RE: Power & signal & control

["Nigel Giddings" <nigel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Chris,

I think you have fundamentally the right idea, flexibility...

I also think you need some sort 'cable route' around the rooms...

But it will be more expensive to install, probably at least 3 times the
price...

The idea of running a 'bus' for mains power is a bit of a non-starter at
this time, I also think your BCO would have a fit... I do agree that the
radial (a type of bus?) does not suit home automation unless you want to
go X10 and if you are starting from scratch I wouldn't start with X10.

I have combined the cable route round the building, by routing under the
ground floor in the basement ceiling space and above the 1st floor using
the loft, rather than having a duct in the actual rooms... Getting to
room mounted ducts after you have decorated would be difficult?

I have then piped from these 'trunk routes' to each of the points in
each room. 2 x 20mm metal conduits to deep double back boxes. Metal
conduit to improve RFI rejection and two pipes one for High Voltage (HV)
and the other for Low Voltage (LV).

The disadvantage is that you still need to nominate socket and switch
positions for the first fix stage... I have been relatively generous
with this ensuring each corner has an 'outlet' and that an appliance can
be located anywhere without trailing cables across a door or even under
a window. I also have sockets set in the floor using floor boxes so that
the desk in the study can act as an island and the telephone, laptop
power supply etc comes from under the desk.... All these are routed back
to the 'trunk routes' with between 2 and 5 metres of conduit...

If you still want to build the 'flexible' home let me know and I'll pass
on a few more of my ideas.

A picture says a thousand words, and I have a lot of pictures...
See http://photos.corbenic.co.uk

HTH

Nigel

-----Original Message-----
From: Chris Hunter [mailto:cjhunter@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 20 December 2005 19:07
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Power & signal & control


I had thought we might run a box-conduit around all rooms of our
self-build, set surface-flush into the walls, to carry power & signal
&
control cables.

Then we could tap into them where-ever required, and easily replace /
update the cables as necessary, in the future.

But is there a better way, I wonder ?   Signal & power cables have to
be

kept apart.   Tapping into the cables would be a fiddle - cutting &
stripping & making screw-terminal joints, etc, etc.   And conduit is
not

cheap.

But future-proofing demands flexibility !

Is there a better way, I wonder ?

For example, separate bare mains wires, with crocodile clips, and / or
insulation-piercing connections ?

Or ... ?

And what size cables should I use ?

I'm not a fan of ring-mains, star-runs seem better ...


Chris