2. cables
  3. 132000-81298

A better lamp cord for my stereo equipment?

A lot of space goes to the 14, 12, 10 gauge, monster-sized, plug in, power cables.  Rightfully so.   I have my favorite power cables in place on my amps and also on some of my source equipment. But, some of us have older pieces in our systems and many of these older pieces do not have the plug in, switchable cords. I have a few pieces that were built with the old, permanent, lamp cords.
I've alwys wondered about those cords, but I never see any posts about them. Service people don't like the idea of drilling out the cord opening in older equipment to allow for thicker gauge wires, so we seem to be stuck with similar sized cords.
Have any of you ever upgraded/replaced your cords on older equipment?  Do you know of a better grade of lamp cord out there?  Would just replacing the plug help?
toolbox149
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keithtexas
352 posts
 

Volex

Home Depot extension cord

erik_squires
16,382 posts
 
Put snap-on ferrite beads on them. Very inexpensive. Can help clean out EMI/RFI clutter.

Check the internal diameter:

http://amzn.to/2Dig2Pc


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williewonka
3,082 posts
 
Here are some cable mount IEC connectors

http://cpc.farnell.com/c/cable-leads-connectors/connectors/power-connectors/iec-connectors

Also I just spent 15 minutes looking for the legal aspect of this issue and could not find a single case of having to re-certify either UL or CSA for components with the power cord is changed by a technician or owner

Having said that - CSA and UL really only applies to companies making devices for sale in the respective domains and not after sales mods made by customers

However, If a technician changes the power cord they immediately become liable for that repair - and as we all know, power supplies can catch fire - whereas changes to an internal circuit board will probably only fry that board, which is why most technicians will not touch a power supply - except the really competent ones

Also - if your insurance company discovers you tinkered with a piece of electronics after it’s purchase - and it actually caused a fire - you would probably not be covered.

Hopefully the fire would destroy all evidence :-)

Realistically - the number of components in the world that are constructed by DIY enthusiasts must be huge and with the right due diligence they are probably completely safe.

Using the connectors in the link above is comparable to replacing a switch or plug on a table lamp.

If the plug is polarized - for sure, care must be taken to get the polarity correct - otherwise there may be a risk of electric shock

As for UL and certainly CSA - I have encountered cable products having both of these certifications where the polarity was incorrect - which makes me wonder exactly how stringent they are at enforcement.

Next time you purchase a power cable from Home Depot - check the polarity - it might just surprise you :-)

Regards - steve
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