Failed Power Strip

[Pentium4]

At work this thing was functioning, but anytime it got bumped, even slightly, it would short out and cut power. Looks like a fire waiting to happen! I think this was because 2kW was pumped through this thing for short amounts of time, even against my recommendation. I guess that's what happens! It's over 20 years old.

[SteveNielsen]

Re: Failed Power Strip

I guess that circuit breaker was pretty useless.

[RJARRRPCGP]

Re: Failed Power Strip

At work this thing was functioning, but anytime it got bumped, even slightly, it would short out and cut power. Looks like a fire waiting to happen! I think this was because 2kW was pumped through this thing for short amounts of time, even against my recommendation. I guess that's what happens! It's over 20 years old.

An old skool ROC-made power strip. Cool.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Is it really "old skool"... I think they still make them like that :o

I opened up a recent ROC power strip and it looks just like that inside...

Is that a MOV on the far end? Now that's really asking for it...

[kaboom]

Re: Failed Power Strip

I guess that circuit breaker was pretty useless.

What would a breaker do?
With poor connections and loose jaws, nothing!




(Ok, ok. Once the plastic housing catches fire, the thermal-only breaker will trip.)

Time for a nice Wiremold plugstrip- $$$! Or, make one out of a square box, raised cover plate, and two duplex receps...

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Yeah it's unfortunate for the race to the bottom. I still have a few power strips that actually have duplex receptacles in it - three to be exact. These are old old...

Unfortunately one of them I have an issue with. Though it's rated for 15 amps, I plugged in a 1500W heater into it once and the power strip actually started heating up! Not a good sign. I will need to figure out what inside is heating, wonder if it's a bad outlet, wires too small, or something else...

[SteveNielsen]

Re: Failed Power Strip

I also have a strip with the three dulex receptacles. It's seen 25+ years of use and the rocker switch finally wore out. I haven't taken mine apart yet.

You're strip could also have some loosened connections at the duplex outlets. That would cause heat and seems fairly likely to me.

[kaboom]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Yeah it's unfortunate for the race to the bottom. I still have a few power strips that actually have duplex receptacles in it - three to be exact. These are old old...

Unfortunately one of them I have an issue with. Though it's rated for 15 amps, I plugged in a 1500W heater into it once and the power strip actually started heating up! Not a good sign. I will need to figure out what inside is heating, wonder if it's a bad outlet, wires too small, or something else...

If it's that old, it could even be oxidation on the contacts/jaws, in addition to loose contacts. IOW, they could heat up under load even if they "appear" to be tight. But after 25 years, unless it was a really good one, I'd think they'd be rather loose...

When my grandmother was still living in the 1950's Nutley house and we'd stay over, my parents would sleep up in the finished attic.

My grandfather finished, wired, etc, that bedroom and attic. I don't remember when that was.

The old recepticals still were tight enough (back in 2008-09), but the plugs of space heaters and hair dryers would often heat up. Those same loads never had their plugs heat when plugged into much newer receps. I looked inside at the jaws of those old ones, and observed the typical brass/copper surface oxidation.

As those receps were only used when there was "company" upstairs, perhaps the lack of use allowed oxidation to build up, since they weren't having things plugged/unplugged very often.

[budm]

Re: Failed Power Strip

That Black line solid should have been wrapped and then soldered, it looks like poor connection of the wire to the buss.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Fortunately it's real easy and cheap to replace the outlets unlike the "race to the bottom" power strips. I just need to go to the local Home Depot or Lowes and grab new ones...

Then again these "race to the bottom" power strips are lighter and smaller than the triple duplex power strips I have... metal chassis and all... I'm sure some people will prefer these MiT/MiC power strips.

(Where's the MiI power strips? Aren't they coming soon?)

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Incidentally that recent "MiC" power strip that I took apart, they didn't even solder the black hot wire to the bus...

They SPOT WELDED it...

I don't know if this is a sign of quality or cost reduction, but it looks like a good weld that will hold up...

[SteveNielsen]

Re: Failed Power Strip

The black wire solder joint on the buss appears to me to be where the heat started and travelled up the wire buring off the insulation, probably due to a bad connection at the buss as you noted and possibly a bad solder joint to boot. None of those solder joints look very good to me.

[kaboom]

Re: Failed Power Strip

The only thing missing from that strip is this label:

[delaware74b]

Re: Failed Power Strip

FPE = Fire Plus Electric.


Somewhere in my house I have and old mid-80's Radio Shack 6-outlet power strip. You could use that thing as a hammer! 2-piece heavy-gauge extruded aluminum housing with heavy-duty square-face outlets. Solidly soldered with good-old-fashioned 60/40 leaded solder. NO bad soldering and it was made in the US!!!

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Made in China in all its glory?

This was made within the last two years I think. Is it Hazard Fraught?

It doesn't look way too bad except for GND IMHO...

[kc8adu]

Re: Failed Power Strip

let that mov eat a few spikes and you will have a glowing event.

The only thing missing from that strip is this label:

[Pentium4]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Made in China in all its glory?

Wow, that's terrible! Well....at least they used copper?
The average persons' power supply knowledge "logic" applies to surge protectors as well: "I can buy this one for $5, why on earth would I pay $20 for that one? They do the same thing!"
And meanwhile, the guys over at "SHENZHEN XINBING GONGYUAN LONG YING FENG CHUNGHAU ELECTRONICS ENTERPRISE COMPANY" are laughing

[kaboom]

Re: Failed Power Strip

The average persons' power supply knowledge "logic" applies to surge protectors as well: "I can buy this one for $5, why on earth would I pay $20 for that one? They do the same thing!"

... Which can be summarized by the following ....







Laser printer, two laptop supplies, some phone and "accessory" supplies, and a space heater. Water was thrown on the arcing (flaming?) heater plug when it was "discovered." Talk about an elephant in the room.

Breaker wouldn't have tripped on the poor connection.

Loose jaws/connections in the strip & plug as well as the recep it was plugged in to. Both jaws of recep bad, but "noodle" (ok, grounded as it's single-phase) was worse.

[sarcasm]"I wasn't warning you for several months- I was being overly enthusiastic and talking for the hell of it."[/sarcasm]

FWIW, they don't do the same thing- junkers catch fire while the goods ones do not.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Failed Power Strip

Here's the old 2x3 power strip. Much more expensive to make...
Unfortunately I don't see a country of origin on it.
And yes it's overheating somewhere with a 1500W resistive load.

[goontron]

Re: Failed Power Strip

i should go dig up the pictures that skystormfucks put up...



goddam, what did he take these with a shoe?