Face plates - QUOTE? places to buy?

[RichB]

Well the pac tester is in and is failing every machine with a face plate missing!!!! he will only pass them if i get an order raised and a del date today! and had planned on going home now as its the Holiday!

 

 

Anyone know where to buy Dell 755 cd and floppy face plates? or if anyone on here can get me a quote?

 

Cheers

[powdarrmonkey]

The tester is an idiot, tell him so (and, while you're at it, ask why they are a fail. I like a good laugh).

[p858snake]

ask him where they are failing under the guidelines?

 

Probably could try a second hand computer place and try and see if they have any from scrapped machines (even if they are the wrong colour), but don't the opticplex 755 only have a cd/dvd drive and a floppy on the front.Just get second hand cd drives (even broken ones) and just stick in there and don't connect them.

[plexer]

I would have though that due to the fact that all voltages accessible within the chassis of a computer a 12v or less then it wouldn't fail? If it was possible to stick your hand in the PSU itself that would be a different issue?

 

Ben

[Andrew_C]

He's an idiot, no doubt. If you HAVE to patch, much easier to get a sheet of plastic from Design & Tech, chop it up and glue it in place.

[RichB]

He was very clear that if the kids could stick there hands inside the pc (which they can) they could get a shock so it's a fail! Anyone for 100% know any different? Because in the last week we have had over 150 face plates go missing!? So could not get him a delivery so he failed 150 pcs it's clear I won't use him again... If the head agrees! but now says he'll charge to come back and pass! And he is not cheap!

 

Spoke to dell and they want to charge £3 per plate that's ALOT would use a sheet of plastic and stick them over but we may be putting cd drives and tricky to just cover floppy drive on these models!

 

Any got anything to fightthe guy back with? Or know anywhere to get the plates? Did think of taking the plates out of the passed ones but he's a clever tester lol

[Andrew_C]

they could get a shock so it's a fail!

 

but he's a clever tester lol

That proves he's not. Is the metal chassis intact? Could you glue something to that?

[mounters]

On our Dells that have had faceplates go missing we get D&T to make us up some blanks from perspex to fit the gaps and then glue these into the cases as well. We also proactively glue the Dell faceplates in now using a hot glue gun and lots of glue makes the fronts almost impossible to push in. However, should we need to remove the faceplates for any reson then you can remove the glue from the inside quite easily.

[powdarrmonkey]

He was very clear that if the kids could stick there hands inside the pc (which they can) they could get a shock so it's a fail!

 

He is a fail, not the PC.

 

The case is earthed for a reason. The PSU is electrically isolated from the mains and provides only a maximum of 12V to the processor, which is not a hazardous level. The cables near the front of the case are between 3 and 5V - same as you'd get if you stuck a paperclip in the front of a USB port. The whole arrangement is earthed through the case's connection with the PSU.

 

A PAT tests for a number of things, amongst others:

- case or structural damage that could expose high voltage live parts (the faceplate is not an integral part of the structure, nor does it expose high voltage live parts)

- earth bond from the exposed metal of the chassis

- fuse, polarity and electrical continuity

- insulation and isolation of live parts from the chassis

 

It does not test against small children stick their grubby fingers inside a deliberately manufactured gap in the plastic fascia.

 

 

 

but now says he'll charge to come back and pass! And he is not cheap!

 

You astound me. This is blatantly a money-maker - he's in for a killing if he can fail 150 devices *and* manage to get the work to come back and test them again in a few weeks.

 

Any got anything to fightthe guy back with?

 

Ask him to show you in his copy of the Code of Practice which section it fails under. Bet he doesn't have one.

Edited July 23, 2010 by powdarrmonkey

[mpe]

Well the pac tester

 

Do you you mean PAT (or possibly PrAT) tester?

 

is in and is failing every machine with a face plate missing!!!! he will only pass them if i get an order raised and a del date today!

 

Who is he employed by? If he's a contractor might be a good idea to find out exactly what he was contracted to do.

