Need to make a CamLoc to 24way
Edison AC
distro for a show leaving in about two or three weeks. Either going to
build it myself or if the only supplier that has not walked out of the bid given short notice can get my specifications for it according to what I specified actually on the drawing and quote instead of what artistic licence they feel like it in quoting it out, either I'll
build it if cost effective or they will. Should know in the morning, in the mean time suppliers for the components I would put in it are also taking their own sweat time in me asking to know all info by the end of today about pricing
etc.
In my case the four
phase breaker with 60%
neutral sensing with
GFCI, adjustable loading amperage trip ratios and in-breaker amperage sensor as with trouble shooting diagnostics is in my concepept for main
breaker as compliant with a sort of feeling for how things are going these days. Ok, such a thing would cost at least $5K and not in price but in lead time I scaled down from that a
bit but not by much in still pressing for what
neutral sensing and
GFCI is a good idea for something I'm building. The other place that can get it done in time... they are
UL listed but won't supply a fan for the rack in if I do so they say it than voids warranty. This much less only supplying normal three
phase breakers and its' a fight to supply on the drawing a six
wire system for feeding it amongst other design changes that one just has to ask where did these changes come from in me specifying part numbers and only wanted a quote on what I specified not something totally different. Days wasted... almost two weeks now in me just finding a supplier, getting a quote and getting it defined how I asked for it and still not done yet. The guys making it will no doubt be cursing me for requesting such a thing on such short notice yet it their own sales people that took their own sweet time before either deciding after waiting a while they couldn't supply or still refining their design to my specifications that down to the part number were correct they just took artistic licence with them. Stuff like five
wire instead of six
wire supplies.... If I specified a six
wire supply with specific part number, why on the quote would a five
wire suddenly become what's quoted? That lost at least a day in changing that and other artistic licence stuff - at least.
Not a discussion on "you should contact these guys" they have always done well by me, more a concept of
current UL listings of gear and or easy
plug in type done before thus is former or
current code compliant plus easy to do and it's going to be a while until things change makes gear hard to make proper according to the latest concepts in what should be done code or not. If I'm offering to pay an extera $K in money for a new fangled proper
breaker be it
GFCI,
neutral sensing four
wire or both... only been told so far... nope, can't do that even if better or safer. This at best above pre-made component based
power supplies that can't be done on a two week notice... Suppliers and experts heck... they respond back normally this is what we are listed for and what has always worked in the past.
Breaker manufacturers are more concerned about legal stances about... if they specify a proper
breaker for say the Hunguro Flash
strobe light, they might be liable for it than... than in wasting a week doing anything to help. Industry just wasting my time with compliance of the past set ways and legal problems in helping me get my job done. Stand in my way you get stepped on and I don't normally travel back down those stairs.
Certain other panels I need and bidded out I sent photos of. Similar questions on how to, it's not how we do it, this is how we do it for about double as much as it costs you to do it. Yet nobody was able to make a panel from scratch given a limited lead time cost effective to my specifications and that's all falling back to me. A lot of electrical panels to
wire up in the coming weeks including possibly the above.
Big challenges for me: given the options in commercial grade breakers - well beyond QO or QOU types we get into trip ratios for voltages the
breaker won't see
etc. in headackes of not so well defined tables. Choosing the main
breaker - big problems in getting leading
edge in technology simply from the education standpoint.
Second, getting a quote for what you want even if you specify the part numbers for the components in the rack you want - still often takes at least a day or more for a price quote. This much less even if specifying part numbers, getting the quote for what you asked for can be challenging in wasting days that could have been spent building the thing in either in the end it can or most often is not enough time left to
build it.
Next and while I have a GreenLee punch that will punch say an
Edison outlet, and even have a
jig for that punch made up, my time is valuable and it's a pain in the rear to punch
Edison outlets. Such panels pre-made need to be more available and no doubt are. Takes time to even quote out such things.
Pain in the rear to make a AC
distro rack, this much less one that can travel the world. Not sufficiently trained for
circuit breaker technology and the suppliers of such gear need longer lead times than is often available or reasonable no matter the cost, pre-punched gear even if listed in catalogs is not persay available on short notice, sales people take their own sweat time in quoting prices no matter if
breaker or panel, breakers especially if high tech take weeks to construct and cost thousands of dollars each
etc.
Welcome to my world, but my
current goals are first to supply feed
thru CamLocs, next to supply six
wire for anything 120v, next to get into the
GFCI and
neutral sensing
breaker world. Next to asside from Middle Atlantic's component
base rack
system, get pre-punched panel suppliers that can just ship them on limited notice because if in the catalog, that means it's something pre-designed and easy to supply. After that, it's a few $K in rack, if I want something special which makes sense to have you don't say you cannot do that.
Yep, the last week or so I have been working with the issues of this discussion in rack panels, six
wire and
breaker types a lot. Spent the entire morning reading various Cutler Hammer catalogs on their breakers to say the least. Wound up with a headache instead of answers as to which specific
circuit breaker was the one I wanted by part number. Neither did my sales rep. for them end up with any different. Still waiting on her tech support to reply a day or two later.
Welcome to my world. While for sure harder to do what's proper and the way the trends are going it's still my intent for very valid reasons. Little steps perhaps in the end.
