IEC Plugs

[Jiggles]

Anyone know how to wire these :Censored: things? I have spent the past 4 hours trying to put them together! I have 12 to do and haven't got one done yet. Keep getting angry at them. :(

Why coulden't they have the the terminals that are in plugs not those stupid screw ones where you have to wrap the cable around it.

Anyone got and hints on how to wire them up before I completely loose it with them! :D

[OllieJames]

Here's what I did with mine...

(i'll start from the beginning :o)

1) Strip the mains cable so you've got the 3 individual wires.

2) Strip off the casing of all 3 so you have approx 1cm bare copper wire.

3) Twist the copper wires (seperately, obviously not all 3 together :p) so they're pretty firm 'single' wires and not just strands.

4) Having loosened the fastening screws, make a 'hook' out of the copper wire and hook it round CLOCK-WISE around the screw.

5) Whilst screwing (no inuendos please fellas ;)) the screw in, make sure the hook of copper wire stays tight around the screw thread.

6) Repeat for each wire (ground, live, neutral)

7) Voila

8) It's what i did, and they all passed PAT - RESULT!

[Jiggles]

I tried that Ollie when you said on MSN. Just squeezes out. :/

[Excalibur]

Ollie's advice is excellent, perhaps soldering the ring might be the only possible improvement? :confused:
Callum, they're a nightmare! If I coulkd find some easy-wire ones, I'd be a happy bunny. ( Cue Mr Corabar posting a link to the reqiured item on CPC. )

[Jiggles]

Ollie's advice is excellent, perhaps soldering the ring might be the only possible improvement? :confused:


Tried that, Wouldn't hold.

[OllieJames]

I would have thought there would be IEC connectors that have the same terminal style as 3-pin plugs (put copper wire in the hole and screw it down)? They would be so much easier!

[Jiggles]

Well none of that worked and I have broken one in the process. Brilliant!

[Vectis]

Nah...

1. Trim the wires to length leaving about 1" of copper showing

2. Remove the pins in turn

3. Remove and throw away the screws - they're a pain in the butt

4. Twizzle the copper into a braid

5. Loop the copper through the hole in the pin, then twizzle back on itself nice and tight. There should be no more than about 2-3mm of exposed conductor showing. If there's too much, then you overestimated your inch. Untwizzle and shorten the braid & try again. It gets easier when you've done a few.

6. Take hot soldering iron and tin the braid, making sure the hole in the pin is completely filled

7. Pop the pins back in, fasten the strain relief nice & tight, put plug back together again.

8. 10 years later they'll still be passing PAT like mine are.


Or, option 2, visit CPC website where you can get moulded pre-made leads in various lengths from 50cm up to 25m starting at about £1.50 :)

[Pe7e]

Callum, they're a nightmare! If I coulkd find some easy-wire ones, I'd be a happy bunny.

Throw the ones you have away and buy some of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110266617580) they make the job much easier, I use them myself

[Danno13]

Or buy the type with screw terminals like normal 13A plugs -

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=PL06086

[Excalibur]

Or, option 2, visit CPC website where you can get moulded pre-made leads in various lengths from 50cm up to 25m starting at about £1.50 :)
Option 2 gets my vote. ;) :D Especially when you can often buy ready made cheaper than the components! :eek:


Throw the ones you have away and buy some of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110266617580) they make the job much easier, I use them myself
Wrong gender, right style. Cheers.

Or buy the type with screw terminals like normal 13A plugs -

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=PL06086
OK, so it's Danno, not Steve. Thanks anyway. :D

[Jiggles]

Nah...

1. Trim the wires to length leaving about 1" of copper showing

2. Remove the pins in turn

3. Remove and throw away the screws - they're a pain in the butt

4. Twizzle the copper into a braid

5. Loop the copper through the hole in the pin, then twizzle back on itself nice and tight. There should be no more than about 2-3mm of exposed conductor showing. If there's too much, then you overestimated your inch. Untwizzle and shorten the braid & try again. It gets easier when you've done a few.

6. Take hot soldering iron and tin the braid, making sure the hole in the pin is completely filled

7. Pop the pins back in, fasten the strain relief nice & tight, put plug back together again.

8. 10 years later they'll still be passing PAT like mine are.


Or, option 2, visit CPC website where you can get moulded pre-made leads in various lengths from 50cm up to 25m starting at about £1.50 :)

I get to number 5 and its goes pear shaped. :bang:


Throw the ones you have away and buy some of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&item=110266617580) they make the job much easier, I use them myself

As Peter said wrong gender! Plus I just received them today.


