When and WHY were these invented? What was their general purpose? It seems that I see C7/C8 connectors on every printer and C13-C14 on every computer (desktops)… Was it such a big deal to use a non detachable cord? I hate these things, every now and again I replace them so they fit snugly, but they always fall out after a light tug after some time. It’s like a pet peeve. My biggest gripe is that they are NEVER LONG ENOUGH. I posted on here once regarding the safety of one plugged into an outlet, but the other end left unattached, I can see that as a safety feature, but really, what was wrong with having an unattachable cord? I can’t really see a problem with it. Is it because of the ability to replace it when traveling or something? If so, wouldn’t that be a problem using it in a power brick rated for different voltage?
I’m asking because I put my foot under the desk and accidentally rested it on the card and PLOP, off went the computer…
Looking more for like 8’ but that is awesome! I still am curious why those were invented over non detachable cords, was it for convenience or another purpose?
Once upon a time, there were no detachable cords. Then a brilliant person came up with the idea of detachable cords, so that one power supply could serve markets all over the world - only the cord needed to change. The Shipping department was happy, too, since it made packing the item much easier, without the cord attached. And, customers liked it, to, since they could replace cords that got damaged, or take their computer someplace without having to crawl under their desk to unplug it.
With a detachable power supply cord, OEMs are able to use a single, multi-voltage power supply in their products, regardless of where in the world they’re being shipped. Much easier and more economical for the packaging line to put a different power cord in the package, than to have a separate production run (and a separate part number with a separate BOM) of printers/PCs/_____ for markets with different voltages.
In my experience with them, they fit in pretty darn snugly. And you shouldn’t have the computer positioned where your feet can kick the cord if possible.
I’m thinking maybe he just had a bad batch or computer PSUs with a slightly larger than specified socket. Because when I plug one in to a computer, it feels snug. You have to wiggle it back and forth to even plug it in.
I’d bet exactly the opposite.
I see people not fully plugging in the cords frequently. When the socket is tight, and the person is fairly weak, they don’t push hard enough to seat it - just enough to make contact. These situations are prone to having the cords wiggle loose. This happened to my MIL just the other day. Her printer wasn’t working, and I asked her to check if it was plugged in, and she confirmed it was. When I checked, the IEC cord was, indeed, in the socket, but not far enough. I pushed it in all the way, and it took some effort - more than she was likely to give.