You see them all the time on your power cords. They may look like a little mini donuts or tubes close to one end of the power cord but what are they and why do we need them? Those are called ferrite beads and they are very useful in reducing electromagnet interference (EFI) and radio frequency (RFI). This can be important when you don’t want your machines to have any disruptions or interference of other kinds of signals. The beads can also be referred to by different names such as blocks, cores, rings, EMI filters and chokes.
Tag: high voltage
High Voltage Cords
Finding the Right Dryer Plug
The other day, my friend called me in a panic when he moved into his new house.
When trying to install his new dryer, he noticed his dryer plug did not match the outlet. His dryer plug only had three prongs, while they outlet had four holes. While this may be alarming, it is a very common problem.
Prior to 1997, all dryer cords and receptacles only had three prongs and three receptacle holes. There was one neutral prong and two positive prongs. However, in 1997, the National Electric Code mandated that all dryers be outfitted with 4 prongs. A ground prong was added. If you have read my previous posts on grounding, you will know that grounding an electronic device is very important for safety reasons. Continue reading Finding the Right Dryer Plug