Do you know any round Power connector (male) ?

[grizzli06]

Hi,

I very often build my own DIY devices, and a difficult part is to build a squared hole for the the male AC Power connector: look at the attached photo.

Because the hole is rectangular, it is not possible to drill the hole as for a circular hole.

Do you know if a circular AC power connector exists on the market ??

Thank you

 

[rock soderstrom]

Neutrik powercon AC power connector?

https://www.reichelt.de/de/de/einba...VVUoyHYaQLx9pAbsjITiBytfjORoCkpkQAvD_BwE&&r=1

 

[Tubetec]

I often did IEC socket chassis mountings by hand , first I mark and drill out the four corners of the rectangle , then drill away into the material that needs to be removed , its easy then to clean up the edges with a file . by the time you add the cost of a Neutrik mains connector and socket it evens out .
For round mounting holes I like to use what you see below , a three set of these is 5 euros in Lidl just now , very handy to have .

 

[grizzli06]

Neutrik powercon AC power connector?

No: it is not an I.E.C. male connector... (more like speakon connector).

I often did IEC socket chassis mountings by hand , first I mark and drill out the four corners of the rectangle , then drill away into the material that needs to be removed , its easy then to clean up the edges with a file . by the time you add the cost of a Neutrik mains connector and socket it evens out .
For round mounting holes I like to use what you see below , a three set of these is 5 euros in Lidl just now , very handy to have .

I know this way of doing, but I just wonder if male IEC connector exists with a circular form factor: this would obviously simplify a hole drilling in a metal plate...
But it seems that there is none...

 

[rock soderstrom]

No: it is not an I.E.C. male connector... (more like speakon connector).

Yeah, it is similiar to the speakon plugs.
this is the plug for it, pretty safe IMHO

https://www.reichelt.de/kabelstecke...-p34506.html?&nbc=1&trstct=lsbght_sldr::34511

 

[rock soderstrom]

but I just wonder if male IEC connector exists with a circular form factor

I haven't seen one yet. If you find one, let me know

 

[nsalis]

This intermediate plate accepts IEC C14 sockets and covers a 29mm round hole.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/194472914552

 

[S.Samuelsson]

Hi.

+1 for Powercon.
Just as the Speakon, Powercon is a superior design over the old ones.

Or if the IEC socket is a must, a dedicated punch to cut the hole.

For round mounting holes I like to use what you see below , a three set of these is 5 euros in Lidl just now , very handy to have .

There's a very good reason why conical drills -stepped or straight- intended for metalwork cost dearly.
Those Lidl versions are marginally suitable for a few holes in wood, hard plastic and perhaps thin aluminium, nothing but grief with ferrous materials.
Soft plastics like ABS will melt even with a virgin bit and a very moderate cutting speed, so unless a melted look is the goal, not that good for those materials either.

Since the drill material is more or less basic construction steel, it can't really be sharpened as the "Tini" coloured coating that's the ony "hard" and "wear resistant" material is removed.

Regards,
Sam

 

[Disco Volante]

Bulgin still makes the small round model used on Quads. Though obviously not a IEC conn...
Exactly none available for a round hole at elfadistrelec..

Always worth buying better tools, IMHO. You'll be grieving the poor quality you bought long after you've forgotten the money you saved ;-)

Happy tinkering

 

[grizzli06]

This intermediate plate accepts IEC C14 sockets and covers a 29mm round hole.
IEC Socket To Round Hole Mounting Plate For DIY Projects | eBay

This plate is a good idea, but at $6 each, plus $20 for shipping to Europe, it is not reasonnable ...: I will maybe design my own to have them made in Europe, it would cost far less...

Or if the IEC socket is a must, a dedicated punch to cut the hole.

What do you mean bu a "dedicated punch" : drilling a circular hole in a metal plate can be feasable, mut a rectangular one... what kind of "dedicated punch" do you think about ?

Bulgin still makes the small round model used on Quads.

Any link or photo ?

 

[RuudNL]

Neutrik used to have round(!) mains connectors, but I have a feeling they are discontinued.

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

ITT Cannon had a 3 pin mains connector that was round hole rectangular plate male plug - the same cutout size as XLR male panel sockets - that was an industry standard for stage gear in the ‘70s and early ‘80s. The interior of the line socket and panel plug (the pin configuration reversed - male panel socket, female line plug to prevent roadies becoming part of the stage lighting) was red which made it easy to see and the pins were a different size so in a maze of cabling there was no chance of plugging a power lead into a desk or rack gear XLR output socket. Neutrik also did a similar thing as mentioned by RuudNL very similar to the Cannon.
Or you could just buy yourself a metal nibbler:

Great for cutting square holes.

