Making IEC leads... legality of

[smash]

Hey T-Rockers,

I have 3 fullsize racks of gear than I'm rewiring in 2 weeks time.

At the moment, we have IEC leads coiled and dangling all over the place, because obviously they are all of totally differing lengths.

I really want to get the leads to the exact length required, partly for organisationally sake, and partly cause I want my power leads to be as seperate from my signal leads as possible.

I know you can get leads in 50cm lengths, however I'd really like to just "make" them - that way they could be the exact length they need to be.

If I make them, and then immediately get them tagged and tested, does that make them "legal"? Or do I have to pay a sparky to wire them?

How does why become "certified" to wire an IEC anyway?

Thanks,

Simon "Smash" Ashby

[Futureman]

I'd be chopping pre made IEC's to length, cutting them at the Aussie plug end... And re terminating them with an Aus plug.

Then Tag and test them.

(in a perfect world, the actual unit is tested in conjunction with it's power cable.. We had to make and tag and test some powercon cables yesterday.. Same deal)

I would never bother with an IEC plug unless I had to make a 10m+ IEC.

[Junction]

During the tag and test process they don't ask who re-wired the cable and whether they were appropriately licensed, so right or wrong, you could re-wire yourself and have it legally tested and tagged. If you do a shitty job of the rewire and your studio burns down because of it, I am not sure what questions your insurance company would ask and whether this could bite you an the arse??
Michael

[rick]

well their is a 1/2 day course run in nsw gives you the legal "right " to connect construct and disconnect power leads
another 1/2 coarse lets you tag and test
tag and test machine is $700 -1500
coarse is $200 each

if a man was motivated to do it he could visit each of our studios on the forum one at a time for beer money plus hamburger money and make a fortune...

just saying

[rightintheface]

I did a 2 day tag/test course here in NSW for work 5 or so years ago.

The information I was given at the time was that power leads (including extension cables and IECs) had to be constructed and/or signed off by a qualified sparky/engineer. If a qualified tester/tagger is present with a cable that has a replacement of any kind (even the proper plugs with clear ends to show the terminals/wire colours/connections) and it hasn't been accompanied with a sparky's cert they are legally obligated to condemn the cable.
It's kind of sucky due to how easy it is to make them, but it definitely brings up legal issues when it's "un-qualified persons" making them, even though I'm sure many of us have more than enough experience.

Junction is totally right: if your studio burns down because of these cables (if they can prove it) you would be up insurance creek without a paddle.

I really should get my machine re-calibrated and check to see if I'm still qualified without a follow-up course (machines have to be re-cal'ed every 18 months), I do like beer money, and would like to see some studios

At the same time, however, the teacher/engineer recommended we only use the qualifications for our own work, as the paperwork behind doing hobby tagging is pretty atrocious- have to have separate log books and gear codings for every client, have to have copies of maintainance repirts etc etc. It makes it a full-time job. And then if something goes wrong you can be held personally liable...

[rob]

there is a lot of myth and bullshit about all this sort of stuff. You will get a different answer about technical aspects of testing and tagging and making extension lead from every "expert" you ask. I spent days phoning every regulatory body in Australia when I wrote an article for AT about this stuff and it was almost impossible to get a straight and consistent answer.
I did a test and tag course and have a little plastic card to prove it. The guy taking the course told so many lies that by the end of the course I was having a stand-up argument with him in the class. To legally test and tag you need to be "competent". What this means in the real world will only ever be settled in a court room. My two bobs worth is make your own IEC leads if you consider yourself competent. To back your case write out the process you will use to make the leads documenting that you know how to correctly wire the plug and then how to test your wiring. You know how to strip a wire correctly and how tight to do up the retaining screws and how to dress with wire in the plug. If you have all this documented then the only test of your right to do this will come through some sort of legal action and you'll be able to establish your competence.

[rightintheface]

Great post Rob, spoken like a true thinking man.
You're right about "competency"; the final 'exam' for the tag/test course I did was pretty much picking up different cables/appliances, identifying any obvious visual/structural faults, then attaching them to a machine and pressing beep. Wasn't exactly rocket science.

I would hope that being able to show competency independent of a regulating body - such as a TAFE course or what have you - by documenting your work methods and practices would be more than enough to cover one's ass legally. If it was for a business it may be considered a hazard though, OHS being what it is. But that's another kettle of fish.