MicroVAX 3800 Power Cable

On Feb 5, 13:07, Eric Smith wrote: There isn't a 20A variant here :-) In Europe (where the standard comes from!), there are two versions. As I recall: The first you commonly see on electronic equipment, which was originally rated for 6A (IIRC) and later I think up to 10A or 12A (*providing* the cable is also suitable for that current). There are "hot condition" and "cold condition" variants, the "hot condition" being the one for appliances like kettles, platewarmers, etc, which get hot (or warm, at least) and which has a notch in it, to prevent a normal "cold condition" plug being used in error. Although you rarely see hot-condition plugs rated less than 10A or so, that's because you need a 10A rating or more for a kettle element, not because the hot-condition plugs are designed for high current and cold-condition ones for low current (as some people mistakenly think). Eric (Smith) is correct, the difference with the notch is purely temperature rating; maximum current rating catered for by the standard is the same in each case. Be aware, however, that while there are few 6A hot-condition cables, there are quite a lot of 5A/6A cold-conditon ones; indeed they're the most common here, being supplied with every Sun, PC, monitor, network switch, and many domestic electronic devices. Don't chop a lump out of the edge of one of those and expect it to handle 10A safely. Look at the printing on the socket first. The second version is a little larger, has the pins at right angles to the pins in the 10A version, and is rated 16A. In the USA, both versions are allowed higher current ratings, so what you call a 20A version is what we rate for 16A here. This is a result of the USA using an inferior voltage standard, requiring higher currents and leading to greater losses :-) -- Pete Peter Turnbull Network Manager University of York