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cestlavie
04-03-2005, 03:50 AM
Hey Guys,

Got a pretty newbie-ish question here. I left my power cord at my apartment and over the spring break, I think one of my roommates misplaced it and totally lost track of it. Over the break, I used a computer cable to power my stuff. The problem here is that the female end of the power cord, the one that goes into the receiver accepts 3 prongs, but my receiver only has 2 prongs out. I took a look at the third hole, and it was a ground.

The question here, is should I buy a new cord, if so which cord, or am I going to be ok?

Rather not ruin a $1000 receiver over something as stupid as a power cord if you know what I mean.

Tia,
C'est

bikeman
04-03-2005, 06:45 AM
I use disposable receivers so I wouldn't hesitate to adapt the power cord du jour to the situation. But with a thousand dollar receiver I might have second thoughts? Power cords are pretty inexpensive so it might be worth peace of mind to get the exact cord.

David

Lou-the-dog
04-03-2005, 07:15 AM
That third hole is safety ground. If your reciever does not utilize a safety ground then you'll be OK with the 3 wire cord...the ground is simply inop in this situation. I'm surprised at the amount of gear out there that does not utilize a safety ground. My guess is that the manufacturers are trying to eliminate ground loop issues so they insulate the components adequately.

Randy

Lee Bailey
04-03-2005, 07:16 AM
As long as the power cord you are using has at least 14ga wire, you should be ok. Look at the jacket of the power cord, you should see something like 14/3(14ga, 3 conductor) somewhere. Since the receiver does not need the 3rd wire ground, it is not a problem if the cord supplies it.

cestlavie
04-03-2005, 10:21 AM
Thanks for the replies guys. So stuff like amps, current, and all that stuff doesn't really matter? I'll take a look at it when I get home next weekend (I'm in college right now).

Thanks for having replies that don't mention how I have to upgrade to XXX cable that is $1000, with silver conductor, and silver plating because it will make leaps and bounds in improvments, or at the very least...M******, which I can see why people hate more and more each day.

C'est

jimsiff
04-03-2005, 06:20 PM
Thanks for the replies guys. So stuff like amps, current, and all that stuff doesn't really matter? I'll take a look at it when I get home next weekend (I'm in college right now).

Thanks for having replies that don't mention how I have to upgrade to XXX cable that is $1000, with silver conductor, and silver plating because it will make leaps and bounds in improvments, or at the very least...M******, which I can see why people hate more and more each day.

C'est

Amps matter, but the 14/3 conductor that Lee mentioned will handle a 15 amp load. You wouldn't even draw 1/3 of that during normal use.

Upgraded power cords are a waste of money, IMO. If 14 and 12 gauge solid core Romex cable is good enough for in-wall, and heavy gauge aluminum cable is good enough for service entrance connections, then your basic shielded 14/2 or 14/3 stranded power cable is more than adequate for any device drawing less than 10 amps.

cestlavie
04-03-2005, 08:05 PM
Thanks you learn something new everyday