I see. If i was to extend an ATX power cable I'd use some chunky
speaker cable for the high power connections, looks nice and a few
mm2+ is easily available. The lower power and signal connections would
be handled with standard 4 way flat speaker cable.
All the plugs would be moved down to the far end, using some
heatshrink which would look neat. Might need multiple cores or very
thick cable for the high power connections, I wonder what sort of
cable a standard ATX supply uses...
Do this to an ATX extension cable - rather than your PSU cable:
o Ebay probably has a few - either 9" or 12"/30cm
o Various online sellers do too -
www.kustompcs.co.uk do them
Someone on Ebay sells any-length of any-colour of any-rating cable.
You may want to try a terminal block on the near-PSU connection,
just until you know what cable length doesn't affect PC stability.
Double heatshrink the joints & watch length of solder run into the
stranded cable core re mechanical inflexibility at that point.
In RCD Nuisance Trip Hell.
May be worth measuring leakage currents to see if they are excessive
when combined. Also test the wiring or equipment with a Megger or
something similar.
Split-load CU using 2 RCDs, 2 butyl rubber cables on the tripping-RCD
o 1ft long - radial to living-room skt other side of the CU
o 15ft long - radial to landing skt, subject to vacuum cleaner attack :-)
We suspect the latter, landing skt - also linked to a new PVC-T&E ring :-)
o I know the MCB has 3 wires - 1 butyl & 2x PVC-T&E
o I suspect the skt has 2 butyl (1 run to disused skt) & 1 PVC-T&E
I guess they linked the radial to the ring for redundancy & that 1 disused skt.
The electrician friend did a few checks:
o Opened the landing skt -- no RCD trips since
o Powering each MCB in turn -- the 1ft living-room butyl MCB tripped the RCD
Sounds like cumulative leakage on 2 cables, due to insulation creep
o Both are the original radial run, in butyl, to 1 socket only, in 4mm^2
o Fat cable so there's not a lot of space even in a double surface pattress
If it's intermittent earth leakage, connecting different equipment or
circuits into an isolation transformer or maybe even a UPS would help
narrow down the cause.
If it trips again, I'm going to repeat the tests again:
o RCD instantly reset = turn off all MCBs, turn on 1 by 1 & note if RCD trips
o RCD will not reset = turn off all MCBs, turn on 1 by 1 & note which trips RCD
o RCD & MCB trips = hurrah, at least it shows which circuit
It could conversely be insulation pressure in the CU itself on the butyl.
Failing heater elements, damp and even spideys can be a cause of
tripped RCDs.
Immersion is on the same RCD circuit (3 circuits), 10yr+ old element.
A lot to be said for RCBOs even tho just 3 circuits on that RCD.
Frankly I think the future will be:
o Verify it's a 2-PVC-Ring linked by 1-Butyl radial
---- then disconnect that radial at both ends
---- and use the 2-PVC-ring thro that landing skt
o Replace that 1ft butyl radial to living room skt
---- combined that removes 2 of the 3 butyl rubber cables
The living room skt 1ft should be a 3-min change, but everyone runs:
o CU is other side of the wall, displaced 12" horizontally
o Cable runs 12" thro a 1-brick-wall into alcove before the fireplace
o 3-5" into the alcove it goes thro the wall (behind quarry tile I guess) to skt
o Above the skirting-board skt is a skirting-board chromed gas pipe to the fire
Measured the skt to living room door & same the other side re position,
then measured the alcove depth v total fireplace depth - 10" = double-brick.
Electricians mumble "it's not straight thro", or "there's a chimney cavity",
but the floor is solid, and there's no bermuda triangle here. Then again I'm
not so sure IEE 16th onsite would like a new cable behind quarry tile skirting,
tho some 25x25mm galvanised may change that (over head or on skirting :-)
Since we don't know which, it's wait for the RCD to trip again & discriminate.
Historically, it hasn't and that is why the cables never got done.
Nuisance trips, then someone looks at it, then it never comes back.
I think Butyl suffers insulation creep? All springy but "ductile" stuff. Rubber :-)
--
Dorothy Bradbury