Inline C8 (female) connector - or other solution...

[TaDa]

Every Christmas I wire up some 240 volt lights outside the house.
I have a hole in the garage wall through which I can thread the cables - but not quite the 13Amp mains plug.
This means December each year I remove the plug, thread the cable and replace the plug
and every January I remove the plug unthread the cable and replace the plug (so I don't use it on something else )
Every year as I stand in my freezing cold garage I wish there were a simpler way.
Every year I go looking for IEC C8 inline connectors
Every year I don't find them

I don't want to make the hole in the wall bigger so what can I do?

Any help/suggestions appreciated as its coming up to twelfth night already

Cheers

 

[kubeek]

How much power do you need there? Maybe something like a speakon would be better and fit in the hole?

 

[dr pepper]

Look at iec connectors, the sort on the back of your computer, you can get inline versions of both plug and socket.

 

[TaDa]

My power usage is quite low - say 100W

The IEC 60320 C8 connector (aka figure of eight - often seen on olde worlde tape players) is actually overkill as it is rated to 2.5Amps - but it is nice and small for threading through holes - but I cannot find an inline version anywhere.

The 3 pin one that goes in the back of computers (somewhat like the kettle lead) is actually an IEC 60320 C14 - this is, technically, somewhat overkill for my purposes it being capable of 10/15 Amps.

That said they may squeeze through the hole!

I took a look at the speakon connectors but they're quite expensive and designed for audio - I don't want to electrocute myself through carelessness

So, I'll try and track some C14s down (ebay/maplin here I come) but in the meantime are there any smaller connectors I can get away with?

 

[kubeek]

Actually speakons are for high power audio applications, Neutrik rates them at 30-40A depending on exact type and 250Vac operation. I first thought you needed a little more power than 100W

 

[TaDa]

Yikes!

Are they safe to use - the pics I've seen of the sockets have exposed metal?
(Just looked again - this is not true)

Perhaps I'm just baulking at the cost though

Is there a cheaper version of these (I know Neutrik suggest not using rip-offs)

 

[kubeek]

There will be some chinese copies I guess, but I really wouldn´t trust those with mains voltage.

 

[dr pepper]

I'm not 100% but I think neutrik do a connector like the speakon that is specifically designed for mains, I think they are orange rather than speakons which tend to be blue.
Iec's would be way cheaper, and you could use a ready wired one to go from the socket to the lights.

 

[alec_t]

Post deleted

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

If I understand this right, I see two options:

1. An outdoor rated receptacle (common in the US), not C8 of course
2. Make an adpater from this **broken link removed**, your mains plug, a cord, a cord gland, and a watertight box.

Even use a standard IEC power cord like used on computers and cut the end off.

The only real comment I would have is to place the C8 receptacle not facing up.

So really, just put a watertight box on the end of an IEC power cord with the C8 connecter mounted and siliconed in place. Face the C8 receptical downward and you won't have any water problems. Everything else is water resistant.

An example case https://www.polycase.com/surface-mount-wc-series They also sell the glands on the product page.

Use dielectric grease on the plugs and sockets.

What mains plug do you use?

US version of an outdoor outlet which is usually protected by a GFCI (ground Fault Circuit interrupter). Your XMAS lights should be, We can get GFCI cords such as this one: **broken link removed** and seach for G2015194

SO, just add a cord gland, watertight box and a male C8 and your there, I think plus a little silicone and dielectric grease.

 

[TaDa]

Thanks for all the updates - sorry for my tardy respons - I've been busy hacking a hole in a bedroom wall and lookng at the dire lack of insulation behind it!

I found some US connectors in Maplins which were nice and small but rated to only 110v - not the UK 240v I need :-(

Anyway, the connection will be inside the garage so no need to be waterproof - sorry for not making that clear.
So I need to pass that connector that has touchable prongs through the hole - its weird because the iec connectors which you would probably call plugs are actually the sockets (and vice versa) - well, its weird to me.

The **broken link removed** is the male/socket (!!) - this is the end I need to pass through the hole in the wall - leaving the female/plug safely inside with mains untouchable by hand. I cannot see an easy way to adapt such a panel mounted device to an inline one :-(

The smallest boxes in https://www.polycase.com/surface-mount-wc-series - which would probably need to pass through the hole too (!!) are too big :-(
At a push this might be a solution - leaving the connection outside - not ideal but possible - I have a year to ponder on it

I reckon cutting a cheap IEC C8 extension cable in two may be my only solution.
Now all I need is a small diameter mains cable joint to connect my severed ends to
Hmm - is this what a gland would provide? (they look like they're for passing a cable through a hole in a box)

Cheers

 

[TaDa]

Could I cut a c8 extension cable in two,
expose the cables therein by a couple of inches (a few cm),
do the same on the cable coming from the exterior light,
stagger the joins to the original cable
(such that the neutral wire join is nearer to the end of the cable than the live wire and do not overlap),
make the join using a crimped connector and finally wrap the complete length of join in a couple of layers of heatshrink

would that be ok? Or am I just kidding myself?