"Colin Wilson" wrote in message
t...

Depending on how much length you want to pick up, IIRC you might also
come across a reactive resistivity if you leave the majority of it
coiled up. Can lead to the cable warming up, and in extreme cases,
melting the insulation.

Hmmm.

The reason it gets hot when it's wound up is because it can't cool-down
because it's all in a lump. It's nothing to do with inductance. To a first
approximation, it would be exactly the same with DC.

The unwound cable is wasting almost exactly the same amount of heat, but
it's not getting so hot because it's more spaced out.

Its been a while since I played with the stuff in the "real world"
though, so my theory is now very patchy :-(

Yes. But you're right that you shouldn't use wound-up extension cables
except for very light loads.

Will