Re: Plug In GFCI Device Avail. ?

Keith Williams wrote:
> In article <6Gu6J$gELScCFwUS@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
> jmw@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...
> > I read in sci.electronics.design that Rich Grise
<richgrise@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > wrote (in <pan.2005.04.28.17.12.18.161006@xxxxxxxxxxx>) about 'Plug
In
> > GFCI Device Avail. ?', on Thu, 28 Apr 2005:

> > >Some idiot will plug it into a 3-to 2-prong adapter that they
haven't
> > >bothered to ground (AKA "cheater"), ergo no ground fault current,
ergo
> > >no protection, ergo one more dead idiot with relatives with
lawyers.

Wont stop it functioning
If a court thinks thats the fault of the GFCI mfr they need a new jury.


> > We don't have those in UK, and our units are not GFCIs but RCDs
> > (Residual Current Detectors)- they operate on a difference in the L
and
> > N currents exceeding 30 mA (or 10 mA for some critical
applications).
>
> Aren't "RCD" and "GFCI" simply UKUS?

Dont know what ukus is, but gfci and rcd are the same thing. Ours (UK
RCDs) are usually 30mA, yours might be a different trip current.


> > So
> > they WOULD work even if plugged into a non-grounded wall socket.
> > However, they (or some of them) can also detect that condition -
the
> > test button doesn't work and you can't reset the breaker if it
doesn't.
>
> Why? The test button on the GFCIs, on this side of the pond, connect

> the load side hot to the line side neutral through a 15M(?) resistor.

> This unbalances the current transformer and the device trips. No
> ground is needed for GFCIs to operate.

same here. There are also a minority of ones that need an earth
connection as well. Not sure why, but maybe they just check theres some
kind of low impedance earth connection there. The old v-ELCBs needed 2
earth connections IIUC.


NT

.

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