Excess Of Three Pin Power Supply Leads

[6Foot2]

We have surplus of three pin 'kettle leads' and I am reluctant to throw them away. We have given some to science to cut down for the students to practice wiring three pin plugs. Some have gone to Site Support. I have run out of ideas. What do you do?

[webman]

We have 4 boxes full of them in our cupboard doing nothing, just pick one out as and when required. Some old, some new, some borrowed but none are blue

[TechMonkey]

We got up to 5 boxes after replacing a load of computers. Our PAT testing guy did his nut!! Ended up throwing 3 boxes, giving a fair few to music (apparently people nick them for guitar amps), keeping 20 good ones in the server room and hiding a few more just in case.

 

I'm sure they are breeding.

[SpuffMonkey]

We managed to sell a load on eBay a while back.

[StewartKnight]

If anyone has some they're willing to "donate", I need about 60!!!

[Midget]

I threw out a pile of them and still have a 4' wide x3' deep x2' high pile of them in a cupboard and 2 large boxes full in my cabinet

[ChrisH]

We keep our supplies low as our LEA does the PAT testing and charges us for every lead sat in the cupboard

[plexer]

Stewart: Where are you?

 

Ben

[webman]

Yep, we could let some go if you're near

[GrumbleDook]

@Stewart: we have loads too ... location please.

[alonebfg]

lol talking of pat testing thats my second job in the school so i dnt get charged for geting it done as i do it myself lol. and the course is only £75 but the machine is £800 and £40 for calabration but they decided it was cheaper the getting charged £1.50 per item desktop = 2 items kettle lead and box. if you got 100 pc thats £300 pounds thats not includind screen if that uses a kettle lead thats another £3 so for 100 pcs on av its about £600 per year thats why i do it myself now lol

[6Foot2]

If anyone has some they're willing to "donate", I need about 60!!!

 

Hi Stewart,

 

I think we can do 60. Where are you?

[webman]

At this rate we could all send him one cable each and he'd still have some left over!

[6Foot2]

If anyone has some they're willing to "donate", I need about 60!!!

 

Hi Stewart,

 

I think we can do 60. Where are you?

 

Just to clarify: These are single outlet and not the 'Y' shape versions.

[sidewinder]

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

[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

[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!