International power cords image courtesy of Quail Electronics International.
Different people can mean different things when they talk about “international power cords.” Suppose you’re in the business of manufacturing power cords. Suppose your business serves both American and European markets. As such, you know all about how in the US, most cords are compatible with the standard NEMA 5-15 receptacles and how the European standards are much more Continue reading
Power cord image courtesy of United Universal Industries.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable to think of power cords as the backbone of an electrical device. Certainly there are competing components within every device to which a power cord is connected. In the case of a computer, for example, it could be argued that the memory or processor is the most important. One mechanic might argue that the engine is the most important automotive component, while another might say Continue reading
Cord set image courtesy of Kord King.
What’s the difference between a power cord and a cord set? It depends on who you ask, but even then, the difference isn’t substantial. A company that only manufactures cords (that is the inner conductive material and outer insulation but not the end plugs) might say that the difference lies in the fact that Continue reading
NEMA power cord image courtesy of Interpower Corporation.
If you were to see a NEMA power cord, you would be in any one of three possible places. The first and most likely possibility is somewhere in the United States or Canada. NEMA stands for National Electrical Manufacturers Association, and since 1926 NEMA has published standards pertaining to the design and specifications of all manner of electronic components, including plugs and Continue reading
Unless someone printed this page out for you, you’re viewing it on a screen. Odds are that your screen is connected either to a desktop or laptop computer, though I suppose it’s possible that this article has made its way through the blogosphere and is currently onscreen at some power Continue reading
Electrical plug image courtesy of Signal and Power Delivery Systems.
Electrical plugs are among the most recognizable electronic components in existence. Everyone who has ever used an electronic device has at one time had to connect it to a power source, either for the purposes of directly supplying electrical current or in order to charge a battery operated device. Most people are at least somewhat aware of the purpose plugs serve and how they serve it; when Continue reading
The world is full of different kinds of electrical receptacles. There are at least 14 groups of different kinds of receptacles, and even within those groups there are deviations. Use of different kinds of receptacles is generally limited to specific geographical areas. Within the United States, for example, electrical receptacle configurations are almost exclusively limited to the familiar two or three-pronged NEMA outlets. They feature two flat slots parallel to each other Continue reading
Extension cords seem like simple fixes. Your vacuum cleaner’s cord isn’t long enough? Extension cord! Your fridge is too far away from the outlet in your kitchen? Extension cord! You want to put an air conditioner in your window, but the window is too far from the grounded outlet in the Continue reading
So you want to know how an AC power cord works? Let’s tackle the easy questions first. Like all other power cords, AC power cords are used to direct a current of electricity from a source to a destination. The source is usually an electrical outlet, and the destination is always some kind of electronic device. The cord is composed of conductive wire, which can be made of many materials but which is most commonly made of copper. The wires are insulated by some kind of electrical insulator, usually Continue reading
It’s easy to look at electric cords and think that there must not be much to them. In fact, most people probably think so little of them that they don’t think hard enough about them to know that they’re thinking little of them. People just expect electric cords to work, and their understanding of an electric cord’s modus operandi is generally limited to Continue reading