spammoj Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 Hi all Looking at a subwoofer that has the power socket with the following shape - I believe this is called the IEC C7, but I am confused about polarised vs non-polarised. The power cable is missing and so I am looking to replace it, but the version with the square plug is proving very difficult to find here. Can I use a regular figure-8 cable in its place, and will there be an issue if I get it the 'wrong' way in?
rocky500 Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 The round will will also fit into one that takes the square on one side. If worried about polarity, I may be able to find one here. I can measure with multimeter and then tell you which side is what and you cam mark it.
muon* Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 If a class 1 piece of kit (not double insulated) and polarity is wrong it means in the event of an issue the case may become live.
Ittaku Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 (edited) If it only has 2 pins, then it has to be double insulated, doesn't it? In which case it doesn't matter which is live. Edited May 3, 2022 by Ittaku 2
spammoj Posted May 3, 2022 Author Posted May 3, 2022 38 minutes ago, Ittaku said: If it only has 2 pins, then it has to be double insulated, doesn't it? In which case it doesn't matter which is live. does that mean I'm free to use a regular figure-8 cable, and doesn't matter which side is which?
Ittaku Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 1 minute ago, spamnoj said: does that mean I'm free to use a regular figure-8 cable, and doesn't matter which side is which? That's what I think, and have done so for countless items from US, China etc which had those vertical pins.
muon* Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 (edited) can we have a pic of the rear where the socket is, that will help, and if it is Class 2 there will be a symbol showing it. Edited May 3, 2022 by muon*
muon* Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 Ah, a subwoofer, likely not a metal enclosure, so I'm being a bit too pedantic it seems now
andyr Posted May 3, 2022 Posted May 3, 2022 27 minutes ago, spamnoj said: does that mean I'm free to use a regular figure-8 cable, and doesn't matter which side is which? Unfortunately there's one issue that does require the figure-8 connector to be the right way round. The fuse is supposed to be on the 'Active' wire - not the 'Neutral' wire. Andy
audiofeline Posted June 9, 2022 Posted June 9, 2022 (edited) Try Parts Express: https://www.parts-express.com/AS-NZS-3112-2-Pole-Plug-to-C7P-Polarized-Power-Cord-18-2-110-113 Edit: Sorry, just noticed that the above site indicates that it's unavailable. The polarised IEC C7 is an adaptation from the standard and is not in it. Which could explain why the cable is so hard to find. I think your best solution would be that suggested above - to determine which pin is active and which is neutral, and mark the cable polarity on the plug and socket. I'd suggest using a multimeter to do this, it will be safer than having the cable plugged into the mains! Edited June 9, 2022 by audiofeline
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