DIY mains block

julian2002

julian2002

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ok,
over in the hi-fi forum i posted about some hum interference i'm getting from my fridge. one of the solutions tabled was a better mains block. currently i'm using a cheapo argos 4 way which i opened up and was awestruck by it;s shoddyness.
so as this seems to be about the level of diy i'm happy with i thoought i'd give it a go.
trouble is i've only got a nebulous sort of plan of how to go about it.

what i'm aiming for is...
a 10 way extension block - would this be too much? 10 way would allow me to neaten up my mains layout considerably which consists of 2 2ways with a 4 way plugged into 3 of the 4 resultant sockets. 2 of these are used for the hi-fi and one for the tv / sender / light. i'd like to have 1 10 way for the hi-fi and a 4 way for the tv / sender / light / hoover / etc.

i was thinking a piece of wood as the base board - painted or left bare.
5x unswitched double sockets.
5x cages for the above so things aren;t exposed.
about 8 meters of heavy duty mains cord.
an m&k plug

what is the usual connection method for 2 way sockets? will the daisy chaining be taken care of with screw terminals or will i have to buy a soldering iron.

will this do the job or am i going down the wrong road here?

any ideas, web sites or insights would be gratefully recieved.
cheers


julian
 
sounds simalar to the mains blocks i use/make.if you use metal clad sockets you can link the socket boxes together with 20mm brass bushes and a couple of lock rings,use 1 locknut/ring as a spacer between socket boxes or the lid wont fit,these will also give you somewere to feed the cables through,and if done proberly you dont need a wooden base
Most metalclad sockets have 20mm knockouts so no need for any drilling.Also dont forget to get a brass stuffing gland and lock nut,for the cable inlet.
no need for a soldering iron,just a screw driver and pliers.
mk double metal clad sockets are around £10-£15 each,
 
les,
this sounds like exactly the sort of thing i'm after any handy local suppliers or can i find these bits at my local b&q?
also what guage mains wire do you think i should use i'm guessing the thicker the better but what sort of thing should i be looking for?
cheers


julian
 
supplier wise any decent electrical wholsalers, (newey and eyer city electrical,gibbs and dandy ect,i belive theve all got branches in bedford, ),as for cable i use 2.5mm singles for the internal wiring and 1.5mm 3core for the flex.
If ya pm me an adress i can send you some 2,5mm for the internal wiring as normally wholsalers olny sell it in 100 meter lengths.For the flex ive found wilkinsons are about the cheapest.
 
Ah depends on how much dosh you want to layout. I think £15 would cover the whole rebuilt expansion block. But of course the MK double ganged metal case jobies are going to be in a different class. Though if I were doing the construction I opt for better cable than available at wilco.
 

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