Groneberg power cords

Christophe35 · « **on:** 27 Jan 2005, 10:02 am »

Hi,

I want to build 2 power cords with some groneberg cable. How do I connect the ground ? only the central conductor or do I connect also the shield at one or both side ?

Thanks for any information,
Christophe

F-100 · « **Reply #1 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 06:54 am »

Twist the shield and central conductor (bare wire) together on both ends and use them as ground.

Eduardo AAVM · « **Reply #2 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 08:01 am »

Yep, F-100 is right, that's the way to make it...

Christophe35 · « **Reply #3 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 09:58 am »

Thanks for the information.

Christophe

avalon65 · « **Reply #4 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 01:22 pm »

Quote from: F-100

Twist the shield and central conductor (bare wire) together on both ends and use them as ground.

A very timely thread. I was just considering doing this last night as I have a 5' pair of Quattro speaker cables that won't sell and I could use the power cords. I haven't investigated plugs yet, but I would assume it's pretty straight forward on the connections.

On each end, connect the two red wires together, then the two black wires together. Then attach the connected red wires to the appropriate screw on the plug and do the same for the blacks, making sure each end is attached to the same +/-. Then from what F-100 suggest, twist the meshed shielding with the single copper center conductor and attached is to the plugs ground. I hope I explained that correctly.

Again having not looked closely at aftermarket plugs, can I get by without any soldering? Any recommendations on which plugs to get? I'd like to keep it under $20 per cord if I can.

Hanx!

corwin99 · « **Reply #5 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 03:44 pm »

As long as your aggregate guage isn't too big you should be fine. You won't need to do any soldering most likely.. most aftermarket power connectors are solder-free. Use a Hospital grade connector from Hubbell or Pass and Seymour for the Male end, and for the IEC end i would recommend using a Wattgate. There are cheaper alternatives however, which include ones made by Shurter.. but they don't hold heavy guage wire as easily and tend to sag when plugged into the components. There are also some generic ones i have gotten.. larger than the Shurter ones from Allied Electronics that seem to perform decent as well, however i still prefer the Wattgates.

Eduardo AAVM · « **Reply #6 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:14 pm »

Hi Corwin 99, have you found audible difference between Wattagate's and other brand of similar products ? Furutech has also this kind of products, any experience with them ?

For the IEC there is also the option to use Schurter and I now use some from Germany that have a really tight contact but nothing "audiophile" grade.

Eduardo AAVM · « **Reply #7 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:19 pm »

These are close ups to power cable assembly I hope you can see them.

IEC Plug

AC Plug

rosconey · « **Reply #8 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:20 pm »

i recently used the low priced marinco connectors from parts express-bolth ends-very disapointed with the screws that lock the halves together,not a real thread but a spiral thingy thats so cheap the small head disinigrates before its tight-total crap.for 12$ and 18$ each i expected better-

avalon65 · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:26 pm »

Can anyone explain to me what to look for when purchasing these plugs? What features consitute "audiophile grade"? My understanding of Hospital grade is that it offers a tighter fit in the socket??? Anything else? Although handy with tools and a VERY basic understanding of electronics/electrical, this will be my first audiophile DIY project. I just want to make sure I get the best performance on a first-time project with a tight budget. If that's possible...

avalon65 · « **Reply #10 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:28 pm »

Eduardo,

Thanks for the pictures!!!

corwin99 · « **Reply #11 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 04:46 pm »

Rosconey, if i am understanding you right, I think almost all Power Plugs use those "spiral thingy" type screws.. if i know what you are talking about.. they resemble a _really_ wide thread screw? I've had problems with the head threading a little bit but sometimes this may be because of a chewed up screwdriver. I used the hubbell ones before and Marinco's should be similar because Marinco is a division of hubbell... but yeah they are easy to strip.

Eduardo, I found an incredible improvement when i went from the Schurters to the Wattgates, but no real discernable difference between the Wattgates and the Marincos... they are similar in price however. I have listened to a powercord not made by me using the audio grade furutech connectors on it, and it sounded good on a friend's system, however bringing it to my own house seemed to make not much improvement.. i suspect it may be my lack of Hospital grade outlets and dedicated line that he has.

The IECs i got from Allied Electronics i would place somewhere between the Schurters and the Wattgates. I believe schurter also makes some higher end connectors that are quite good.. i have not tried them before.

