Wiring a Plug : Let us consider the problem of connecting a 16 A plug, commonly known as 15 A or power plug to an electrical appliance. Do you use any old bit of wire, or any fuse that is too hard, to make the connections? Which wires are connected to which terminals?

The answers to these and other questions related to the specification or function of electrical equipment are quite simply indicated by colour codes, and there are international conventions which govern the use of colours of, for instance, electrical components, flex sheathing, fuses, etc. The systems used are practical and are now universally recognised. As most of you may be aware also, the following colour code for cable and flex is used in our country.

 Figure: Plug showing wire connections.

These colour codes should be followed while wiring a plug Figure gives a view of an ordinary 13 A plug with its top removed showing three terminals i.e., earth(E). neutral(N) and live(L) and their connections. You can see how the three wires are connected to three terminals according to the colour code. It should be ensured that the connections are tight to avoid sparking. There is an activity of this course which explains how do we make cable/flex connections to a plug. Let us move on to selecting a proper fuse for a given appliance in order to learn the safe handling of electricity.