R + C what are they doing?

[MikeMl]

Power in the UK is 440V 3 phase which gives 240V phase to neutral. Actually, they have gradually reduced that - probably around 220V phase to neutral now.

Mike.
Edit, for clarity, phase to phase = 440V.

How about the voltage (or impedance) between neutral and earth? In the USA/CAN, neutral is connected to a ground-rod driven into the earth below the house.

In the US, every (modern) outlet has two paths to earth ground; one through the "neutral" (white) wire, which is the return for the load current, and the other through the "ground" (green or bare copper) wire, which is not-a-current-carrying conductor (unless there is a fault).

I'm trying to understand how that is done in the UK/EUR?

 

[Pommie]

In the UK the neutral is also earthed and a separate earth wire is also used. Colours Brown - live, Blue - Neutral, Green/Yellow - Earth.

Australia is the same as UK.

Mike.

 

[schmitt trigger]

I believe that for most, if not all, the world's electrical systems the green wire (or a combination with green) has been reserved for exclusive use of a safety ground wire.
Many regulations request that even the holding screws to be tinted green

 

[Pommie]

Straying off topic slightly but I just wanted to point out that the closest we have gotten to a world wide power connector and power supply convention is USB.

Could a UPB - Universal Power Bus - come into existence in the not too distant future?

Mike.

 

[schmitt trigger]

The problem would be, maximum total power that can be obtained from the socket.