Tom MacIntyre writes:

On 20 Dec 2004 20:52:48 -0500, Sam Goldwasser
wrote:

Thomas writes:

Can anybody help me with this problem?

snip

In a couple of days' time I am going to visit the apartment with a
socket-tester - it's a small plug which shows if the socket is wired
correctly. The only thing I can think of which might have caused the
death of three computers (if, in fact, they DID really die) is that the
"live" and the "neutral" wires to the socket (from the fuseboard) might
have been attached to the socket the wrong way round.

If this is the case, I know this wouldn't injure a lightbulb, but my
question is: would this injure a computer? A friend tells me that
current is "alternating" and that it therefore shouldn't matter whether
the live and neural wires to the socket are reversed. But does this
situation ring any bells with anyone?

Or is the guy in my apartment either just someone who has bought three
faulty computers in a row or someone who is just trying to take me for a
ride?

Reversed Hot and Neutral should not damage computers or any other modern
electronics or appliances, nor is it an inherently unsafe condition.
Anything that plugs into the wall must be designed to be safe if H and N
are reversed.

In isolation yes, but all bets may be off if they connect to another
device which is connected to a correctly phased plug. Been there, got
the T-shirt, saw the lights dim, and smelled the smoke. :-)

No, not true with anything less than maybe 75 years old.

Granted, when isolated devices are involved, there really shouldn't be
a problem, and nowadays that is usually the case.

Should always be the case unless you have antique radios or something
like that.

--- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ Mirror: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/
Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/
+Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/sam/lasersam.htm
| Mirror Sites: http://repairfaq.ece.drexel.edu/REPAIR/F_mirror.html

Note: These links are hopefully temporary until we can sort out the excessive
traffic on Repairfaq.org.

Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is
ignored unless my full name is included in the subject line. Or, you can
contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.