Most,not all, hospital grade receptacles provide a tight grip, that's what they're designed to do. If you want to get a bit more performance, give Porter Ports a try.
34 responses Add your response
Hi Markpao What power cords are you using where their bulk is causing it to back out of the receptacles you have? I use the Porter Ports both old and new in my system and they firmly grip the 12AWG power cords I have. The PS Audio Decora Style receptacle has held some of the 12AWG power cords I have too. |
Jedinite24, I have 2 Custom Power Cord Company model Eleven's for my subs. Believe it or not the bigger problem is my Silver Circle Vesuvious plugged into a PS Audio Soloist wall outlet for all my other components. The Vesuvious is lighter and smaller, but backs out of the outlet easier. Hate to ditch the Soloist, but don't know what else to do. |
Porter Ports. Hubbell duplex receptacle. See page 6 For extra holding power install the duplex receptacle with the equipment ground up ^ ..... . |
Thanks for your suggestions. I did just order 2 of the Porter Ports from Albert. Still not sure I want to part with the Solist so I'm holding off on that one. Besides, the Soloist is behind my audio rack and basically undisturbed except for when I might change cabling around. Still annoying to me that it doesn't take much at all for the PC to back out. The 2 I'm replacing now are right in the path of that dreaded vacuum and the PC's are so stiff that any slight movement will cause the PC to back out. Jea48, Interesting mention about installing the outlet with the ground up. Curious about how that "holds" better? |
Interesting mention about installing the outlet with the ground up. Curious about how that "holds" better?With the ground facing up there is a greater mechanical downward motion resistance of the ground pin of the male plug than there is with the ground facing down. Mechanically the ground pin resists downward pressure from the weight of the PC more than it will with the ground facing down. In the case of a straight out pulling motion, tension pressure resistance, there is no difference. . |
There are "twist lock" outlets and plugs ranging from 15amps on up to 240v 60amp for appliances. A good electrical supply will carry a selection. I used 3-20amp "twist locks" to power my rack of gear. I have them floor mounted, It weighs about 400lbs and doesn't get moved often, but I sure don't want them coming out without my knowing . . . |
Porter Ports are installed, but have to report that they don't hold the power cords any better than the outlets I replaced. I did manage to "form" the power cords (they are stiff!) so that they are resting on the floor, which now picks up most of the weight of them. It'll work unless someone hits one with the vacuum. Don't get me wrong, the Porter Ports are far superior in quality than the cheap outlets I replaced, and I probably would have replaced them anyway. Jonoulman, I'm aware of the twist lock plugs and outlets in the electrical supply stores. I would imagine you had to make a DIY power cord? |
Yes. I love amplifiers and vintage gear so mono-blocks and bi-amping leaves me with a load of power cords that can be tweaked. They tend to be spendy purchased so I make them with off the shelf parts. These guys take it a bit farther than I do but what the hay? http://www.carveraudio.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=11564&start=0 Same electric supply should have "safety cable" that will hold plugs into outlets. I have seen theses in pro audio applications. |
Hey Markpao I can't find the thread but there was an A'gon member here who used fishing line to help support his beefier power cords. Another gent I met used really thick pipe insulation to help support his power cords so they wouldn't slip from the receptacle. He measured the distance from the floor to the outlet cords, cut the pipe insulation and put it right under to prop it up. Since the outlets were behind his gear no one could see the propped up cords. I'm curious too about 3 or 4 prong power cords and the special receptacles they require. I see this kind of cord and outlet with servers and dryers. Since there is a market for these big and beefy power cords in the audio community why it hasn't been attempted to use these types of locking receptacles etc etc. |
Yeah, I tried that way first. Then turned it around after I saw it backed out just the same. I think now after spending more time with this, that the problem is more to the fact that the power cords are so stiff, than the actual weight of them. Like I mentioned, I have them molded so the floor actually supports them and keeps them fully plugged in now. Thanks for all your help. |
