Instrument power cords - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 01:56:43 am
content: This is something I assumed would be trivial but I have been coming up dry. A lot of 90s test gear from HP, Tek and others came with power cords that have a right angle IEC socket on one end and a NEMA15 (in the US) plug on the other which has a cord clip molded into the top of the plug so you can wrap it around provisions on the instrument and clip it to itself. Right angle IEC cords are easy enough to find but I have not found a source for cords with the molded clip on top of the plug. Am I just searching for the wrong thing? Maybe there's a special name for that style of plug? I have a couple of these cords but would like to find a few more.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 02:47:03 am
content: Yeah, the molded clip at the head will definitely tidy up a lot, I want them too.Ghetto mod at my Tek.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 03:35:59 am
content: Anybody know the proper name of those plugs with the integrated clip? I've seen them on a lot of vacuum cleaners too although those are only two prong. Does any modern gear still use this sort of cord?

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 03:59:10 am
content: Quote from: james_s on January 20, 2020, 03:35:59 amWell, here's a manufacturer who just calls it a cord with clip:http://www.cncords.com/product/FT-3K-America-3-Prong-AC-Power-Cord-NEMA-5-15P-with-Clip.html

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 06:28:48 am
content: Hm well that's the plug anyway, now if only they offered that plug on an IEC cord, tons of gear use these, I don't know why they're apparently so hard to come by.

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 07:50:37 am
content: 3D printed clip? I have done others for various size cables in the past that work fine.Something like this lash up. I did a quick straw pole of my IEC leads and there is a little variation in them from 6.5 to a touch over 7mm (7.2)In the ZIP file if it is of use to anyone is the Fusion 360 CAD file and an STL of a version for 6.8mm cable (most common of mine). You could scale it in the Slicer or changing the diameter is easy in CAD too.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 04:59:28 pm
content: That would work in a pinch, pretty sure I've seen mass produced molded clips like that too. It's not nearly as tidy as a plug with the clip molded into the top though, I have a couple of cords like that but not as many as I have instruments that use them.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 05:39:58 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on January 20, 2020, 06:28:48 amIt's actually the entire cord. Who knows, maybe they would be willing to sell a small quantity.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 05:55:55 pm
content: What I mean is it looks like a plug molded on a cord but with nothing on the other end, maybe they offer one with a molded right angle IEC plug on the other end? I suppose it's possible that's what that is but it doesn't show the other end so I assumed not.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 11:25:08 pm
content: Quote from: BravoV on January 20, 2020, 02:47:03 amCan't you just clip the cord end into the middle slot on one of the feet?

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2020, 11:52:28 pm
content: You can with some things, not so much on others. I usually find a light gauge cord and poke the plug through between the coils when I don't have the proper cord and it works ok, but not as good as the real deal. It's just one of those things I have a hard time is not widely available *somewhere* since so many things have come with them.Naturally I'm sure most of them are missing because they get tossed in with all the other worthless used IEC power cords.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 05:59:17 pm
content: I made a determined search for the right angle IEC socket with cord clip on the NEMA15 plug a couple years ago and found nothing. Straight IEC cords with a clip on the NEMA15 plug are available but the clip was different from the Tektronix and HP cords and mostly useless. The one linked by edavid is likely better than what I found.I might cut two cords apart to splice a right angle IEC socket onto a NEMA15 with a good clip.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 06:11:11 pm
content: Did Tek and HP/Agilent/Keysight stop using those cords? I found a part number for the Tek cord at some point but didn't see it offered for sale anywhere. I don't have any gear newer than about 20 years old so I don't know what everyone is using now.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 06:20:56 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on January 21, 2020, 06:11:11 pmI think the good Tektronix cords were dropped sometime in the early 90s.Another difference, at least with the ones I tried, is that modern cords are thicker so it is not possible to wrap the same length around the built in cord carrier.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 06:27:53 pm
content: I've had good results by using very short mains cords on all my gear, relying on power strips at the back of the shelf being close by.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 21, 2020, 06:40:27 pm
content: For the stuff that lives on my bench it's not really an issue, I rarely ever move it so I can use whatever cord is available. For portable gear that I lug around to wherever I'm using it, it's nice to have the proper cord I can bundle up.Occasionally you can find relatively thin modern cords, they're rarely as soft and flexible as the old Tek ones but they're not bad. It's the combination of things that is hard to come by.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 04:34:19 am
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on January 20, 2020, 11:25:08 pmThat was the 1st thing I tried, the Schuko plug head is just too bulky/big.

