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

AJJewsbury:

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.

The way I think of it is that if you slip off a ladder (tall or short) you are more likely to tip a switch dolly down. That matters for a CU, but not really for an ordinary switch.


Mrs P, who comes from the Americas seems to be used to the other way about.


Your local grocer must have been very modern - ours was still hand-cranked. ?

AJJewsbury:

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.

The way I think of it is that if you slip off a ladder (tall or short) you are more likely to tip a switch dolly down. That matters for a CU, but not really for an ordinary switch.


Mrs P, who comes from the Americas seems to be used to the other way about.


Your local grocer must have been very modern - ours was still hand-cranked. ?