# Looking for UK computer power cable advice please



## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

I've a number of computers I'd like to bring over permanently from the UK where we have "type G" mains plugs - for those unfamiliar they consist of three rectangular blades in a triangular pattern and have an incorporated fuse (where the size of fuse depends on whether it is a small or a heavy duty appliance). Two of the contacts are for the live and neutral and the third contact is earthed (grounded). 

On the other hand, as we know, the standard fitting in the Philippines is the "type A" twin prong unearthed socket, as in the US.

During my previous visits, I've been using my laptop which I've connected to a UK Surge Protected Power Strip - that in turn has been connected to a two pin travel adapter and then into the power socket.

That's fine as a temporary measure, but I'm really wondering what would be the best option when I finally relocate and bring a couple of my Desktop PCs (which are servers for my photos, music and video collection). One option would be to replace the cables with twin pin cables used in the Filipino market but I really don't like the idea of replacing the power cables with something that is unearthed and not fused.

I'm wondering how UK expats have tackled this problem.

Thanks

Alan


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I've always considered Philippine wiring as temporary at best. Uk to two pin adapter s are readily available in most hardware store, you can also see the multiway blocks that will take the UK plugs. Grounding the earth pin is another matter. It would take rewiring the house, I've wired our with UK wire and sockets throughout.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Plug in's and UPS back ups a must*



soulman1949 said:


> I've a number of computers I'd like to bring over permanently from the UK where we have "type G" mains plugs - for those unfamiliar they consist of three rectangular blades in a triangular pattern and have an incorporated fuse (where the size of fuse depends on whether it is a small or a heavy duty appliance). Two of the contacts are for the live and neutral and the third contact is earthed (grounded).
> 
> On the other hand, as we know, the standard fitting in the Philippines is the "type A" twin prong unearthed socket, as in the US.
> 
> ...


(I'm not an electrician) But the power spikes and brown outs/blackouts due happen. I use those Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units for computer safety and surges along with a voltage converter, I bought my UPS unit from CDR-King and it cost me 1000 peso's but it's only rated at 10 minutes, you can find better units here or if possible it might be better to get those in the UK, real handy in power outages as a source of power for other things also. 

I also use a 1,500 watt Omni voltage converter, bought here at a hardware store, so I plug the UPS battery back up units into this first and then the desk top and monitor.

Worst case scenario is that if your computers do break down they larger computer repair, computer for sale shops can build you a brand new one from scratch, I had my ASUS desk top built with a brand new 19"AOC monitor and it ran me 14,000 peso's or about $311 US dollars.

I need a quality USB Headset, getting ready to place an order with PCWORX and it took me a while to find one that takes the card card other than Lazada (They don't specialize in computer parts) but PCWORX does, they also take international credit cards and it has a good variety you can buy all your items, computer parts, accessories and I guess build it yourself.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

As long as it is 220 volt the converter plug should be fine. Many of the appliances they sell here have odd plugs so most our stuff is on converter plugs. But yes, because of the horrid power fluctuations, you need to get an automatic voltage regulator. AVR's are available at any hardware store and not very expensive.


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## metmanph (Jan 4, 2013)

I may not be doing the right thing but I simply plug my 3-pin UK laptop plug into the 2-pin Philippine socket using one of those universal adapters you usually see in airports. I do tend to unplug it though during thunderstorms or if I notice the lights flickering, and when I go out/overnight. Further, the quality of the power supply (voltage, frequency fluctuations) may vary depending on your location within the Philippines, so may warrant more precautions. Your UK Surge Protected Power Strip sounds like a good idea - I must look at that next time I go back.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

metmanph said:


> I may not be doing the right thing but I simply plug my 3-pin UK laptop plug into the 2-pin Philippine socket using one of those universal adapters you usually see in airports. I do tend to unplug it though during thunderstorms or if I notice the lights flickering, and when I go out/overnight. Further, the quality of the power supply (voltage, frequency fluctuations) may vary depending on your location within the Philippines, so may warrant more precautions. Your UK Surge Protected Power Strip sounds like a good idea - I must look at that next time I go back.


That's ok with a laptop but a tower really should have its case connected to ground and their power supplies tend not to be as robust as the external laptop type.


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## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

I have a few Electronic devices with the G plug and I use these G to AC adapters, available in CD-R Kings CDR KING and virtually every electronic, hardware store in the PI, then plug it into a power surge protector also available everywhere to protect the device. Sizes vary from this small onehttp://www.cdrking.com/index.php?mod=products&type=view&sid=16845&main=146#.VRnrfOHKOZY to larger ones that sit on the floor.


