Input mains ground wire requirements

[Ken Moon]

I'm looking for the source of the requirements for the Safety Earth Ground wire that goes from the ground pin of an IEC power inlet connector to the chassis.

Most equipment uses a green or green/yellow wire, which is connected to a separate bolt than the star ground(s), and has a little Earth ground sticker next to it.

I found the reference for the connector is IEC 60320-1, and UL 498 (as well as IEEE Std 1100) have requirements for grounding and wiring, but I can't find the specific requirements to use the green or green/yellow wires, or to use a separate chassis connection.

Do any of you have anything more specific?

Thanks!

[R.G.]

Try 60650, IIRC.
The requirements are real, even if I didn't come up with the exact standard number.

I dug out my guidebook. It's 60950 or 60065. The guidebook references 60950, but I think 60065 is similar.

Class I equipment requires a protective earthing conductor ( EN60950 reference 1.2.4.1).

EN60950 reference 3.1.6 restricts the use of yellow/green wires for protective earth connections only.

Reference 2.5.8 requires that protective earthing connections do not need to be removed during servicing other than to remove the part which they protect unless a hazardous voltage is removed from that part at the same time. There is a note on the comments to this section that "remember that safety earth grounding screws cannot be used for any other purpose", although I cannot find the actual section.

You are on the cusp of the issue with safety requirements and standards: it is VERY difficult to ferret through the standards and find specific items, not to mention expensive.

[lord preset]

If safety regs were easy to understand then what would happen to the Safety Compliance Professionals?

BTW aren't they the ones who write the regs? Hmmm........

[R.G.]

At the place I used to work we referred to this situation as a self-eating watermelon.

[surfsup]

but I can't find the specific requirements to use the green or green/yellow wires

Ground is green on any mass produced electronics item. i don't know the reference but that is the way it is.

[roberto]

It depends on the side of the pond.
In EU is yellow-green, in USA is green AFAIK.