VOGONS


First post, by Kahenraz

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I just moved to a new place and the rack I built can't accommodate my stereo with the AC cable plugged into the side. I found the right kind of adapter, but I can't find it in a polarized variety. Does anyone know if these exist?

I could swap the position of the cassette deck and stereo, but I would prefer the cassette deck on the left.

If I can't make it fit, I'll probably get a different stereo. I only use it for the CD player and radio, since I already have a proper, dedicated cassette deck.

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Last edited by Kahenraz on 2023-03-22, 18:19. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 1 of 8, by BitWrangler

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I am seeing quite a few results for google search of "figure 8 power cord right angle"

Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.

Reply 2 of 8, by Kahenraz

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Not at the same right angle orientation as the adapter I attached. I also need it to be polarized (square on one end).

Actually, I don't think that any polarized plugs are right angle at any orientation.

Reply 3 of 8, by BitWrangler

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Is it even polarised at the wall plug end? ... me I'm the kind of psycho that would chop some of the shell away on the adapter so the square side fit, and hot glue the thing into the device socket the right way round. Or look inside it, and if neutral stays solely confined to transformer board until it's all DC would just shrug and plug unpolarised in.

Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.

Reply 4 of 8, by jmarsh

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I'm not familiar with these "polarised" plugs but wouldn't a rounded one have a slightly smaller footprint and still fit into the "square" socket?

Reply 5 of 8, by pentiumspeed

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Polarized is to have correct hot and neutral connected in a device, but on a consumer devices, there is no ground connection on hot side so polarity does not matter since the device usually have a transformer built in which is part of safety isolation to break the hot side from cold side and does not discriminates polarity due to transformer that power its doesn't know the polarity because of electrical design in consumer device does not know which polarity is. The neutral is tied at one place at fuse panel to ground, no else by electrical code.

Remember sine wave power have no polarity if there is a electrical isolation via transformer. Stoves, strip heaters, and dryers use 115V to 115v 180 degrees apart to create two phase 220V.

Secondly, most of consumer and stuff that does not have isolation internally,is all hot, used polarized plug for bit more safety nowdays (nuts!) and in the old days, the two prong plugs was nonpolarized on a all hot devices too, ie: metal fan, old vacuum cleaners etc.

Reason the computers that is made of metal needed grounded 3 pin plug for extra safety by code and help with EMI noise return. And there is exceptions on external power supplies still provides isolation via power supply's transformer in it yet there is some that has a ground pin in the input AC plug too, there is no rhyme to it. Also, if a metal computer is powered by external power supply, still don't require ground either but some better quality one have 3 pin input power supply that provides ground for better noise return.

Use non polarized connector anyway unless there is a oddball that *requires* polarized plug for best audio quality but that's extremely rare. Even the midi devices used jellybean external AC tranformer to step down to lower either isolated AC or isolated with no ground, DC output.

Even xbox one S, Series S/X and all models PS4 except some PS4 Pro (kettle plug), and PS5 used non polarized plug figure 8 connector.

Cheers,

Great Northern aka Canada.

Reply 6 of 8, by konc

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Why does it matter when you can always plug the other end on the wall the other way around? I don't get it.

Reply 7 of 8, by ZellSF

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konc wrote on 2023-03-23, 08:28:

Why does it matter when you can always plug the other end on the wall the other way around? I don't get it.

US power cords can be polarized, meaning one of the two prongs can be larger. You can only plug those in the wall one way.. Lots of devices aren't polarized and those you can plug in both ways (both prongs are the smaller size).

This is in contrast to (most of) Europe where you can plug in power cords both ways.

So if you have the angle adapter and the cable both polarized there is no way you can plug it in the wrong way. Though for a stereo it might not matter.

Reply 8 of 8, by konc

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ZellSF wrote on 2023-03-28, 19:00:
US power cords can be polarized, meaning one of the two prongs can be larger. You can only plug those in the wall one way.. Lots […]
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konc wrote on 2023-03-23, 08:28:

Why does it matter when you can always plug the other end on the wall the other way around? I don't get it.

US power cords can be polarized, meaning one of the two prongs can be larger. You can only plug those in the wall one way.. Lots of devices aren't polarized and those you can plug in both ways (both prongs are the smaller size).

This is in contrast to (most of) Europe where you can plug in power cords both ways.

So if you have the angle adapter and the cable both polarized there is no way you can plug it in the wrong way. Though for a stereo it might not matter.

I had no idea about this, thanks for the info!