US wire color 115VAC question

rQx

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Hi!

I'm going to build a cabinet for US in IEC standard but we change the colors to the customer demand. It's supplied with 3x480VAC and I use a transformer to 115VAC. Normally I would use two colors for 115V, one for the phase and one for the neutral. But they have specified:

115V HOT = Black
115V NEUTRAL = White
115V CONTROL = Red

I'm not familiar with the term HOT. Normally I would use white and red here but what cables are HOT cables?

Thanks /Tim
 
Hot = L1 = Black
Neutral = Return = White
115V ac Single Phase.

Controls (Hot) = L1 = Red
Neutral = Return = White
115V ac Single Phase.
 
bkottaras said:
Hot = L1 = Black
Neutral = Return = White
115V ac Single Phase.

Controls (Hot) = L1 = Red
Neutral = Return = White
115V ac Single Phase.
Click to expand...

So the Control is also hot but is red? When is the hot used? This is only a control transformer. Or is the cable black from transformer to a relay contact and red after? Or is the HOT cable color only used if it is not switched? For example a 115 vac power supply to a PLC should be black and whte. But for the relay logic red white?

Example.jpg
 
There is no official rule, but generally most people follow the color scheme laid out in NFPA79, which would call for the black to be line power, as in the 480V in your cae, red is the control voltage hot and white is the grounded neutral.
 
Ok, if I had 115 directly from the line to my cabinet it would be black. But since this is from transformer it will be red. Think I get it now.

So they just included that 115V hot is black to confuse me (y)
 
They may mean if anything on the machine is 120VAC they should be black wires - solenoids, mixer pumps, vibrators, etc.

Red wire would be 120VAC for pushbuttons, relays, proxy's switches, etc.
 
In our practices, Typically the incoming voltage from the customer prior to any transforming is ran with a Black conductor. If we need to implement a transformer to step it down to a lower voltage, then that conductor regardless of function should be Red.

In a single phase setup the grounded conductor is always White while in 3 phase they are typically all the same color.
 
Thanks for all the help I see how this should be done now.

On a side note:
We had two diffrent customers wanting diffrent color on the 480VAC incoming power.
One said all should be black and one said, brown, orange, yellow.
What is most common? All black or diffrent colors?
 
Brown Orange Yellow is a european standard for 3phase AC. If the machine is staying in North America, all Black is typical.
 
rQx said:
Thanks for all the help I see how this should be done now.

On a side note:
We had two diffrent customers wanting diffrent color on the 480VAC incoming power.
One said all should be black and one said, brown, orange, yellow.
What is most common? All black or diffrent colors?
Click to expand...

Typically large conductors are "phase taped" (marked with B/O/Y tape) at termination points. Smaller conductors use B/O/Y insulation.
 
timryder said:
Brown Orange Yellow is a european standard for 3phase AC. If the machine is staying in North America, all Black is typical.
Click to expand...

Brown, Black, white is the european standard. I got this from our american customer saying that this is the US standard??
 
I get confused when timryder says that 3x480V it is all black in US and that BOY is european standard. Then Automax says BOY is the US standard for 3x480V

Bottom line, BOY is US standard. Larger conductors can be taped?
 

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