Intro to Engineering Level 4: Basic Circuits - Power Skip to main content Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility Username Password Log in iLearn Login iLearn Quick Links My Courses Library Email & Office 365 Learner Policies Wireless Access Guides Blended Learning Consortium Materials Discovery Tool Student Weekly Digital Upskilling Webinars Library Catalogue Student Employability Hub Study Skills Sustainability Student Portal Help/FAQ FCSA Staff Weekly Digital Upskilling Webinars Staff Development Help Guides Wellbeing Turnitin Status FAQ iPortfolio ClickView Discovery Tool Page path Home / ► Courses / ► Intro to Engineering Level 4 / ► QETF/006 Electrical Installations / ► Basic Circuits - Power Basic Circuits - Power Mark as done Power Circuits In our houses and factories sockets and other power circuits (e.g. cooker, immersion heater and motor control circuits) are a very common feature. The majority of mains operated portable electrical equipment needs to be connected to a source of electrical energy through a socket and plug arrangement, and as such these will be the circuits we concentrate on in this topic. There are two main types of socket circuit – radial circuits and ring final, or just ring, circuits. Radial Circuits Radial circuits are formed from a single cable run, moving out from the consumer unit. The single cable (containing live, neutral and earth wires) starts from the consumer unit and connects to each socket outlet in turn. Each socket outlet is supplied with power by the previous one. The final socket outlet can be identified easily, as it will only have one cable connected to it. The cable run does not return to the consumer unit. Faults on radial circuits are easy to locate. If there is a break anywhere along the cable, all of the socket outlets after the break will no longer work. Radial socket outlet circuits are less common in UK dwellings – Ring circuits (which will be discussed shortly) are far more popular. Ring Circuits Ring circuits are perhaps the most common type of circuit used domestically in the UK. They were introduced a little after the second world war, when copper was particularly hard to come by, and have been with us ever since. Unlike in a radial circuit, two cables, called the legs of the ring, leave the consumer unit and are looped in between the sockets. The first leg travels round the circuit one way, while the second travels round it in the opposite direction until it meets the first leg in the middle of the circuit. The ring circuit allows more power to be safely supplied to the circuit using the same cable size as a radial circuit. Last modified: Friday, 17 November 2017, 12:48 PM ◄ Basic Circuits - Lighting Jump to... Jump to... Course Outline News forum Employability Profile Engineering Career Descriptions Study Skills Health and Safety - Accidents and Costs Health and Safety - What You Should Know Health and Safety - The Legal Framework Health and Safety - Regulations Health and Safety - COSHH Regulations Health and Safety - Safety Signs HSE Safety Signs and Signals Health and Safety - Alarms and Evacuation Health and Safety - Fire Procedures Health and Safety - PPEs Revision Test 1 - Health & Safety Law Health & Safety - Risk Assessment Revision Test 2: Risk Assessment Health and Safety - Manual Handling Revision Test 3: Manual Handling Health and Safety - A Safe Environment Revision Test 4 - Fire Safety Engineering Comms - Conventions Engineering Comms - Orthographics Engineering Comms - Drawing Types Engineering Hand Tools Engineering Material Choice Engineering Materials Engineering Material Properties Hot Dip Galvanising Powder Coating Electrogalvanising measuring using a micrometer How to read a vernier How to read a micrometer Engineering Manufacturing Processes Material Removal Processes - Drilling Material Removal Processes - Turning Material Removal Processes - Milling Joining Processes MIG and TIG Welding Welding Health and Safety Spot Welding Manual Metal Arc Welding Gas Welding Soldering and Brazing Adhesives Housekeeping Tools and Equipment Welding Symbols Electricity - Introduction Electrical Health & Safety Electricity and You Electricians Tools and Equipment Electrical Cabling - Regulations Electrical Cable Types Electrical Supply Electrical Accessories Basic Circuits - Lighting Circuit Testing Electrical Diagrams Current, Voltage and Resistance Circuit Protection Riding Legalities and Safety Motor Cycle Types Motor Cycle Maintenance Preparation Checking the Lights Checking the Tyres Changing the Oil Hundreds, Tens and Units! Addition and Subtraction Addition Practice Exercises Subtraction Practice Exercises Long Multiplication Long Multiplication Exercises Long Division Long Division with Decimal Points Basic Geometry Using the Geometry of a Circle Geometry Exercises Geometric Construction Basic Trigonometry More Basic Trigonometry Trig Functions for Engineers Working with Angles The SI System of Measurement Weights and Measures Fractions and Decimals Ratio, Proportion and Percentage Surface Area - Planes Surface Area - Three Dimensional Graphs Statistics Types of Line Bearings Loci Enlargement Ratio IXL online Math Learning Resources Maths support Maths Tutor Project Planning Engineering Project Planning Report What are Core Skills? Working With Others Level 4 Problem Solving Level 4 Numeracy Level 4 ICT Level 4 Communication Level 4 Visit to the Forth Road Bridge Identifying Employabilty Skills and Qualities Employability Task 1a Employability Skills Chart Task 1b Employability Worksheet Building a Curriculum Vitae Basic CV Template Circuit Testing ► Back Skip Quick Links Quick Links My courses iPortfolio Library Email & Office 365 Learner Policies Equality & Diversity Accessibility Skip Student Resources Student Resources Library Catalogue Student Employability Hub Students Association Study Skills Sustainability Help/FAQ Site Policy Skip Staff Resources Staff Resources Curriculum Toolkit Staff Development Inclusion Teaching Practice @ Fife College Help FAQ © Fife College Pittsburgh Road, Dunfermline, KY11 8DY Fife College is a registered Scottish charity (No. SCO21203) Site developed by Digital Learning https://www.fife.ac.uk digital-learning@fife.ac.uk You are currently using guest access (Log in)
