PAT testing for stage use

[Man at B&Q]

both linked from

esting.htm

Unfortunateky the IEE/IET make it difficult to read their docs nles you pay.

MBQ

[Nightjar]

Certainly when it was introduced, the general rule was that, if you could plug it in to a wall socket, it required PAT. If it was hard wired, it did not.

Colin Bignell

[Owain]

People on the "Blue Room" forum are used to dealing with Theatricals.

Owain

[A.Lee]

Ok thicko, go and get a copy of the Code of Practice, have a read of what it says, then come back and apologise. The term 'Portable appliance tester' was brought in by one of the test instrument makers, and it stuck as an acronym, but is wrong, as the equipment tested does NOT have to be portable.

[A.Lee]

As already stated, the term PAT was brought in by one of the instrument makers, the regime for doing the Inspection and testing is called the 'In-service Inspection and testing of electrical equipment'.

And it covers all electrical equipment whether plugged in or permanently fixed.

[Man at B&Q]

Learn to be civil and I might, if it's justified.

MBQ

[Nightjar]

That may be what it has evolved into over the years, but when the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 came out, there was a quite clear distinction made between the established inspection of installed equipment and what was seen as a new requirement to extend that to portable appliances, to the extent that a Factory Inspector informed me that I should have a PAT sticker on a 2 ton lathe, because it was connected to the 3 phase supply by a plug and socket, which made it portable.

Colin Bignell

[<me9]

I've come across 240vDC emergency lighting, but it predated PAT testing, and wasn't happy with any variety of lighting other than filament lights.

More recently 110v DC emergency lighting, but fixed wiring so not subject to PAT testing. It was a pain checking the batteries on both systems, quite a lot of cells, and the 240 volt system had lots of 1kw lamps.

[Frank Erskine]

I've worked on 120v DC "continuity sets", and as you say checking the batteries is a PITA. Testing pilot cells now and again wasn't too bad, but testing SG and voltages of every cell was best avoided where possible ;-)

73 -

[meow2222]

286? Surely not. Even win3.0 probably wouldn't run on that.

NT

[John Williamson]

It runs on my Toshiba 3200SX machine, which has an Intel 80286 processor and a 20 Megabyte HD. IIRC, I could even run it on an 8086, with the choice being Windows or Autoroute, back in the days when Autoroute was not Microsoft bloatware. 10 megabytes of hard drive is a touch restrictive, but it has 2 megabytes of RAM, and would boot DOS 3.3 from ROM in a fraction of second.

The 32 bit stuff didn't arrive until 3.11, which *did* need at least a 386.

It it also possible to get a web browser for GEM, which will run on any x86 processor.

[Martin Bonner]

Windows 3.0 will run (in Real Mode) on 8086. 286 allows you to do fancy stuff like use an EGA card so you can have full colour.

[Major Scott]

I came across one who declared a power supply was dangerous as it had an exposed

5 volt line and was about to put a red sticker on it. I grabbed the exposed wire and asked him why he thought it dangerous. He walked away.

[whisky-dave]

exposed 5 volt line and was about to put a red sticker on it. I grabbed th e exposed wire and asked him why he thought it dangerous. He walked away.

I had two 24V antex TC soldering irons fail because the earth coloured lead was showing on the silicone double instulated cable fron the iron the the

24V PSU. The excuse wss that at 24V 2 amps it could cause a fire. So I cut the ends off and threw them away and brought two news ones at ~£ 18 each.

[Major Scott]

an exposed 5 volt line and was about to put a red sticker on it. I gra= bbed the exposed wire and asked him why he thought it dangerous. He wal= ked away.

lead was showing on the silicone double instulated cable fron the iron = the the 24V PSU.

Hang on.... a fire? From a HOT soldering iron? Never. Oh the irony.

-- =

A scientist from Texas A&M University has invented a bra that keeps wome= n's breasts from jiggling and prevents the nipples from pushing through = the fabric when cold weather sets in. At a news conference announcing the invention, the scientist was taken o= utside by a group of cowboys, who then proceeded to kick the shit out of= him.

[Windmill]

But Minix would.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Most modern fluorescent electronic ballasts are specifically rated for DC battery supplies too, typically 160-270V, but no startup below 190V.