View Full Version : Elfix Polarity Tester. Is this taking it too far ?
MikeMusic
16-05-2012, 07:17
http://www.russandrews.com/images/products/Elfix.pdf
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 17:43
I smell a rat, a big fat shite covered rat :bog:
Wakefield Turntables
16-05-2012, 17:48
I smell a rat, a big fat shite covered rat :bog:
:laugh: now that put a smile on my face. :cool:
Don't bother reading the Russ Andrews link, I have summarised it below.
:lies::lies::lies::lies::lies::lies:
realysm42
16-05-2012, 18:40
Ha ha, tell it like it is Mark :lol:
Reversing the polarity at the plug is potentially dangerous.
If there is a line to earth fault and the fuse is in the neutral, the fuse may blow but there will still be live voltage going into the appliance (unless the mcb trips out at the fuse board).
Advising anyone to play with this is stupid at best.
martin
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 18:49
Reversing the polarity at the plug is potentially dangerous.
If there is a line to earth fault and the fuse is in the neutral, the fuse may blow but there will still be live voltage going into the appliance (unless the mcb trips out at the fuse board).
Advising anyone to play with this is stupid at best.
martin
Correct!
While the equipment may well have an internal fuse it'll now be being fed by the Neutral line which is or should be at earth potential. This means the the only protection will be the fuse in the mains plug - which is generally rated far higher than an internal fuse would be for a lot of equipment :eek:
This thing is simply asking for trouble :rolleyes:
Correct!
While the equipment may well have an internal fuse it'll now be being fed by the Neutral line which is or should be at earth potential. This means the the only protection will be the fuse in the mains plug - which is generally rated far higher than an internal fuse would be for a lot of equipment :eek:
This thing is simply asking for trouble :rolleyes:
Also, the equipment on/off switch will usually only be in the line (live) circuit. Reversing the polarity will put the switch in the neutral. That means that there will be live voltage in the appliance, even when switched off.
Not good.
realysm42
16-05-2012, 19:13
How can it be legal to sell something that would advise you to make such changes?
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 19:31
How can it be legal to sell something that would advise you to make such changes?
It won't be a problem with something that is double insulated.
IE anything that has only a two core cable like a bit of kit with the figure of 8 plug pictured.
In anything else it's a bloody liability :mental:
Ali Tait
16-05-2012, 20:15
Indeed, though the pic in the link shows the lead into the plug with an earth, which would imply a non double-insulated bit of kit! Someone should report this, it could kill somebody.
MikeMusic
16-05-2012, 20:17
I smell a rat, a big fat shite covered rat :bog:
So difficult to work out what you mean, sitting on the fence like that
:)
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 20:23
So difficult to work out what you mean, sitting on the fence like that
:)
Transformers including SMPS transformers simply don't care which way they are fed, it's just a load of wire on a former at the end of the day :eyebrows:
Mr Kipling
16-05-2012, 20:27
Hi,
It's been selling for decades - so someone must be buying it. There's a Swiss connection, I think. Don't know if they make it or buy it because of their concerns with radiated fields. It simply gives an indication of A.C. leakage to earth; a (cheap) voltmeter would tell you more. Switch to A.C. range connect one probe to the plug's earth and the other to the chass and note the reading. Ideally, reverse the transformer's primary connections and measure again. One connection should give a lower reading and you do this with all components, which is said to lead to an improvement in sound quality. Haven' been able to read the P.D.F. so apologies if I'm just repeating what it says.
Kind Regards,
Stephent
A friend of mine has one that he picked up in a charity shop - neither of us have ever tried to use it though.
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 20:53
A friend of mine has one that he picked up in a charity shop - neither of us have ever tried to use it though.
I wouldn't bother trying, don't waste your time :eyebrows:
No matter how little one has on, there always seems to be something better to do :)
Stratmangler
16-05-2012, 23:03
Have none of you ever tried plugging a Telefunken mains lead into a portable player, playing a piece of music, and then switching over at the Telefunken plug end and playing the same thing again?
There are quite audible differences.
Reid Malenfant
16-05-2012, 23:17
Have none of you ever tried plugging a Telefunken mains lead into a portable player, playing a piece of music, and then switching over at the Telefunken plug end and playing the same thing again?
There are quite audible differences.
There should't be, after all as I said earlier transformers really don't care which way they are fed as long as there is no Earth connection involved.
Live & Neutral are thus one & the same with the plug you mentioned.
You did say 'portable player' though...