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## expatuk2015 (Jan 12, 2015)

I use ommni multiplug ( UK -US etc ) extension lead with a seperate switch for each socket you can get these from Robinsons handyman and ace hardware wired it into a 2 pin plug
and my laptop running from a Mitsui surge protector .
also our UK TV-Kettle-Toaster etc etc all wired to 2 pin plugs with no problems


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## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

LOL, welcome to the Philippines - land of brownouts and blackouts! Yes, you're right mcalleyboy, a UPS and a Voltage regulator sound like a good investment. We take so much for granted in the West, a stable, regular and reliable mains supply for one! I certainly don't want to risk my valuable data!

Must admit, the PCWORX website looks very interesting indeed regarding the range of items sold, although the lack of detailed specifications does mean having to cross-reference the original parts manufacturers websites for each component. I've been building my own PCs for the best part of 25 years and couldn't really contemplate having to buy one off the shelf! And the fact that they have a branch in Gensan (only an hour away from me in Koronadal) is great news! Really appreciate the lead, mcalleyboy.

Pakawala, the item you mention is not a "type G" adapter. Here's a link to "type G" (Power plug & outlet Type G - World Standards). The item you have listed looks like a "type B" (Plug & socket types - World Standards).

On the subject of wiring, must admit, I'd never seen radial circuit wiring until I came to the Philippines. In the UK, ring circuit wiring is the standard and until I started Googling the wiring options, I was unaware that the ring main seems to be an exclusively British concept (Museum of Plugs and Sockets: ring and radial circuits)! I'm now back in the UK, but I think when I return to the Philippines later in the year, I'll bring with me some UK "type G" sockets which I'll get wired up next to the computer area - fortunately, this is very close to the circuit breaker!


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## pakawala (Sep 10, 2014)

soulman1949 said:


> Pakawala, the item you mention is not a "type G" adapter. Here's a link to "type G" (Power plug & outlet Type G - World Standards). The item you have listed looks like a "type B" (Plug & socket types - World Standards).


Look a little closer and read the specs. The G plugs into it and it can be used for a PI outlet. CDR KING


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## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

pakawala said:


> Look a little closer and read the specs. The G plugs into it and it can be used for a PI outlet. CDR KING


Doh! My apologies, you're right!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

soulman1949 said:


> On the subject of wiring, must admit, I'd never seen radial circuit wiring until I came to the Philippines. In the UK, ring circuit wiring is the standard and until I started Googling the wiring options, I was unaware that the ring main seems to be an exclusively British concept (Museum of Plugs and Sockets: ring and radial circuits)! I'm now back in the UK, but I think when I return to the Philippines later in the year, I'll bring with me some UK "type G" sockets which I'll get wired up next to the computer area - fortunately, this is very close to the circuit breaker!


Being from the UK I obviously wired our house using a ring main. I believe the reason a ring main is popular in the UK is that it is much more economical with the wire than a star or radial main.


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## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

Yes, that's what the link says. Not having lived previously anywhere other than in the UK, I wasn't aware of any other way of wiring!


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

Admittedly I may be the very last person in the world you want to take electrical advice from. However, when I first arrived here I spent a quite few weeks pulling my hair out over computer/electrical problems, so hopefully I can help others avoid the same problems that drove me crazy for so long.

To begin with, you'll definitely want to get a reliable automatic voltage regulator (AVR). I purchased a Meiji brand (SVC-500) AVR at Ace Hardware for approximately 4,000 Php. I've owned my AVR for approximately 18 months, and so far it has given me reliable service. However, don't use a grounded 110V appliance with this AVR at the same time you have a 220V appliance plugged into it. I'm not sure, but it appears that the ground for the 220V sockets is directly tied to the ground for the 110V socket. Other than that it works fine.

Aside from an AVR you'll also want to establish a good earth ground for your computer. When I first got here, I was puzzled why I was getting shocked every time I plugged a USB device into my computer. At first I just ignored the problem, and kept using my desktop, even though it was occasionally shocking me. My video card failed after about three weeks of use here in the Philippines, and after that I had to replace my system RAM also. 

To make a long story short, I eventually found out that a desktop PC's power supply is grounded through the metal case of the power supply (to prevent radio interference) and this voltage will leak into the case of the PC and shock the user, if the PC is not plugged into a receptacle that is grounded to earth. 

In my case I installed a US style type B receptacle near my PC and drilled a hold through my wall, and grounded the receptacle to metal rod I pounded into the ground near my house. This worked well for me, and my computer has been very stable since adding the AVR and earth ground. 

