Daftest or most humourous thing you`ve been asked for/about

Chris Pearson:

It's a funny old thing. Sockets unequivocally up = off, down = on. Lights up = off, down = on, both up or both down = off. 


So why is up = on in a CU? ??

It's a peculiarly UK things to have up for off(*) - most of the rest of the world (including the continent) are the other way around - hence when we started using European/international standards for CU components we adopted the more common arrangement. Lightswitches we can still orient whatever way we prefer.


(*) actually not all UK switches are meant to be up for off - I recall as a child noticing that the toggle switch on a bacon slicer in a local shop was "upside down" (this was long before Harmonization) and asked about it - the shopkeeper explained it was deliberate since in an emergency it was somewhat quicker and easier to slam the switch down in a hurry than getting your hand in position between the counter and the underside of the switch and flicking up upwards.


   - Andy.

Chris Pearson:

It's a funny old thing. Sockets unequivocally up = off, down = on. Lights up = off, down = on, both up or both down = off. 


So why is up = on in a CU? ??

It's a peculiarly UK things to have up for off(*) - most of the rest of the world (including the continent) are the other way around - hence when we started using European/international standards for CU components we adopted the more common arrangement. Lightswitches we can still orient whatever way we prefer.


(*) actually not all UK switches are meant to be up for off - I recall as a child noticing that the toggle switch on a bacon slicer in a local shop was "upside down" (this was long before Harmonization) and asked about it - the shopkeeper explained it was deliberate since in an emergency it was somewhat quicker and easier to slam the switch down in a hurry than getting your hand in position between the counter and the underside of the switch and flicking up upwards.


   - Andy.