I'm absolutely floored - thanks to a bunch of voluntary contributions everything's covered. A couple of people have offered privately to split the snack budget between them -- I'll be following up with them later.
Snacks have been ordered, they'll be here with the Tesco man later on tonight.
PAT testing -
I've finished the training on my lunch break and sourced a tester. The training was every bit as exciting as you think it was, and I'm glad I got to pick the course which didn't have the slides on "how to wear a hi-vis ironically and tut-tut" and "how to be a jobsworth".
The venue's advised that they're not going to be going round looking for test stickers but we are "on trust" - so if someone brings something faulty and trips the electric, it's not going to look good on us... Please be proactive and use common sense. Don't bring damaged cables or kit, and replace the RIFA capacitors (or similar) ahead of time as they're known to blow and create a lot of smoke.
If you're not sure, ask, I've put a list of things to check at the end of this post.
I'll also have a handheld PAT tester with me - if you've done power supply repairs or the machine hasn't recently been tested, feel free to ask and I'll test it. (the handheld tester checks earthing and insulation, which is good practice especially on older equipment)
If anyone has a power supply in need of RIFAs changing - I'd be interested in testing it before and after they're replaced.
I have a suspicion that bad RIFAs may show up on an insulation resistance test, and would like to see if that's true.
Things to look for -
Snacks have been ordered, they'll be here with the Tesco man later on tonight.
PAT testing -
I've finished the training on my lunch break and sourced a tester. The training was every bit as exciting as you think it was, and I'm glad I got to pick the course which didn't have the slides on "how to wear a hi-vis ironically and tut-tut" and "how to be a jobsworth".
The venue's advised that they're not going to be going round looking for test stickers but we are "on trust" - so if someone brings something faulty and trips the electric, it's not going to look good on us... Please be proactive and use common sense. Don't bring damaged cables or kit, and replace the RIFA capacitors (or similar) ahead of time as they're known to blow and create a lot of smoke.
If you're not sure, ask, I've put a list of things to check at the end of this post.
I'll also have a handheld PAT tester with me - if you've done power supply repairs or the machine hasn't recently been tested, feel free to ask and I'll test it. (the handheld tester checks earthing and insulation, which is good practice especially on older equipment)
If anyone has a power supply in need of RIFAs changing - I'd be interested in testing it before and after they're replaced.
I have a suspicion that bad RIFAs may show up on an insulation resistance test, and would like to see if that's true.
Things to look for -
- No damage to the cable (squashing, cuts, scrapes, visible inner wires or copper are all Bad)
- Plug in good condition (no cracks, chips, charring/burning, or bent/broken pins). Should have shrouded live and neutral pins, and the earth should be solid metal (no plastic shroud) and wired correctly (short live wire and some slack on neutral and earth, metal strands fully in the terminals, screws tight).
- Correct fuse for the rating of the cable and appliance (if you're not sure, find the wattage rating on the back of the machine and divide by 240, then round up to the nearest fuse rating - 3A, 5A, 13A - which is above that number). No cheap Aliexpress fuses!
- Give the wire a gentle tug on both ends and make sure it's held securely by the cable grips.
- Appliance covers in place, in good condition -- power supply covers especially.
Statistics: Posted by philpem — Wed Feb 04, 2026 3:30 pm