 

Anyone know where to buy Dell 755 cd and floppy face plates? or if anyone on here can get me a quote?

 

What do you mean by a "faceplate"?

 

You should check out http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg236.pdf especially page 5.

[mpe]

ask him where they are failing under the guidelines?

 

Or even which guidelines they are testing under in the first place.

[RichB]

DAMAGED STRUCTURE he is saying? really do not know anything about the PAT testing but will ask him the questions.... Got DT knocking up some plates at the moment but he has already failed them!

[Andrew_C]

Bounce the whole question up to whoever contracted him to do the job. I'd be using words like "fool, incompetent, and money-grabbing" in my discussions.

[powdarrmonkey]

DAMAGED STRUCTURE he is saying?

 

The face plate is not structural.

[mpe]

He was very clear that if the kids could stick there hands inside the pc (which they can) they could get a shock so it's a fail! Anyone for 100% know any different?

 

The Heath and Safety at Work act applies only to employees. Also PAT testing does not apply to SELV (under 50V) the only part of a PC which could possibly need such testing is the PSU.

 

Because in the last week we have had over 150 face plates go missing!? So could not get him a delivery so he failed 150 pcs it's clear I won't use him again...

 

A large quantity of "face plates" (I think you may actually mean blanking plates) go missing just before a contractor makes a big fuss about this. Has anything like this theft happened before?

 

If the head agrees! but now says he'll charge to come back and pass! And he is not cheap!

 

Who actually contracted him? Has he been paid? Is there currently anyone around to process invoices.

 

Spoke to dell and they want to charge £3 per plate that's ALOT

 

For Dell that's amazingly cheap!

 

would use a sheet of plastic and stick them over but we may be putting cd drives and tricky to just cover floppy drive on these models!

 

Any got anything to fightthe guy back with?

 

Find out what exactly he was contracted to do.

[mpe]

He is a fail, not the PC.

 

The case is earthed for a reason. The PSU is electrically isolated from the mains and provides only a maximum of 12V to the processor,

 

The most you could possibly get out of an ATX PSU would be 24V which is still below 50V.

 

which is not a hazardous level.

 

About the only way to get a hazardous voltage inside the case would be cold cathode lighting. Which your average PAT tester probably wouldn't recognise as hazardous anyway.

[andy_d]

Speaking as someone who is PAT Certified, then I think you'll find he is technically correct, as PC's without the front panel's therefore fail the "IP2X" (finger) test

.

Ie, you can touch exposed "live" metal parts, and someone could tamper with the internal cables and leave them at potential risk of fire (if they damage them).

There is a lot more to PAT testing and risk evaluation than just saying "ah well, it's low voltage, no one's going to blow themselves up"

[Andrew_C]

PAT Certified? WTF is that? Did you watch the DVD and do an on-line test, or a proper C&G 2377?

 

You CANNOT touch "live" metal parts through a floppy aperture.

 

Would you fail this? http://wolfcominnovations.com/images/cctv/acc/powersupplies/adapters/12v200ma.jpg

[mpe]

Speaking as someone who is PAT Certified,

 

Certified by who exactly? There being plenty of "PAT Certificates" which you might as well have made yourself.

 

then I think you'll find he is technically correct, as PC's without the front panel's therefore fail the "IP2X" (finger) test

.

Ie, you can touch exposed "live" metal parts,

 

Closer to IPXXB considering that the standard "finger" is only 80mm long.

 

and someone could tamper with the internal cables and leave them at potential risk of fire (if they damage them).

 

If you were consider every possible sabotage there wouldn't be much to pass. Even sabotage is something which can sensibly appear on a risk assesment then the low voltage wiring of PCs is likely to be the least of your concerns...

 

There is a lot more to PAT testing and risk evaluation than just saying "ah well, it's low voltage, no one's going to blow themselves up"

 

The information from the "horses mouth" (The HSE) gives the advice that such testing isn't needed for under 50V. Whilst at the same time strongly recommending visual inspection of mains cables, correct fusing, etc.