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 06:48:00 am
content: Never had this issue because i never really keep the cords with the equipment.I keep a box of IEC power cords, any loose cord i find is thrown in there. The equipment stays without cords when its just sitting in storage or transported. Then once i want to hook it up i just take a random cord from the box of mains cords. Also i keep a few unused IEC cords plugged in and just laying around near my desks, so when i want to just quickly plug in a piece of equipment i just grab a cord and plug it into the equipment rather than the other way around.So its just a opposite strategy of moving the roles of the EU Shucko wall outlet onto the IEC plug. The IEC power cord end is seen as my "power outlet" and the IEC connector on the back of test equipment is seen as the device being plugged in. Other end of the IEC cord is left permanently plugged into a power strip (Like a wall outlet is permanently wired into the wall).Tho i still keep easy to reach power strips around for things that don't have IEC sockets, or run from wallwarts and similar.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 07:21:21 am
content: Frequent used equipments are always plugged in, in my case, that particular Tek scope is rarely used nowadays, only when I need the signal fidelity at analog speed @400MHz, its a 2465B btw.It get used more often out of my lab, like hanging around between friends at an event to tinker with electronics together, and oftenly they asked me to bring it, hence the reason that quality power cord "must" be attached all the time, as I don't want this Tek gets raped by those cheap IEC connector if I forget to bring it along with the scope.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 07:34:39 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on January 22, 2020, 04:34:19 amSame with the Oz plug!

author: nfmax
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 01:51:57 pm
content: Quote from: Berni on January 22, 2020, 06:48:00 amThe problem with this approach is that when the power cords are left to themselves in a box, they start to breed. Soon, you won't be able to get the lid back on...

author: Berni
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 04:41:36 pm
content: Quote from: nfmax on January 22, 2020, 01:51:57 pmAt work we have the opposite problem. These cables are an endangered species at this point and more keep disappearing. People around the company keep borrowing test gear from our hardware department, they often ask for a cable to power it but then we get the test gear back without the cable.To repopulate the mains cable box a bit i padded the last few Mouser orders (to get to free shipping) with some IEC cables and IEC spliters.

author: capt bullshot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 04:54:45 pm
content: I do prefer to move the instruments only, leave the cables plugged in at their mains end. Sometimes a non-removable power cord gets modded to a short cable mounted IEC receptable.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2020, 10:36:27 pm
content: I just like to be able to carry a piece of gear to another room or load it in the car and go somewhere and have everything I need all right there.I also seem to go through a lot of power cords and don't know where they all go. More than once I've had someone give me a big box full of IEC cords that seemed like it ought to be a lifetime supply, but then I end up having to dig around to find just one when I need it.

author: beanflying
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 12:53:36 am
content: I culled my surplus stash of 1.2 to 1.5m leads last year but kept all the extra long and the few short ones I had. I actually added another 6 short ones after the cull. The 3 and 4 way splitters are a great thing too for loading Equipment shelves and stretching available sockets without adding powerboards.My non everyday gear doesn't always have leads attached as I lack the sockets to plug all of them in but I should print a few clips out for those that have cord wrap feet and leave the leads attached

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2020, 02:54:52 am
content: I think what happens with a lot of mine is I acquire a piece of equipment with no cord, put one on it and then if I later sell/trade/donate the device I leave the cord with it. Occasionally I've cut the end off to use one to replace a fixed cord on something. Still it seems like some of them evaporate.