Almost 20 years ago, we needed a simple solution for attaching old 300-baud computer modems to hard-wired telephones, and I called that the Indian wiretap for my old university.
Now, computers and electronics have become a constant part of SID work. As the various powered items increased, so has the demand for suitable plug-ins. Every press row and work room in the country has rows of outlets and power strips, but at most events not enough open plugs.
The problem is the DC transformer, known by many as a wall wart, employed by many devices takes up more physical space than electrical current. The combined amperage of handful of these converters rarely taxes a standard five or six outlet power strip, but the bulky boxes that contain the large transformers that convert AC to DC cover up two and sometimes three plugs. Plugging more than one of these items into a standard two-slot wall outlet is either impossible or dangerous (the top plug, upside down and hanging).
On a recent road trip, I saw the very simple solution – 1-foot long extension cords that would allow the wall warts to lie beside a power strip. But, the vendor was very proud of this innovation -- $25 for five cords.
Determined to find a low-cost solution, a quick rummage through the cord box in the Women’s Communications’ Office provided the raw material – left over computer AC cords. We keep a handful of these cords left over from surplus monitors, printers and computers in the event we lose one for a unit still in service. While they are universal within computer equipment, they are the perfect starting point for homemade short extensions.
By retaining the factory installed, three-prong grounded male plug, we have a plug that saves space on a power strip. Using appropriate wire-cutters, shorten the cable to approximately one foot. There should be a relaxed loop from the power strip to the wall wart alongside the unit.
Replacement female three-prong plugs are available at almost any home center, and are easily wired. Make sure to check the continuity of the wires and remember to wire them according to code – white to silver (larger) contact, black to gold (smaller) contact and green to ground (on bottom).
Consider the impact under a pre-made press table where the converter for a VGA splitter and network router virtually fill a six-plug power strip. Look at the before and after – four more plugs are now open for media members and less chance of someone jostling a crucial piece of SID hardware trying to find a place to plug in.
For the cost of three off-the-shelf replacement plugs – all of $5 – we can recycle leftover power cables into a very useful press row item – our own power PigTails.