News
KIA-ORA
We’re excited to launch Ampfibian’s New Zealand website! If you’ve been to the Aussie one, you’ll notice some subtle changes:
– There is no online store in NZ;
– The product range is slightly different.
The MINI, RV-PLUS and MAX adaptors can be used for travel AND trade in Australia, but NZ caravans use different plug and socket. So we created two new caravan adaptors: the MINI-BLU for indoor/undercover use, and the weatherproof MINI-BLACK for unrestricted outdoor use.
The MINI and the MAX adapt “normal” three-flat-pin 15A power tools to 10A. These are for DIY, trade and construction users; the MINI is popular with welders, the MAX on-site where it’s wet (e.g. concrete cutting) and conditions are tough.
Unfortunately, you can’t get HELLBENDER rubber extension leads, carry bags and PLUG-MATEs in NZ. If you’re interested in an Industrial Series adaptor, which allows 10A or 15A devices to adapt to single and three phase outlets up to 50A, please drop us a line directly.
Ampfibians are available from hardware and caravan accessory stores throughout New Zealand, but please note that the MINI-BLACK won’t be available until July 2017.
All Ampfibian adaptors have a two-year warranty – just return it with your proof of purchase. Remember that when an Ampfibian trips, it’s not broken: it’s doing its job!
We are always keen to improve our products, so if there’s anything you think we should know, please get in touch.
News, Press Release
Ampfibian MINI-BLACK is NZ’s Best New Power Adaptor
New Zealand’s natural beauty makes it one of the world’s top travel destinations. Its highways and byways brim with caravans and RVs as local and international visitors soak up the land and its delicious bounty.
New Zealand caravans and motorhomes use a superior 16A plug and socket arrangement that’s weatherproof and robust but still limited to dedicated 16A connections. The freshly released weatherproof Ampfibian MINI-BLACK lets 16A vans connect to regular 10A outlets safely and legally.
It is New Zealand’s first and only weatherproof power and safety adaptor incorporating R.C.D. and overload protection – meaning people can cool the fridge and charge their batteries at home before their trip, with their insurance intact.
Designed and made in Australia, it was developed with input from NZ safety authorities and expert travellers to ensure maximum protection and convenience.
The MINI-BLACK has the same electrical properties as the MINI-BLU and can be used outdoors in rain, hail or shine for maximum convenience.
The MINI-BLACK does not magically convert 10A to 16A but limits the amount of current the van can draw to 10A, protecting the domestic powerpoint and wiring from overheating. Pretty considerate if you’re plugged-in at a friend’s place.
The R.C.D. (residual current device) turns the power off extremely quickly if it detects a difference between incoming and outgoing electricity, protecting anybody who accidentally joined the circuit from the effects of electrocution.
Ampfibian designs and manufactures electrical power and safety adaptors in NSW’s Northern Rivers region (which is almost as beautiful as New Zealand). Dedicating to making life safer and more convenient, all products are designed and made to meet and exceed electrical standards.
The MINI-BLACK will be available in stores from July 2017. For more information please visit this page!
News, Press Release
Ampfibian X1 Wins Prestigious Design Award
Thank goodness it was a long weekend because there were a few sore heads at Ampfibian HQ: we are humbled and excited to have received a Good Design award on Thursday night for the Ampfibian X1 Connector Protector. Judged by a panel of 35 local and international design experts, the awards are open to entries from around the world – we were up against products from Dyson, Tesla, Miele, Breville and many more… fortunately divided into different categories.
The Ampfibian X1 keeps electrical plugs and sockets connected and dry. The patented seals eliminate the risk of electrocution in the wet, while the retaining mechanism locks the connection together by acting on the leads, not the plugs. At home or on-site, the X1 keeps you connected and safe.
