1950s German appliance wiring colour codes

[Tony Polson]

I have a 1950s German slide projector (anyone remember slides?) which I have been using with its German mains plug and an adaptor.

I decided to replace the plug with a UK 13A plug. Having removed the German plug, I cannot remember which wire went were, and the colour coding is unfamiliar to me.

There are three wires, coloured red, black and light grey. Can anyone tell me which is which? I guessed at

red = live black = neutral

but is the grey wire really the earth?

Definitive advice will be very much appreciated!

[Owain]

Far from definitive, but my guess is black and grey are mains and red is earth.

You should be able to find earth fairly easily by doing a continuity test between each of the three wires and the case. It shouldn't matter much which way round the other two are connected to L&N.

Owain

[meow2222]

a multimeter will tell you which is which in no time.

NT

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd really not guess about this.

Black used to be line on continental stuff with light blue as neutral.

The only safe way is to check with a DVM for a *dead short* between exposed metalwork and one of the wires which should then be earth. Or better still, open up the device and check physically. And replace the flex while you're at it with the correct modern stuff.

The earth should be obvious as it will be connected to the metalwork. The line will go to the switch if a single pole type.

[Guy King]

The message from Tony Polson contains these words:

Definitely take the projector apart and see where the wires go.

Unless things are very different from my expectation, the live will go to the switch, the neutral to the other side of the bulb/fan/transformer/whatever, and the earth to the chassis.

A clear photo of the gizzards macht alles klaar, yah?

[Dave Fawthrop]

|Tony Polson wrote: | |> I have a 1950s German slide projector (anyone remember slides?) which |> I have been using with its German mains plug and an adaptor. |>

|> I decided to replace the plug with a UK 13A plug. Having removed the |> German plug, I cannot remember which wire went were, and the colour |> coding is unfamiliar to me. |>

|> There are three wires, coloured red, black and light grey. Can anyone |> tell me which is which? I guessed at |>

|> red = live |> black = neutral |>

|> but is the grey wire really the earth? |>

|> Definitive advice will be very much appreciated! | |a multimeter will tell you which is which in no time.

The switch should be in the *live* wire.

[James Salisbury]

DANGER DANGER DANGER Some german appliances of that era had RED =EARTH and caused death when imported into the UK and the earth was connected to live. This was one of many reasons why we now have common wireing colours....

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Yes. FWIW, some German cars used red for the negative or ground - the exact opposite of UK practice.

It's what annoys me when the objectors to unified colours throughout the EU go on about the 'instinctive' old colours. There's no such thing.

[Andy Wade]

NO, NO, NO. RED was EARTH - definitely. Obvious danger lurks... Now you see why harmonisation of colours was such a good idea.

Black is live, I think.

Grey for neutral

I'm not 100% sure about the last two, but RED IS DEFINITELY EARTH.

[The Natural Philosopher]

My advice also.

[Owain]

I think those people mean that *our* colours were "instinctive". What those Jerries think is another thing entirely.

Owain

[Brian Sharrock]

OTOH: 'Human Factor Engineers/industrial Physiologists do know about what is 'instinctive', or at least inculturated, for the 'majority' of people. 'Righty-Tighty ~ Lefty-Loosey'; Red -danger ; Clockwise-more, Anti-Clockwise~less; works for we acculturated folks in the UK. Having to bow-down to the dictates of an unelected bunch of Eurocrats dreaming up directives 'to work towards a more integrated Europe' is really 'what annoys me' (to quote your words).

BTW; AIUI the EU bureaucracy will not employ people born _before_ the establishment of its predecessor(s) [Application forms bear a statement to that effect]. "It's what annoys me" that people with a earlier date-of-birth are presumed to be objectors "throughout the EU"

[Huge]

Surely this is against the EU's own legislation?

[Fred]

Yes - I recall in my teens I had probably the closest call when I had wired up a radio and whilst wondering why it wasn't working I touched the case and a metal socket on a wander lead. RCDs weren't heard of then!

[The Natural Philosopher]

well are they?

Ive seen plenty of red earth in my time, and brown. Don't even have to go further than Devon. Most earth is brown or black. Never seen any green earth.

And as far as blue being a neutral colour. Not anywhere I've ever been. Its usually the colour of some political faction or other.

[Guy King]

The message from "Brian Sharrock" contains these words:

The opposite of taps then.

[Guy King]

The message from "Brian Sharrock" contains these words:

I'd doubt that'd stand up in court.

[Adam Funk]

But the *covering* is green.

[Andy McKenzie]

Where on earth do people get stuff like this from> - I have in the past looked at EU job application forms, and no such statement was made. No such statement is made on current forms, and any such practice would contradict EU's own regulations on discrimination. Just because you read it in the Daily Mail doesn't make it true.

Bureauocracies of all sorts do all sorts of dumb things. Harmonising colours in potentially lethal electrical wiring would seem to be one of their more sensible activities

Andy

[MB]

I have a 1993 German book for d-i-y that shows a table for wire colors of old and new wiring. Black was and is always live. Neutral and earth weren't always a specific color-- they could have been light grey, beige, white or red. Our house was built in 1961 and has all of them.

Today black is live, blue is neutral and green-yellow striped is earth.