So I guess that means you can't quantify the mains being fed to it. After all, all you are listening to is a power supply & that is the mains :)
It changes 50 times a second in the UK, so even a few seconds out it may well sound different ;)
I'm off to bed :D
All the bests Chris :)
MikeMusic
17-05-2012, 07:11
Transformers including SMPS transformers simply don't care which way they are fed, it's just a load of wire on a former at the end of the day :eyebrows:
Ees my leetul joke senor
:)
Have none of you ever tried plugging a Telefunken mains lead into a portable player, playing a piece of music, and then switching over at the Telefunken plug end and playing the same thing again?
No, actually I never have - I don't think I've ever owned any hi-fi with a figure 8 mains input (perhaps a portable radio).
MikeMusic
17-05-2012, 07:50
Have none of you ever tried plugging a Telefunken mains lead into a portable player, playing a piece of music, and then switching over at the Telefunken plug end and playing the same thing again?
There are quite audible differences.
There's a thought
The Tivo has a Fig 8. Takes a while to reboot after unplugging but I'll give it a go
Beobloke
17-05-2012, 09:35
Have none of you ever tried plugging a Telefunken mains lead into a portable player, playing a piece of music, and then switching over at the Telefunken plug end and playing the same thing again?
There are quite audible differences.
My CD player and DAC both have figure of 8 connections. One day when I had absolutely nothing better to do, I tried the reversal of plug trick and was astonished that it made absolutely no difference at all on either piece of kit.
Then I remembered that it wouldn't, because mains is AC :doh:
:D
sq225917
17-05-2012, 14:24
I particularly like the bit about the Kimber Powerchord potentially needing reversing.
What the fuck, don't they assemble them all exactly the same for the extortionate money they charge? Either they should all be right or all be wrong- surely.
No matter how little one has on, there always seems to be something better to do :)
Mark, we've talked about this before, but you really must stop that habit of parading around the house, in nothing but your panties....
Marco.
Now *that* would scare the postie! :eyebrows:
Marco.
Particularly as the stained glass in the front door isn't as opaque as it at first seems!
MikeMusic
17-05-2012, 16:42
Particularly as the stained glass in the front door isn't as opaque as it at first seems!
Hmm, *stained* glass......
I can't recall the circumstances, but polarity on AC circuits must be important for some applications, else US two pin plugs wouldn't have the wider blade (they used to be the same size, with a hole in one blade - one was supposed to figure out what the correct polarity is by trial and error I suppose). I recall, vaguely, a couple of decades ago being told to get a polarity checker to ensure my (US) computer was correctly plugged in to the step-down transformer (in Germany) else some damage could occur. I forget the details.
I have no idea what application this may have with audio, but like £1,000/m cables I have't tried it. I suspect the latter don't do anything either, and anyone who believes they do is talking out of his posterior :D.
Or maybe trying it and having a listen might be worth a little time? Like trying some cables before passing judgement?
There are lots of folks out there who "know" cables don't make a difference without having tried anything beyond lamp cord.
"Is this taking it too far?"
No, No, No and another big No!
One might be satisfied with the thought that manufacturers have designed their machinery using correct phasing, and similarly so concerning the cable manufacturers. This is not the case, there are quite a lot of machinery where phasing is inverted. For you brits, there should not be any issues as you have mains cabling with defined phasing. Here in Sweden the wall socket plugs is reversible, which means phasing is essential.
And if you cant hear the difference between a correctly phased system you can stop spending money on equipment, and buy more music instead!
The difference will baffle you, surely! :)
Phase checkers can be had for a couple of quid, and besides music will be the best value for money you can find in this business!
Br Mike
AC mains may well be AC, but the input to many CD players with fig8 sockets isn't entirely symmetrical. It used to be easy to try unmarked fig 8 cables one way, the other way, and easily hear a slight difference, which was repeatable. The "best" way was basically with the brown posistive lead feeding the pin on the player which connected to the mains fuse side.
Maybe with a more blase attitude these days, I wouldn't bother, but at the time, I'd just ask the customers to humour me and give it a try :)
I've just read this and I'm gobsmacked. Isn't enough that Russ Andrews was taken to the cleaners for basically marketing lies previously; now he seems to have taken things one step too far by encouraging people to play with their mains wiring. I wonder how many people will end up frying kit or burning their houses down after reversing polarity but taking the live wire out of the fused part of the plug? As has been said, if there is a fault on the live wire and the circuit polarity is reversed, then there is no fused protection on that kit.
There is also no evidence provided to support his claims, but then that's nothing new but actively encouraging people to mess around with mains voltages is insane. Don't do it peeps.
I think that Mark's rather colourful response said it all.
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