Putting together a powercord is pretty easy, but it can be frustrating when working with very large guage wire. Just be real careful and test the cable with a multimeter and then test it again with a multimeter before plugging it in. I use a power tester that i made to make sure the cable is wired properly.. and wiggle it around and make sure there are no shorts in it before i plug it into a unit.

Eduardo AAVM · « **Reply #12 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 05:07 pm »

Avalon65... I'm happy you liked the pictures.

Thank you Corwin99, a friend in a mexican forum just asked me about going for Wattagates or others... I said to him go for Marinco, but what you say is that both, Marinco and Wattagate are in a similar category price/preformance, so I wil let know about your opinions to this guy and he finds whats better to him.

Thank you.

rosconey · « **Reply #13 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 05:22 pm »

yup those are the ones-one plug had the real screw thread in it worked like a charm-must have been old stock.
i used a brand new screw driver also.

corwin99 · « **Reply #14 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 05:37 pm »

rosconey, in case you want to pick up some IECs in the future, the Wattgates have the regular screws in them, not the spirals.

markC · « **Reply #15 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 10:38 pm »

Quote from: rosconey

i recently used the low priced marinco connectors from parts express-bolth ends-very disapointed with the screws that lock the halves together,not a real thread but a spiral thingy thats so cheap the small head disinigrates before its tight-total crap.for 12$ and 18$ each i expected better-

I've used Marinco's a lot and only had a problem when I messed up by leaving too much wire inside the "barrel" of the plug. So when I tried to tighten it down, the excess wire had no where to go and caused the "spiral thingy" to strip.

rosconey · « **Reply #16 on:** 28 Jan 2005, 10:45 pm »

nope bolth halves went together no problem.just stripped the screw heads because they wouldnt tighten all the way,stop about 1/8" from finishing and getting tight.

bought a pair of these today -
http://cls.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?cablintr&1109948903

60$ for silver ic's

avalon65 · « **Reply #17 on:** 29 Jan 2005, 02:20 am »

Quote from: Eduardo AAVM

These are close ups to power cable assembly I hope you can see them.

IEC Plug

AC Plug

Eduardo,

Again thanks for the photos. Did you terminate these Quattros or did Groneberg? If you did, what connectors are used? I can make out Hubbell, but nothing more. I went to a local electrical distributor today and they claimed I will not see any benefit of using a commercial/hospital grade connectors unless I have a dedicated circuit and an isolated ground, which I don't. However they were in agreement that a commercial/hospital outlet would fit more snug and provide a better electrical connection. Then again these are electricians talking, so I'll take it with a grain of salt. I'm still looking for an answer on what features I should be looking for in a plug and why? Can anybody enlighten me?

Also, does anyone know if Lowes or Home Depot carry the female IEC connector for a power cord, any make? If not, I guess I'll be buying everything from Parts Express unless there is a cheaper/better source.

Thanks!
Learning Larry

djbnh · « **Reply #18 on:** 29 Jan 2005, 03:53 am »

Quote from: avalon65

Can anyone explain to me what to look for when purchasing these plugs? What features consitute "audiophile grade"? My understanding of Hospital grade is that it offers a tighter fit in the socket??? Anything else? Although handy with tools and a VERY basic understanding of electronics/electrical, this will be my first audiophile DIY project. I just want to make sure I get the best performance on a first-time project with a tight budget. If that's possible...

Try Chris VenHaus for DIY parts, including Wattgatt and new Furutech (Gold, Rhodoium, other) male and IEC plugs.

Eduardo AAVM · « **Reply #19 on:** 29 Jan 2005, 07:56 am »

Avalon65, I made them by myself...

The AC plug is the common 5266 (same number in different brands, in fact it is a code I guess) I always use Hubbell, well the other day I used a Leviton but I prefer Hubbell.

For the IEC one, being in USA I recommend you go directly to Schurter's website in USA:

you can even buy online, it is a nice connector from this Swiss company. The model I used in the picture is the 4781.0100 (10mm diamter cable receptacle).

It has a nice connection but lately, I am using some from a small company in Europe, these ones look more simple, maybe "cheaper" but the contact I think is much better, tighter the company in Germany is called BIA, I do not know if they manufacture them but the ones I bought were ok, and it's web site is this one (oldy'n ugly n'messy but it helps):

http://www.biagmbh.com/katalog/pdfs/79/7902.HTM

In fact I am getting aware now that the model I bought is no longer available...