However, one of my sister-in-laws recently arrived from the US, and she began experiencing exactly the same problems with her computers as soon as she plugged them in at her mother's house. Drilling holes in my mother-in-laws house was not an option, so I got an electrical plug adapter, and attached a 14 gauge wire to the ground tab on adapter, and I attached the other end to metal rod I drove into the ground about four feet. I was able to pass the ground wire through the wall via the same opening as the coaxial cable for the cable TV. It's not pretty, and there are wires plainly visible if you look under her desk, but with the new earth ground I created, and the AVR she added to her system, her computer now appears to be completely stable.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

I put a ground rod in when we built the house about 12 years ago. Never been a problem until recently when the meter reader decided that it was a jumper and we were stealing power.:doh:


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## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

Brilliant reply Maxx62, very helpful indeed.

AAMOI isn't there usually an earth connection at the circuit breaker? I'm now back in the UK so I've no proper way of verifying this, although I'll go over the photos I took during the house build before I left last week. I could have sworn I saw an earth wire there. If so, could I connect to that, rather than drilling outside (that's assuming it's connected to a decent earth)?

LOL, Gary D!


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

soulman1949 said:


> Brilliant reply Maxx62, very helpful indeed.
> 
> AAMOI isn't there usually an earth connection at the circuit breaker? I'm now back in the UK so I've no proper way of verifying this, although I'll go over the photos I took during the house build before I left last week. I could have sworn I saw an earth wire there. If so, could I connect to that, rather than drilling outside (that's assuming it's connected to a decent earth)?
> 
> LOL, Gary D!


Philippine power is hot and ground so being largely overhead cabling the ground side (neutral) is the strainer for the cable, so if you saw a bare wire it was probably this strainer. The strainer will be grounded somewhere locally, look for a electricity pole with a bare cable stappled to the side and down into the ground. What you need for your third wire is a clean earth. The only way you will get that is to put a grounding rod in beside your property.


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## soulman1949 (Aug 5, 2013)

Thanks for that, Gary D! Sounds like a job for when I return later in the year! Really appreciate the advice given here.


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## Tukaram (Dec 18, 2014)

I have heard of grounded houses here... but I have not seen one yet. They do sell grounding rods - but I have no idea who uses them other than foreigners.


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## Maxx62 (Dec 31, 2013)

soulman1949 said:


> Brilliant reply Maxx62, very helpful indeed.
> 
> AAMOI isn't there usually an earth connection at the circuit breaker? I'm now back in the UK so I've no proper way of verifying this, although I'll go over the photos I took during the house build before I left last week. I could have sworn I saw an earth wire there. If so, could I connect to that, rather than drilling outside (that's assuming it's connected to a decent earth)?
> 
> LOL, Gary D!


At least in my case, the "electrician" (snicker) did not install a grounding rod for my circuit breaker panel. Also, when I first tried to install my own grounding rod, I couldn't find a real grounding rod anywhere, so I just used a piece deformed bar (normally used to reinforce concrete) but for reasons I never figured out, the deformed bars kept corroding very quickly, and within a few days it would become ineffective as a ground. Later I drove a 1/2" 202 stainless steel rod about four feet into the ground near my house, and my earth ground has been stable since then. (I clean the connection once every few months.) Over at my mother-in-laws house I used a 1/2" deformed bar, but so far it doesn't seem to be corroding nearly as badly as it did in the ground near my house.


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## M.C.A. (Feb 24, 2013)

*Ground Rod*



Tukaram said:


> I have heard of grounded houses here... but I have not seen one yet. They do sell grounding rods - but I have no idea who uses them other than foreigners.


I'm not an electrician either but Meralco installed a ground (Rod) below the meter, only time I've had hot wire issue's or getting zapped was when the lower half of the house flooded it damaged many of our outlets and then upstairs the coffee maker and rice cooker the steam coming off those damaged or fried some outlets causing electrical issue's.


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## Gary D (Oct 28, 2013)

Maxx62 said:


> At least in my case, the "electrician" (snicker) did not install a grounding rod for my circuit breaker panel. Also, when I first tried to install my own grounding rod, I couldn't find a real grounding rod anywhere, so I just used a piece deformed bar (normally used to reinforce concrete) but for reasons I never figured out, the deformed bars kept corroding very quickly, and within a few days it would become ineffective as a ground. Later I drove a 1/2" 202 stainless steel rod about four feet into the ground near my house, and my earth ground has been stable since then. (I clean the connection once every few months.) Over at my mother-in-laws house I used a 1/2" deformed bar, but so far it doesn't seem to be corroding nearly as badly as it did in the ground near my house.


It could be a couple of things, soil type can cause rapid corrosion or you could have a higher than usual leakage current in your ground rod. I used a copper rod from the UK for our house, hope neighbours haven't seen it. For the store and in-laws 4 foot of rebar. If the soil is particularly dry or sandy it doesn't hurt to water your grounding rod occasionally.


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