splitting the mains

[zappedagain]

What are your preferred techniques for splitting the mains (AC lines - hot, neutral, and ground) once they come into a chassis?

I have a system that brings power in through an IEC-620 filtered inlet and has to feed two power supplies in a 19" rack-mount enclosure. I wire from the inlet to the first supply, and have two wires crimped into that contact to daisy-chain the mains over to the next power supply. I could crimp two wires at the inlet contact and have a star configuration instead of a daisy chain, but I'm still not thrilled with multiple wires in a crimp contact. Am I overly concerned or is that as unreliable as I'm imagining?

I can bring the mains to some multi-tab terminal strips, but that leave the mains a bit exposed within the chassis; I'm not thrilled with that either.

What's your experience/recomendations?

Z

 

[ScottyUK]

Something like these connectors perhaps? They're popular in the white goods market where quick assembly and low cost are as important as reliability. Reliability is fairly good as long as they are not mated and unmated too many times.

http://www.radionics.ie/electronic-components-ie/1/42042451-PIDG-PIGGYBACK-BLU-025IN.html

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Sometimes I only open my mouth to swap feet...

 

[VEBill]

"...multi-tab terminal strips, but that leave the mains a bit exposed..."

Those black terminals strips with the big flat-head slot screws are pretty 1930s. The newer (geesh, 1970s) white ones are pretty much totally enclosed. Sorry I can't recall or never knew the proper names for these items.

 

[logbook]

I share your concern. The issue is not so much reliability but safety ... in terms of meeting the relevant regulations.

Piggy backing the mains terminals with fastons is not ideal either.

How about hard-wiring the end at the mains inlet, ie soldering two wires to each terminal. They would of course need to be wrapped joints to satisfy the regulations.

 

[zappedagain]

Scotty - Thanks. I've never seen a connector like that! It looks like a viable solution.

log - I'm not sure if you are referring to soldering into the crimp terminal. I have a coworker who swears against it because he said all the stress ends up where the solder stops so the connections tend to break at that point. Does anybody make faston terminals designed for soldering?

Z

 

[ScottyUK]

I have seen them soldered, which I suspect is a very different thing from them being designed to be soldered. I'm not aware of any that are specifically designed to be soldered but if they do exist they will almost certainly be listed by the like of AMP or Thomas & Betts. Why would you want to solder them, other than the comically high costs of the OEM crimp tools?


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I don't have an attitude problem. You have a perception problem...

 

[logbook]

zapped,
no I meant directly soldering to the faston spade that comes out of the IEC inlet. Sometimes they have a hole in them to poke wires through which makes it easier. The only problem is possibly over-heating the faston when soldering.

I wouldn't put two wires into a faston crimp recepticle and then solder it. Ugh!

 

[ssn596]

QUOTE
Something like these connectors perhaps? They're popular in the white goods market where quick assembly and low cost are as important as reliability. Reliability is fairly good as long as they are not mated and unmated too many times.

http://www.radionics.ie/electronic-components-ie/1/42042451-PIDG-PIGGYBACK-BLU-025IN.html

UNQUOTE

Well they may be OK for the assembly guys, they are good for me because I am in maintenance and they provide me lots of job security in trouble shooting problem resolution work.

Better yet use those nylon plug bodies. We spend hours chasing down bad connections inside those.
Dan Bentler

 

[davidbeach]

Dan,

You can use the [ignore]

and

[/ignore]tags to put material in quotes like;

Well they may be OK for the assembly guys, they are good for me because I am in maintenance and they provide me lots of job security in trouble shooting problem resolution work.

The was created using
[ignore]

Well they may be OK for the assembly guys, they are good for me because I am in maintenance and they provide me lots of job security in trouble shooting problem resolution work.

[/ignore] (This used [ignore][ignore] and [/ignore][\ignore] tags to make the other tags visible.)

 

[zappedagain]

Dan - do you see reliability issues in your work, or assembly issues where an installer put the second lug on the wrong contact? This sounds like an interesting area so please explain more.

Log - ah, soldering to the lug makes more sense. Thanks.