need electricians help

[t-maxxracer32]

hey guys my dad bought a machine from china for his business and when i opened it up to get it going the place where an outlet plug should be was not there.. there are just 3 wires.. red, blue, green-white stripe
I stripped one of my 3 prong american outlets to solder it all together and call it good but i am not sure if it is a direct solder... the 3 colors on my outlet are green-white stripe, blue and brown

my question is... is it this easy? solder green to green blue to blue and red to brown? or do i need to throw a capacitor on there to lower the voltage? or a transistor to raise the voltage? should i have some type of external regulator for it?

i may be over analyzing this, but the machine is expensive and i dont want to mess anything up the first day i get it.

thanks guys!

[suicideneil]

If there is a manual or any wiring info, it should say which wire is earth, live and neutral- looks like you guessed that part right.

Caps dont alter voltage though, they just store current and release it in bursts as and when required (high load situations).

Without knowing what this machine is or what voltage its designed to run off (again, in the manual or in the technical specs), its impossible to say how it needs to be wired up. You could need to buy a $$$$$ 3 phase power converter or transformer unit to power it, or it might just need the plug fitting.

RTM indeed...

[Finnster]

Usually those sorts of things are not wired for the plug as there are so many different plugs around the world.

First off, is it rated for 120V/60hz? Should be, but if its only 240V/50hz it won't work.

I don't think what you have wired is correct.

[Finnster]

The green should be the ground.
Hot wire is brown
Blue should be to the neutral

lemme check that tho... not an electrician...

[Finnster]

BTW... What do you mean by stripping an outlet?
You do have a proper power cord (mains connector) right? Really there should be one with the equipment to be sure the power cord can handle the load of the machine. You don't want to have the wrong gauge wire. There should not be any soldering either. Everything should be done by screw terminals.

If this thing is expensive, it might be worth the $ to call an electrician so nothing gets fraked up.

[Arct1k]

Those are UK colors:

Green/yellow - earth
Blue - Neutral
Red/Brown - Live

[t-maxxracer32]

here are some pics of what im talking about. it is 120v/60hz

i have never done anything like this before so i do not know how to connect these things properly.. i figured soldering would work but apparently not? can i get that screw terminal at home depot?


thanks for the help

[rabosi]

I wouldn't use that plug. Get something like this http://www.homedepot.com/Electrical-Outlets-Plugs-Plugs-Connectors/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xgkZbm9h/R-100184872/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053
from your local hardware store. No soldering involved.

[suicideneil]

Huzzar, that looks handy; tacking on a plug and lead from another appliance just looks unsafe, even if its done well- imagine what a loss adjuster or fire officer would say if he saw that in a burnt out garage/ workshop...

What kind of tool is that anyway dude? Does just need the plug wiring up though, which is nice.

[Finnster]

Honestly, I would get a whole new power cord/mains and just replace the old wire they have running out, assuming its not intended to be hardwired. (which it seems it is)

Take off the strain relief plug, open up any access panels as needed and remove the old wire and install the new. You don't want to be doing soldering/heatshrinking/electrical tape jobs with equipment like that. Its not safe, and no way its code. You don't want to ever have a situation where there could be a short and you burn down the shop or something for the sake of a cheap power cord.

Be sure to record the wiring pattern before you remove it. I would guess its:

Red=hot
Blue=neutral
yellow=ground

Just a complete guess tho.