Common problems with risk assesments include making a "song and dance" about unlikely/complex risks (whilst possibly ignoring likely/common ones) and failing to consider risks associated with measures intended to reduce risks. A classic example of the latter being "wet floor" warning signs causing an obstruction long after any possible water has evaporated.

 

Note that there are risks associated with PAT testing. Including damage from inappropriate tests/testing methods and mains leads not being fully plugged back in afterwards. Thus any sane risk assesment would recognise that excessive PAT tests are at best a waste of time and money.

 

Odds on the myth of the need of an annual PAT test comes from PAT testing contractors.

 

The kind of things in schools which are likely to need the most frequent inspection in schools are vacuum cleaners/floor buffers. Due having long cables which are very frequently coiled/uncoiled (quite likely by people who don't know how to correctly coil cables) and even more frequently plugged in and out.

 

When it comes to ICT/AV the highest risk (but still low in H&S terms) comes from teacher laptop PSUs. Which can also have highly variable inspection/testing needs, depending on individual staff members (and their pets).

 

IMHO employing external PAT testers in school is likely to result in a poor job in terms of actual Health and Safety. Due to things which don't need testing frequently (even at all) being over tested; things which may actually need frequent testing not being tested as frequently as they should be and the school not actually having meaningful documentation about what tests have actually been performed and why (especially if contractors change).

That's before you even consider the financial implications.

[mpe]

PAT Certified? WTF is that? Did you watch the DVD and do an on-line test, or a proper C&G 2377?

 

You CANNOT touch "live" metal parts through a floppy aperture.

 

Would you fail this? http://wolfcominnovations.com/images/cctv/acc/powersupplies/adapters/12v200ma.jpg

 

Is that a trick question? Considering this is a North American PSU...

Thus it would need a voltage converter. But it might well be a better idea to replace it with an appropriatly rated BS1363 "wall wart" PSU.

 

I'd say "fail" due to the voltage rating; it being quite easy to obtain plug converters which do not change voltage and that this may be difficult to distingush this from a similar device will operate at 230VAC.

 

Most worrying would be someone passing this and applying a lable obscuring the information on the back. (Ironically such a "pass" should actually turn it into a definite "fail").

Whilst you'd think it should be obvious that such lables should not obscure ratings/serial numbers some people don't appear to realise this.

[p858snake]

I believe they are referring to the bare metal plug for the connection to the device.

[powdarrmonkey]

Is that a trick question? Considering this is a North American PSU...

 

I'd say "fail" due to the voltage rating; it being quite easy to obtain plug converters which do not change voltage and that this may be difficult to distingush this from a similar device will operate at 230VAC.

 

That's not "fail", that's "withdraw from service and recommend a more suitable device". There's nothing actually dangerous about it when used within the intended operational limits, that's the key.

 

Most worrying would be someone passing this and applying a lable obscuring the information on the back. (Ironically such a "pass" should actually turn it into a definite "fail").

Whilst you'd think it should be obvious that such lables should not obscure ratings/serial numbers some people don't appear to realise this.

 

Again not a fail, just inspector incompetence.

 

I believe they are referring to the bare metal plug for the connection to the device.

 

Who?

[Mullaney18]

I believe they are referring to the bare metal plug for the connection to the device.

 

/ trying to be smart, and got put on his arse...

[ICT_GUY]

The whole case is earthed, you could no more get a shock by putting you fingers inside as touching the outside. There is no difference. The guy is 100% idiot.

[truslack]

Any computer here that is missing parts of the front panel (below the floppy drive, so metal chassis is visible) gets failed by the external PAT testers, as do laptops with keys missing (so the keyboard button contacts are visible)

 

http://i177.photobucket.com/albums/w215/impreza_2007/Uploads%20via%20Pixelpipe/attachment-HYGXFV.jpg

 

What would we do without hot glue?