Or buy the type with screw terminals like normal 13A plugs -

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=PL06086

£3 each! Not a chance in hell would I pay that. :(

[Pe7e]

Wrong gender, right style. Cheers.



Buy THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KAISER-10-AMP-IEC-MALE-CONNECTOR_W0QQitemZ110266620415QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19ac6719 ff&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) instead then. ;)

[andyw]

[QUOTE=CB Entertainments;354892]I get to number 5 and its goes pear shaped. :bang:



As Peter said wrong gender! Plus I just received them today.



QUOTE]

followed pe7e link into the shop and found these
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KAISER-10-AMP-IEC-MALE-CONNECTOR-BOX-OF-25_W0QQitemZ110266619930QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Comp uting_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19ac67181a&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

[Excalibur]

Buy THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KAISER-10-AMP-IEC-MALE-CONNECTOR_W0QQitemZ110266620415QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19ac6719 ff&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C 301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) instead then. ;)

Thanks again. Box of 25 anyone? £36.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/KAISER-10-AMP-IEC-MALE-CONNECTOR-BOX-OF-25_W0QQitemZ110266619930QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Comp uting_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19ac67181a&_trksid=p4634.c0.m14.l1262&_trkparms=%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A30

[Jiggles]

Sooo err yes Anyone want 10 Male IEC plugs. :sj: Easy to wire. :sofa:

[DJ Jules]

The best way I've found to deal with these things is either:

1. Buy M3 solder tags and solder the wires to the tags (and then put heatshrink tube around the exposed metal) and then screw the solder tag under the screw.

OR

2. Ditch the screws and solder directly to where the screw was (bear in mind you'll need a small copper brush or similar to clean the tag and probably some good flux as well to get a good joint) and then use heatshrink tube over the join.

I agree though, wrapping the wires around the screws is an absolute nightmare. The other issue I found is that it's near impossible to get anything bigger than 3 core 3A cable under the strain relief (which limits you to about 720w).

Julian

[SC Events]

Do what Darren and Vectis said except:

Remove the screws and lay the stripped wire on to the pin and solder - don't bother 'hooking it through the pin'.

That's how I did mine and they all passed their PAT test last week. :D

[Jiggles]

The solder doesn't stick to the pin no matter what i do to prep it first.

[DJ Jules]

The solder doesn't stick to the pin no matter what i do to prep it first.

Brass brush and a good bit of liquid flux - how hard it is to solder to them usually depends on how long the connectors have been around (as the surfaces oxidise over time and it's this which makes them hard to solder to). If you give them a good brushing first you'll get a clean surface, and the flux then stops the surface from re-oxidising as soon as you heat it. You'll also need a reasonable power soldering iron as it takes a bit to heat up the solid lump of metal that the pins are made from.

Julian

[music-2-play]

Anyone know how to wire these :Censored: things? I have spent the past 4 hours trying to put them together! I have 12 to do and haven't got one done yet. Keep getting angry at them. :(

Why coulden't they have the the terminals that are in plugs not those stupid screw ones where you have to wrap the cable around it.

Anyone got and hints on how to wire them up before I completely loose it with them! :D

Totally know what you mean --- It took me about an hour to wire two.

[Mark Wild]

easywire ones

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8-x-professional-version-MALE-IEC-plug-easywire-speciaL_W0QQitemZ110371993276QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK _Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19b2aef6bc&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1690%7C 293%3A1%7C294%3A50

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

easywire ones

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/8-x-professional-version-MALE-IEC-plug-easywire-speciaL_W0QQitemZ110371993276QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK _Computing_CablesConnectors_RL?hash=item19b2aef6bc&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1690%7C 293%3A1%7C294%3A50

Highly recommended. IECs are horrible to wire.

[Jiggles]

I have 20 of them left now. :sj:

[Mark Wild]

I have 20 of them left now. :sj:

The easy wire ones are idiot proof how come you can't wire them?

[Jiggles]

I can wire them! I bough 12 of the pointless ones which the thread was about.

[DJ Jules]

I can wire them! I bough 12 of the pointless ones which the thread was about.

C'mon, they're not THAT bad. :p I must have wired about 40 of them now.

Julian

[Jiggles]

Yeh they are! I broke two when i tried to wire them! :D

[DJ Jules]

Yeh they are! I broke two when i tried to wire them! :D

Fair enough - I probably should have added that they're not that good either! :D

Julian