I'm on the fence, but I think there are definitely people out there who might conclude that for a few $ extra the powercon's are worth the peace of mind.
I'm trying to imagine a scenario when I'll be stupid enough to plug one end of a Switchcraft cord into the control panel and then go and plug the other end of the same cord right back into the control panel. I mean, I can do some dumb things, but I don't think I could ever do anything quite that stupid. "Red cord goes to red pot, black cord goes to black pot, make sure the cord ends that are connected to the control panel are not the same color before turning anything on. Done!"
But if you can imagine yourself doing something that dumb, then yeah, spend the extra bucks.
I got the Switchcraft HPC male and female connector in the mail yesterday. I am not particularly impressed with them. The male and female parts click together, not a satisfying clunk but the connection feels solid. The terminals are very close together, lack screw terminals, and the insulating barriers are extremely short, so insulated spade terminals are really the only way to go. I don't know how these can be recommended for 1500V and 50A.
My $0.02: They look and feel like the cheap Speakon knock offs they are.
I'm trying to imagine a scenario when I'll be stupid enough to plug one end of a Switchcraft cord into the control panel and then go and plug the other end of the same cord right back into the control panel. I mean, I can do some dumb things, but I don't think I could ever do anything quite that stupid. "Red cord goes to red pot, black cord goes to black pot, make sure the cord ends that are connected to the control panel are not the same color before turning anything on. Done!"
But if you can imagine yourself doing something that dumb, then yeah, spend the extra bucks.
I like basic safety features and will pay for them. If that's dumb, well it's my money.
Could be wrong but I think the two of you might be talking about different thing:
wiring the plug/outlets (panel assembly)
and
brew day set up
I'm late to this party, but can anybody verify the max OD for the male connectors (HPCC4F)?
Do you mean the max OD for the wire that you can stick into the connector?
It's about 17mm diameter, which would give you 53mm in circumference, or about 2 inches in circumference.
Has anyone used the right angle plugs (HPCC4RAF)? I was planning on mounting my elements on the sides of my keggles and thought it would be cleaner to have the power cords run to the back instead of sticking straight out. I could just get the straight ones and mount them on the side of my gang box but the existing hole isn't big enough and is off-center. I'd have to fill the hole first and drill a new one.
Like this? Worked ok for me...
I honestly don't know how these plugs can be rated for 50A when you can't attach a wire thick enough to take that current.
There's no way I can cram a 6/3 range cord into mine.
According to some charts on the Internet, you could get away with 10 gauge wiring for 50 amps for lengths not exceeding six feet. A different website says 10 gauge could be used for lengths of 4-7 feet.
So...maybe it COULD work with 10 gauge wiring. I'm not willing to try it myself.
I got the Switchcraft HPC male and female connector in the mail yesterday. I am not particularly impressed with them. The male and female parts click together, not a satisfying clunk but the connection feels solid. The terminals are very close together, lack screw terminals, and the insulating barriers are extremely short, so insulated spade terminals are really the only way to go. I don't know how these can be recommended for 1500V and 50A.
My $0.02: They look and feel like the cheap Speakon knock offs they are.
You wouldn't put a welder on a speaker connector. You wouldn't put an electric stove on a speaker connector. Would you put an electric brewery on a speaker connector?
Theres that post I was looking for Now it exists.I don't like the spade terminals on the HPC connectors at all. On the female the terminals are not solid, there are 2 sheets of very thin metal which is easily deformed. The terminals are also very close together so insulation on the spade connectors is absolutely essential.
I have decided against using the HPC connectors on my build. Their construction does not feel robust. The indefinite gender and lack of markings for hot/neutral/ground remains a significant concern. And as I mentioned previously, there was no way I could use them to get power into my panel because the 6/3 range cord was physically too large to fit inside the housing.
You wouldn't put a welder on a speaker connector. You wouldn't put an electric stove on a speaker connector. Would you put an electric brewery on a speaker connector?
yes the spade connectors werent the ideal connection options.
I'm not really sure why anyone would think there a saftey concern though because they are keyed and you can only plug them in the right way? I could see someone wiring them wrong if not careful but I chose to just pay careful attention to what wire connects to what pin when I wired mine together... wasnt a big deal for me.
I have no iissues with mine coming unplugged but I do agree they dont lock worth a damn.
I only use these connectors for the 18 amp load to the heating elements not the 30a main although I could...
if someone were wiring up a 50a main I would recommend a standard locking connector for that but these work well for the elements.
True. If you don't like to use a multimeter to verify that your connections are wired up correctly then these connectors are not for you. Actually...electrical work in general is probably not your strong suit.
I believe its about an inch... at least thats about what mine were...
These are professional grade connecters;
Says who? These speaker connectors were never intended to carry power. Show me a professional who would use them for this purpose.
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