MEM3/Eaton Panel Boards

[rmaynard]

has anyone fitted these lately? i find that the tab colours on the breakers make it look unprofessional?

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

I didnt think so, have found them to be nice boards to work on. Anyway once the covers on and the doors shut theres not much to look at really.

 

[D Skelton]

Always use Eaton, lovely stuff to work with and great quality! Most important though is the thousands of easily accessible data sheets which help make design a breeze!

 

[davethsparky]

If you are talking about the colours of the switch toggles then they aren't the only ones, contactum do the same thing now. I found it annoying at first as teh colours are't the same as the old standard we all know from the wylex boards. I have no other issue with it and now that i'm used to them I can recognize the breaker sizes by the colours which is useful if the CU is in a dark hole at the back of the understairs cupboard.
I just wish they'd make the toggles on the RCBO's match.

 

[Tim]

Good well though out boards. Fitted 3 12way 3phase ones this week.

 

[LeckyBill]

never tryed one, i normaly use bg or basics from denmans in perry barr

 

[D Skelton]

If you're a DI you'll probably never come across Eaton, nor have any need to use it to be fair. Don't think I've ever come across Eaton in a house for that matter. Who would though? If you used it for domestic work you'd lose out on price to just about every job lol.

 

[sledgehammer]

Colours aside its easily the best gear imho. Prices seem better these days too so not uncompetitive.

 

[brizospark]

I really like the eaton industrial gear nice bit of kit

 

[shanky887614]

I really like the eaton industrial gear nice bit of kit

nice kit when upgrading boards too. as the rcbo are really rcd with a slot for an mcb. (not all i might add)

 

[davethsparky]

When people say eaton industrial gear I assume they're talking about the MEM stuff, I think them and schneider own almost all switchgear makers between the don't they?

I Like the MEM excel/glasgow industrial switch fuses and isolators etc but have notice how they are becoming less well made internally. They look the same form the outside but the last time I used them I had a mixture of old and new stock and the newer terminals are just pants, got those half slotted/half posi screws that no screwdriver really fits properly and are a bit too easy to snap the head of. What was wrong with the big slotted head jobbies that actually fitted the tapped hole properly?

 

[D Skelton]

got those half slotted/half posi screws that no screwdriver really fits properly and are a bit too easy to snap the head of. What was wrong with the big slotted head jobbies that actually fitted the tapped hole properly?

What, not even those half slotted/half posi screwdrivers (also known as +/- or modulo screwdrivers) that are made specifically for those types of terminal screw?

Any terminal for cable larger than 35mm will always be slotted and anything larger than 95mm is normally lug and bolt so I don't really see what the problem is here. For small terminations, the +/- or modulo screw is a very secure termination if used correctly.

 

[davethsparky]

I know you can get those screwdrivers for them, but the screws just didn't seem to be exactly the right thread for the tapped hole in the newer isolators. And the screws just gave the impression of being made out of cheese rather than metal.

I was using 100A excel tp at the time. Think the terminal capacity is 70mm in them but they had those modulo screws.

I don't see why the *******ising of two perfectly good types of screw head was necessary? We already had slotted, hex socket, hex and bihex heads and torx which all work perfectly well in this situation.

 

[ChrisElectrical88]

I always use square d as my first choice DB due to decemt quality at a reasonable but when we are specified eaton I have a nice smile to myself. Quality 3 phase boards

 

[davethsparky]

Square D? worra loada bollox!

In my personal opinion they aren't very nice boards but its been a while since I last crossed paths with one of the buggers, are they still using the plug-in mcb system?

 

[Thefailsafe2012]

Square D? worra loada bollox!

In my personal opinion they aren't very nice boards but its been a while since I last crossed paths with one of the buggers, are they still using the plug-in mcb system?

Haha I got on well with the square d boards, the last one I fitted (3 years ago mind) did have the plug in MCB's etc.

What didn't you like about em?

 

[davethsparky]

Based on my experience of fitting a couple I found that they seemed very shallow. Very flimsy boxes with gland plates that tended to pull away from the board a little too easily. The doors don't lift off like MEM ones, this winds me up when taking the lid off and it weighs twice as much as it needs to cos you cant take the door off. And I seem to recall the lids don't fit onto the box very nicely, think it was that they just sit on the front of the box rather than mating with it nicely like others.

I am working off memory here and only fitted one or two so my judgement may be clouded a bit, and i'm comparing them to MEM/eaton stuff so probably an unfair comparison.