Strange PSU mains connector

From: Dave McGuire <mcguire_at_neurotica.com>
Date: Sun Jul 22 16:24:50 2001

On July 22, Matt London wrote:
> > - -
> > o- -
> > - -
> > A B
> >
> > Did DEC have a reason for doing this, other than to be able to extort
> > money from people who need replacement power cords, or to sell them
> > new systems when they make replacement power corde obsolete?
>
> It's a standard power connector, it's just rated at 15A and not 10A IIRC,
> they're most commonly used here for kettles, hence the name "kettle plug"

  They're are three power connectors in the "standard" family as defined
by IEC...a low-, medium-, and high-current version. The low-current
version is the one we're all used to, 10A. The one on some MicroVAX
chassis is the 15A version. The third is a larger one (20A, I think
but I'm not sure) that has three flat pins in a triangular arrangement
but in two parallel planes, with a plain rectangular body. Tey're
found on some larger Cisco routers (7513 for one) and on SGI
Challenge-L systems for example.

          -Dave McGuire
Received on Sun Jul 22 2001 - 16:24:50 BST