While we're on the topic of droopy power cords, I would also mention that some of my power cords also sag down a bit on the female end in my component sockets as well. In particular my VooDoo Silver Dragon. I'll bet if some power cord manufacturer came up with a high end twist lock with matching outlets they would get some attention. Not sure how they would address the female end at the component though. Hey, wait a minute, my wife works at an attorneys patent office. I wonder.......... |
I'll bet if some power cord manufacturer came up with a high end twist lock with matching outlets they would get some attention. Not sure how they would address the female end at the component though. Hubbell manufactures exactly what you describe, and since it's already UL approved the expense of having it certified is already taken care of. I use the cryo version in my own system to accommodate 240 Volt for Euro gear. It's a great sounding combo and works with 125V and 240V up to 30 amp. Here's the male at Amazon rather than the Porter Port version. Hubbell twist lock |
"Hubbell manufactures exactly what you describe" As I mentioned in my post above, I am aware of those twist lock ends. I guess where I'm going with this is why don't these makers of big, heavy, stiff power cords make another way to plug em in and not droop. Why should one have to "prop it up" or whatever other means to stay connected? I remember a stiff DCCA cord I had once moved by accident and broke the ground pin off. Cost me $50 to have the pin replaced plus shipping both ways. Some of these are just too much power cord for the (conventional) ends they put on them. |
Hi Markpao For the sagging of the power cord on the female end at the component. The way I handled it was I wrapped some electrical tape around the female end before plugging it in. That in addition to propping up the cables really helped with the strain and stopped the plug from slipping out. Another guy I spoke to took a business card and inserted it along with the power cord into the component female end. We both had same $40 cables so we didn't feel weird using such tricks to stop the slipping. If you are ever into making your own cables I found SonarQuest power plugs grip like nothing else I've seen. Although I haven't used any power cord thicker than 10 AWG in there. |
There are two obvious options here, one already cited above. You can do both of them if you are willing to change the plug on the end of the cord and the receptacle in the wall. Right angle plugs can be installed, so that the weight of the cord is directly down. This works well in most scenarios, but, in a high vibration environment, like an audio listening room, twist-lock plugs work very well. The best solution is to replace the receptacle with a twist-lock receptacle, and replace the plug at the end of the cord with a right angle twist-lock plug. Caution: One thing that can go wrong when using twist-locks, assuming you install them right, is that you can't jerk the plug out of the wall if your equipment starts to go up in smoke. |
Mark - I feel your pain. I've had my own struggles with heavy power cords that don't want to stay plugged in. I've used 4 different fancy outlets. IME... -PS Audio: Death Grip -Shunyata: Loose Grip -Maestro: Moderate Grip -Synergistic Research: Death Grip Of these outlets, the Maestro sounded the best in my system, in spite of the fact that it doesn't have the strongest grip. So I resorted to extreme measures, which you can see here and here. I removed the outlet cover and used heavy duty zip ties (white) to secure the Nema (male) ends of the power cords to each of the outlet receptacles. The circumferences were the same, so I got lucky there. Then I used an L bracket with light duty zip ties (black) to provide more cable relief. I don't even want to know how many codes I'm violating. Bryon |
I know I'm not the only audiofool around who uses some kind of device to suspend cables off the floor, and I'm surprised no one has mentioned them. My cable lifters are plastic-conduit couplers. The smaller ones are c. 2-9/16" high by 2-5/8" diameter; the larger ones are 3-1/2" h. by 3-1/4" d. Seems to me they were just under $1 and less than $2 at Lowe's. Painted them sand color. http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k220/jeffreybehr/Room/12Sep2012_frontfloorcable_1200h.jpg My powercables NEVER creep out of my duplex outlets. . |
Supporting or suspending the cable is especially important if the component is mounted on certain types of vibration isolation devices as the cable shouldn't be allowed to exert a force in any direction as that would interfere with the balance and proper operation of the Isolating device. In some cases, suspending the cable from the ceiling is a viable method and kills two birds with one stone. |
I hear you, Albert. I also use zip ties on nearly everything. The back of my power conditioner looks like this. All work and no play... Bryon |
