I am convinced they don't know a washing machine from a network cabinet (note you flash test a washer but not a network cabinet). I know why its done, but its another money making scam!! We DIY it as its cheaper and easier.

As for the main subject of IEC leads, I got boxes of them, I keep some for use and replacing tatty, squahed , damaged etc leads over the year, music use them for Amps as has already been mentioned, and I send the rest of with my main charity IT donation as they say they are very useful for them as wel.

[Midget]

AH FECKING HA! I knew those bloody PAT Testers were the reason for my random equiptment failure.

[Heebeejeebee]

I had to laugh the other day when I opened a box of spares and the USB to IDE converters I ordered were incorrectly replaced with mains leads.

Funnily enough the supplier doesn't want them back. More for the already heaving box I suppose.

Our site manager raids them occasionally for the fuses and I often find that when I do need one it doesn’t work (always when I’m at the wrong end of the school to where the box of leads is and I have to walk all over the building to track down a fuse or get another lead).

HBJB

[ajbritton]

It seems we've inadvertently stumbled on a significant quantity of the missing. so called 'dark matter' which is meant to be out there.

[plexer]

They shouldn't be flash testing anything in school period.

Ben

[SpuffMonkey]

PAT testing is all a big con anyway - you can understand why it was brought in for "Portable Appliances" ie things like handheld drills etc with lots of movement in the electrical cable day after day - but for PCs stuck on desks with their cables probably cable tied into conduiting - a complete waste of time and money.

[john]

Hence why some people cut corners with them and just sticker them up to shut Heads up and make them look tested when they have never seen a tester in there life! I am not saying I do this or agree with it but I know why they do it! Laptops, Drills, Portable Projectors, Leads, Extensions, PA systems etc all should be done often for safety but a PC that lives on a desk for 5 years is fairly pointless.

[StewartKnight]

Thanks for all the offers guys, could anyone who could post them to cumbria please PM me....

Thanks!

[Pyroman]

Hence why some people cut corners with them and just sticker them up to shut Heads up and make them look tested when they have never seen a tester in there life! I am not saying I do this or agree with it but I know why they do it! Laptops, Drills, Portable Projectors, Leads, Extensions, PA systems etc all should be done often for safety but a PC that lives on a desk for 5 years is fairly pointless.

Fair enough PC's sat on a desk aren't getting much wear and tear but ti's amazing how many PC's and monitors i've actually failed even after testing them 3 or 4 times in different ways to try and "make" them pass. but this is why they have different lengths of time between tests fordifferent bits of kit i.e a drill should be tested every 6 months(i believe) whereas an oven in a kitchen wants doing every 2 years(i believe) we got given literature when i went on my course as to what neesd testing when, sure you could find it on the 'net.

So yeah sometimes it does seem a little pointless but everything can fail at some point. i've had brand new kettles fail first time out the box so you never know

[SteveT]

Lazarus!!!!!

[contink]

Lazarus!!!!!

I think pryo was bored

[Pyroman]

I think pryo was bored

yup .

[elsiegee40]

I'm starting to think this one for the Art or Technology depts...

Macrame?

Sculpture?



I've got any number of cables of various kinds in a huge box "in case I need them"... the only ones I'm short of are USB leads as equipment never seems to be supplied with one! I really must get rid of the old printer leads!