The title says it all.
I have a project that will require connecting low current line voltage from a standard computer style 3 prong plug in the back panel to a DC power supply inside. The problem is that the two parts must be easily separable for disassembly—the power supply and back panel come in from different sides.
If Molex won’t work, then how can I have a tidy inline connector without the bulk of a full size power plug like on an extension cord?
Here is a Molex connector that will handle up to 600 volts. It doesn’t specify AC or DC, but with that much extra capacity, I can’t imagine that it would matter at 120V. But I’m not an electrician or EE.
Molex manufacture dozens, perhaps hundreds, of different types of connectors. Gonna need more info here.
I’d be thinking IEC C13/C14 or if it isn’t grounded then IEC C7/C8
That is a fancy wire nut. I’m looking for something to connect and disconnect wires.
Something like this set, which I have:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07YQMMBHP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
That would “work” in the sense it would carry the voltage no problem, but it wouldn’t be particularly safe. Those connectors are not designed with shielding you (and other components) from mains level voltage in mind.
And while I don’t think (all going well) they would arc over between active and neutral, they don’t have the sort of sure-fire separation that one would normally require for mains voltage.
Those connectors plus a lot of electrical tape to shield off any areas with somewhat exposed contacts would do the job in a "git 'er done!" way. Not best practice.
It’s not accurate, but at least among PC users, “Molex connector” is used as a name for this specific one:
I believe they’re all in the Molex 8981 series. According to this datasheet, they’re rated to 250 VAC:
Dunno if it would be my first recommendation, but it’s not an obviously bad choice, particularly if it’s internal.
Thanks folks. That is what I was looking for: the 250 VAC rating is good enough for me.
As to the sketchiness, this is in a piece of ancient equipment (the same Seeburg 1000 background music machines I am always asking for help on), and they already have mains voltage connected internally with two prehistoric Molex-style connectors from AMP. One connector is a 9 pin that goes from the turntable mechanism to the controls, and the second is a two-pin that connects the shaded-pole AC motor to the rest of the machine.
So as long as modern Molex is rated for it, I’m not adding more “sketch” than was already there.
ETA: I just looked up the datasheet from Molex for their standard 0.093" pin connectors and they are rated at 600V and 17A. Thanks for the Datasheet idea, that gave me the answer!
These are more common for mains voltage.
Its a better design so that the pins don’t have the same problems of the cheap design.
And they are a crappy design.
Well, the design choice to use that connector to power storage peripherals goes back to the 1976 Shugart SA-400 5.25" floppy disk drive, so it’s old enough to not care what you think of it.
As they say, the past is a strange foreign country and they do things differently there.
Compared to what? An Amphenol 38999? Well, yea. But I doubt the OP wants to spend a couple hundred bucks on a connector pair.
Molex connectors work fine for non-demanding/non-critical applications operating in relatively benign environments (no moisture, little or no vibe or shock, no temperature extremes, etc.).
Not compared to anything. The fact that they are such a pain in the ass to connect, with the loosely-placed pins moving around in the connector (and sometimes splitting) making them difficult or impossible to plug together.
No argument here. And that’s part of the reason they’re so inexpensive… they’re not designed for frequent mating/de-mating.
That looks exactly like one of the 3-pin connectors from my Molex bin. What is the nuance I am missing?
+1 on being essentially a wire nut. The pictured item is a copycat of a “wago” connector. They’re the source of religious wars among electricians. Some say the real ones made in Germany are far better than wire nuts, some say they’re terrible and start fires. I suspect it’s more that the real ones are excellent and the copies are bad.
I constantly have to remind myself that datasheets are out there. I’ll find myself Googling for some information, and a minute or two later realizing that all this information and more is right in the datasheet, easily available from the manufacturer.
When an established tradition changes to something newfangled, people will express fear uncertainty and doubt. Absolutely without exception.
Badly assembled wire nuts or other traditional connectors also caused fires.
I’ve used the real Wagoes and cheap knock offs and can’t tell the difference.