The jury commented: “This is an incredibly well-resolved product that ticks every box in the design criteria. Every element has been meticulously designed and detailed to deliver a highly functional product that does what it was designed to do with no fuss. The Jury was very impressed with the robust construction and intuitive operation. This is a terrific product that deserves recognition at the highest level. Well done.”
Mr Oliver Kratzer, Ampfibian’s director said, “This is the first competition we’ve ever entered, so are completely stoked to walk away with this award. We work very hard to provide well designed, quality Australian-made products. The feedback from our customers has been incredibly positive, and it’s great to get additional recognition at this level.”
“A design award is really for the customers’ benefit: we are not asking them to take our word for how great our products are; they can rely on an independent third parties’ opinion”, said David Betterridge, director and founder of Ampfibian.
The X1 is available nationally from hardware, outdoor and electrical retailers. For more information please click here.
News
The people have spoken: “We want the job done safely!”
Welding with the Ampfibian MINI 15A – 10A power adaptor is safe & legal
Welders are ditching their unsafe and illegal 15A to 10A leads and are connecting with Ampfibian power adaptors. At Ampfibian we love hearing about people using our adaptors for new applications because every time somebody uses one they are not using a “death lead” that’s waiting to wreak havoc on someone’s life.
Welders and caravan owners have an identical problem: they can’t connect their 15A device to a 10A powerpoint safely and legally. 15A welders can be powered from 10A outlets provided the load does not exceed 10A and an Ampfibian power adaptor is used to connect the two. The Ampfibian will trip if the load exceeds 10A, protecting the powerpoint and wiring. Ampfibians are also fitted with residual current devices (RCDs) that protect people from electrocution.
There are two models suitable for welders: the Ampfibian MINI has a 15A socket outlet with an RCD, a 2400W circuit breaker and a 10A wall-plug so you can safely and legally connect to a 10A outlet. Designed for indoor use, the MINI is an affordable and robust product that should be part of every welder’s toolbox.
The Ampfibian MAX is for welders that work outside or in rough conditions. It has the same electrical specifications as the MINI, but is weatherproof to IP55 and has a H-Class rating for trade and construction. It can be tested and tagged, comes with a stainless steel security bracket and a place to put a lockout tag. Perfect for the serious welder.
So we are asking you to help spread the word, if you know a welder out there let them know Ampfibian power adaptors allow them to work safely and legally!
Click here for more information on the Ampfibian MINI 15A – 10A power adaptor
Click here for more information on the Ampfibian MAX 15A – 10A power adaptor
News
Thank You for Your Thoughts!
Dear customers, again we would like to thank you, this time not for your patronage, but for your brains: your ideas.
When we identified a gap in the market we gave it our best shot to come up with a product that solved the problem. At a price and with a set of features that we thought would hit the spot. Since then we have asked for and generously received your feedback. Online, via emails and letters, and more recently with questionnaires, you have told us what you think. To us there is no such thing as negative feedback: it’s all feedback, an opportunity to make things better. Many of you are very complimentary which we appreciate, and 100% of questionnaire respondents would recommend Ampfibian products to other people!
Your safety concerns made us increase the weatherproofing from IP44 to IP55 on the MAX, higher than required by ANZ Standards. Concerns about theft saw the addition of a stainless steel security bracket, and construction site users wanted the ability to add a lock-out tag.
We’ve received many more great ideas, and while the built-in bottle opener is certainly popular, there are probably other ones that might appear sooner 😉
So thank you for caring, for taking the time to let us know. Please keep up the ideas and the feedback,
Travel safely!
News
Act local: Made in Australia Pt 1.
While our power safety adaptors and weatherproof extension lead protectors are sold all around Australia and New Zealand, the bulk of Ampfibian’s activities happen in our hometown (population 15,000).
Even though it is becoming increasingly difficult to manufacture products in Western countries, we’d like to think we’re doing our bit; not just by keeping design and production here, but by putting something back into our local community.
