Power Strip Liberator cords
Bob Morris @ Jun 12th 2006 00:06 - Category: Unfiled
This is a great idea. Short cords that plug into a power strip, allowing you to have transformers in all outlets on the strip. Cyberguys has a five-pack for $8.95.
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Cameron on 12 Jun 2006 at 11:18 am #
Well I agree it’s a bad idea to plug a wall socket transformer into a power strip or UPS. Mainly because there’s no strain relief so the connection isn’t reliable. But I usually use an ordinary indoor two-wire extension cord. They usually have three outlets on the end. You can plug three transformers into it and fasten them with cable ties.
Almost all new appliances, extension cords, outlet strips, etc, are made in China under awful labor and environmental conditions. So I try to buy these things used at surplus stores, flea markets, yard sales, and thrift stores. New outlet strips are crap anyway. I like the old kind with a metal case and real duplex outlets you can replace when they get loose.
I also have a soldering iron and a few feet of quarter inch shrink tubing. When I get rid of a broken appliance I cut the cord off and save it. I either use it for hookup wire, or solder it onto the blades of a wall socket transformer, with shrink tubing over the leads. It’s more reliable than those “outlet strip saver” things, the cord is longer, and it’s not more junk from China.
When was the last time you saw a wall socket transformer with a safety ground? One of the reasons they use those damn things is so the appliance they’re powering will be “low voltage” and won’t have to comply with a bunch of safety regulations. Thus, the “outlet strip saver” isn’t any safer than a plain two-wire extension cord.
Cameron