 

[doorunrun]

Amphenol or Cannon MIL-type circular connectors can do the job, but mucho-$$$ new.

Hopefully they're more reasonable and available on the surplus market.

Good luck with your project!

 

[MidnightArrakis]

Like THIS???

Or.....THIS???

Or.....maybe like THIS???

The above unit - ↑↑↑↑↑↑ - is probably the smallest of them
all and should easily fit on any 1U front or rear-panel design.

Just my 2-Francs' worth!!! Well.....at least they all mount into a -- circular -- hole!!! YAY!!!

/

 

[thor.zmt]

I very often build my own DIY devices, and a difficult part is to build a squared hole for the the male AC Power connector: look at the attached photo.
View attachment 111803
Because the hole is rectangular, it is not possible to drill the hole as for a circular hole.

Do you know if a circular AC power connector exists on the market ??

Neutrik Powercon has been mentioned. There are others, but often very large and multipole, more than 3.

A radical alternative would be to use a round hole and fit the standard IEC connector and close up the "open" sections of the hole with 3D printed inserts.

Another radical alternative is USB-C.

Nowadays "chargers" with 20V/5A are readily available.

And 48V/5A is making it's debut (yup, 240VA of power from a 500g 13cm X 6.5cm X 3.5 cm power brick with GAN Fet's!).

It is easy for DIY to use MC33/34064A to create a wide range of voltages from the 20V rail.

A single MC33064 with 20V Input can produce almost any voltage up to around 30VA (minus losses), including 48V, +/- Rails of anything from +/- 5V to +/- 20V and even high voltages for Tubes using either transformers or voltage multiplier cascades.

Of course, more modern parts that switch at much higher frequencies and are SMD are available, but are difficult for DIY.

So I am recommending the positively ancient MC33064A. Use Panasonic (formerly Sanyo) Os-Con and LC filters to clean up switching noise.

This also pushes most electrical safety and agency compliance issues off board, into a replaceable commodity "Charger Brick".

Thor

 

[ccaudle]

What do you mean bu a "dedicated punch" :

Greenlee rectangular punches and dies

You can get tools which have a rectangular block with sharpened edges, and a block with a rectangular hole, which fit together with a large bolt through the center. You drill a hole for the bolt, put the two halves on each side of the metal you want to cut, then pull the halves together through the metal using the bolt.
There are also versions powered by a hydraulic hand pump. There is another thread on the forum with descriptions of someone's experience using a relatively inexpensive hydraulic punch set ordered from China.
"Best way to punch IEC..." post 107

 

[Tubetec]

I dont need to drill large holes in metal all that often so for my purposes the Lidl step drill does just fine , I see exactly the same product advertised online and on sale in other hardware locally , it ranges from between three to four times the cost in Lidl .
You say this wont work on steel S.Samuelson , I say it does and I've used it and got good results .
Lidl also do a set of regular HSS drill bits just now , 3.99 for a 15 piece set ,1-10mm when they get blunt you just replace them .
A set of high quality brand name step drills can cost between 100-200 dollars thats 20 to 40 times the price of the cheap and cheerfull Lidl ones .

Ive also tried the two part bolt opperated circular cutter and it tends to deform and buckle the metal around the edge of the hole with the usual thin sheet metal found on equipment enclosures .

 

[rock soderstrom]

I dont need to drill large holes in metal all that often so for my purposes the Lidl step drill does just fine , I see exactly the same product advertised online and on sale in other hardware locally , it ranges from between three to four times the cost in Lidl .
You say this wont work on steel S.Samuelson , I say it does and I've used it and got good results .

+1

I saw a test of these conical drills by a professional welder on YouTube. He compared them with wickedly expensive professional tools and was impressed by the Lidl performance. He drilled VA steel and other hard things with it and it worked. Of course the professional ones are better, but they cost 20 times as much or more.

I bought some too, they have worked for me in aluminium and sheet steel for two years without any problems. I use them quite often by my standards. (approx. 4 times a month for a few holes)

So far a good buy!

 

[RoadrunnerOZ]

This:

Goes with this:

 

[Braxtonmatlock]

Bulgin still makes the small round model used on Quads. Though obviously not a IEC conn...
Exactly none available for a round hole at elfadistrelec..

Always worth buying better tools, IMHO. You'll be grieving the poor quality you bought long after you've forgotten the money you saved ;-)

Happy tinkering