We’re proud to be sponsoring two local sports teams: the Ballina Seahorses, who went on to win the Football Far North Coast (FFNC) First Division Grand Final (WOOT!); and the Thrashers under 14’s touch football team… and the season is still young… there is still hope!
{Update: all hope was lost, but you had the best uniforms!}
News
The new X1 weatherproof extension lead protector trumps all others!
Water and power don’t mix, right? Well, yes… but there are times when you need to use an extension lead in the great outdoors and you can’t avoid mixing the two. You might be camping in your caravan, gardening with a hedge trimmer, installing outdoor party lights o using a concrete mixer on a building site. But risk it no more! Ampfibian have your safety in mind with the new X1 weatherproof extension lead protector for house and garden. This clever device weather seals extension lead connections and stops them pulling apart.
Rely on the X1 for outdoor use in dusty, wet and wild conditions thanks to IP55 rated ingress protection. Hit the X1 with the water jet from a hose and your connections will stay bone dry. Go on, try it! You can’t submerge the X1 so hang it up out of the way with the built-in hanging loop and eliminate a trip hazard at the same time.
Keeping your extension leads from pulling apart is essential. The X1 features an automatic anti-disconnect mechanism that acts on the lead not the plug for extra safety. All you need to do is connect your power leads together and clip the housing closed. Simple. The built-in spring-loaded cleats grip the leads and not the plugs. No matter how hard you try, the plugs stay connected and aren’t damaged.
Ampfibian X1 weatherproof extension lead protector for house and garden:
- IP-55 hose and weatherproof
- Trade tough IK-09 impact resistant
- Vice-like lead restraints
- Built-in securing loop
- Fits 10A & 15A leads up to Ø12mm
- Standards approved
- Designed and Made in Australia
News
Industrial Upgrade
To meet the highest workplace safety standards, all Ampfibian Industrial Series power and safety adaptors are now shipping with armoured leads and a lock-out fitting.
The armoured leads have an earthed woven metal sleeve around the conductors, this is in turn encapsulated in clear PVC. The lockout tab prevents the RCBO lid from being opened – it fits padlocks / tags with shafts up to 6mm (1/4″) diameter.
The industrial units are now also fitted with stainless steel security brackets.
Ampfibian is all about empowering individuals to take charge of their own work place safety!
News
The importance of RCD’s – Part 2
Another deeply tragic story of a death that could have been prevented by a Residual Current Device (RCD). They have been and/or are being mandated in Australia and New Zealand but are still not installed everywhere.
Did you know you are supposed to test the RCD in your home every three months… do you do that? Does anybody? RCDs are complex devices and can fail to operate.
We’re not cynically using tragic stories to sell products: an Ampfibian would not have been used at a campground with 16A outlets. We want to highlight that electrical safety is not abstract box-ticking excercise: electrical safety is real, electrical standards exist for really good reasons. Don’t cut corners, don’t believe it won’t happen to you.
Read the original news item here.
News
The importance of RCD’s – Part 1
We were greatly saddened to read about the death of a man on a Northern Territory prawn trawler.
The 20 year old was using an angle grinder on the deck of the ship to cut rusted shackles when he was hit by a rogue wave and electrocuted. Counsel assisting the Coroner told the inquest the grinder had been plugged into a socket without a safety switch (RCD).
“If such a device was fitted it would have cut the power to that circuit and would in all likelihood have saved the man’s life,” Counsel told the ABC.
The most terrible thing about this tragic event is that it could have been prevented… we wanted to share this to spread the word about electrical safety, especially when working in a wet environment. Our mission at Ampfibian has always been to make people’s lives safer.
Make sure that you, your family and your friends are extra vigilant when dealing with 240V mains electricity to prevent this kind of horrible accident. If you believe somebody is doing something that’s potentially dangerous don’t ever be afraid to speak out.
Read the original story here:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-04-18/ryan-donoghue-inquest-into-2013-death-on-trawler/7335698
The team at Ampfibian