Power Cords for M/L 13a B212 Make a difference ?

[Brad225]

The test my EE friend did was to check voltage leakage between the neutral and ground on the face as you would plug in a PC.

The Shunyata receptacle had 1.1 milli-volts between neutral and ground.
The Leviton receptacle from HD had 800 milli-volts between the neutral and ground.

All of the receptacles in the room are on their own circuit.

The 2 other Leviton receptacles tested the same and all of the Shunyata receptacles tested the same.

Have I gone out and bought Leviton receptacles from an electrical supply house and tested them. No I have not. Is it possible all Leviton receptacles have the same leakage? Yes but I would be surprised.

 

[Speedskater]

The test my EE friend did was to check voltage leakage between the neutral and ground on the face as you would plug in a PC.
The Shunyata receptacle had 1.1 milli-volts between neutral and ground.
The Leviton receptacle from HD had 800 milli-volts between the neutral and ground.

Oh dear, oh dear.
You can't test a receptacle with a voltage test like that. That is a circuit test and the difference depends (mostly) on how much current is flowing thru the circuit. The more current, the more voltage drop on the Neutral. There should be no current flowing on the Safety Ground.
You can test the receptacle with an Ohm meter. Between the Neutral and the Safety Ground the meter should read Open.
(didn't we go thru this before? )

 

[Robert D]

So, if wiring a dedicated theater room, what brand of receptical would be reasonable to go with?

 

[pegwill]

Hi
If you are running long lengths of cable you need to consider ‘voltage drop’ while atthe supply end you might start with 110v over a distance this may reduce say by a couple of volts - there are loads of tables around to help you calculate this. A useful analogy is that of a garden hose, you start of with a good pressure at the tap (source) and by the time you get to the end of the hose the pressure is reduced, for pressue substitute voltage. You alo need to take into account the current required by the piece of equipment. To get the best out of your equipment the specs need to be considered and cable selected to meet the requirements. For short length of cable of course it is not a problem, as hopefully the cable in the wall to the outlet has been correctly sized in the first place.

Hope this helps

Best regards to all

 

[amey01]

Oh dear, oh dear.
You can't test a receptacle with a voltage test like that.

The Shunyata receptacle had 1.1 milli-volts between neutral and ground.
The Leviton receptacle from HD had 800 milli-volts between the neutral and ground.

If that were true - just think for a moment:

1. How that could be
2. What that would mean?

 

[Brad225]

If that were true - just think for a moment:

1. How that could be
2. What that would mean?

It is true.

1. I would think it is an issue with the way the receptacle is grounded internally.
2 My EE friend is out of town currently. When he returns home I will ask him for his explanation of the issue.

 

[ttocs]

From Fluke:
"2. Under load conditions, there should be some neutral-ground voltage - 2 V or a little bit less is pretty typical. If neutral-ground voltage is 0 V - again assuming that there is load on the circuit - then check for a neutral-ground connection in the receptacle, whether accidental or intentional."

Partial quote:
"Neutral-ground is a voltage drop (also called IR drop) caused by load current flowing through the impedance of the white wire. Let's say you measure 1.5 V. . . . . . . "

Source: Diagnosing Power Problems at the Receptacle

Don't forget to look at the panel end of the circuit.

 

[Stefan_DR3]

That is based on the wife of a friend that is a purchaser for Home Depot. They contract for products, electrical included, that are cheaper.
That is not to say they don't meet UL approval. Just built to a price point which requires something to give.

I agree there is nothing great at HD. I do know that Lowes carries some commercial grade stuff, including an updated version of the Pass & Seymour 5266X plug, which is great for building your own power cords.

https://www.lowes.ca/product/plugs-...mp-125-volt-black-3-wire-grounding-plug-83898
There is also a 20A version:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Pass-Seymour-Legrand-20-Amp-Volt-Black-White-3-Wire-Grounding-Plug/3236825

 

[Stefan_DR3]

So, if wiring a dedicated theater room, what brand of receptical would be reasonable to go with?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Legrand-White-15-Amp-Duplex-Outlet-Commercial-Outlet/1000001268
If you're doing a 20A circuit:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Legrand-White-20-Amp-Duplex-Outlet-Commercial-Outlet/50179239

 

[pegwill]

Hi Guys

While this easy for me to say as I live in the Uk but our plugs and sockets are of a better design, in my opinion. They seem to be of a more substantial design for the contact areas and the the way the cable fits in the plug. This I recognise will be controversial but is meant to be helpful. In my view it would be quite easy to convert or build a uk based power supply system for hifi use. One of the advantages this would have is only equipment with the correct plug could be plugged in. Also each plug has its own fuse thereby allowing it be be sized for each piece of equipment ( yep more hifi fuses if you go down that route).

Anyway just my thoughts I hope that it helps someone.

Regards