Power Brick And Plug Standarization

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Lessee power brick plug versus USB. Oooooooo one is rectangular an other round. I need to order CORD repair ends. Only there is like thirty different sizes. And the nearest Radio Shed is a 180 mile drive and a 3 hour wait crossing the border and twenty dollars worth of toll road fees.

The adaptaplug needs a special "other end".

So I guess there isn't an easier way to sort out plug ends, other than buy 120 of them at buck-fifty per at Frys Electronics.

Worry not. I seldom spring traps. (But a compelling desire to swerve and hit a rolling aluminum beverage can be also be described as a knee jerk reaction). Curious.

But this plug end nonsense is "not intelligent" a very polite way to put it.

So I ask again in plain English - I have perhaps seven or eight power bricks with bad ends and they all seem to be a different size. Limited to an eBay or Amazon purchase how would you resolve it?

To Gov "standardizations"..

Too much meddling now that makes life EXPENSIVE and often difficult..

There ARE INDUSTRY "standards" that designers can and often use, but, more often than not, designers will use specialty connectors to reduce the off chance of a clueless end user from destroying their device via stupidity by reaching for any old power supply that fits the socket

As far as your problem goes, deal with it..

Yeah, that sounds harsh but put on your big boy pants and do as other good smart techs will do.. Either tear apart the molded connector (yep, I HAVE done that) to get back to good wiring then repair the break and cover repair with heat shrink..

OR buy a NEW factory power supply and be done with the moaning.. New power supplies are often not all that expensive and often not much more than repair connectors..

IF you buy a new supply, then use a piece of heat shrink around the connector back a couple of inches on the wire.. This creates a strain relief and the break will happen a couple of inches away from the connector and makes repairing a snap down the road.. But do not overkill with multiple layers of heat shrink, that is a great way of breaking the devices input connector (IE this is a major problem with laptops).

OR...

Buy a new power supply then take EXTRA CARE of how YOU HANDLE the device..

I can't tell you just how many power supplies, USB cables and ear buds my teen DD has killed over the last few years and it is all about how careless she is with handling them.. There has been many times I felt like I needed to order CASES of USB cables and ear buds for her..

I never destroyed that many connectors in my entire lifetime..

I quit buying her the stuff, she breaks it, she PAYS for new cables and ear buds.. She doesn't break as much now

Number one thing is sharp bends, avoid them at all costs, don't set your device down on the power cord.. That is a quick way to destroy the small fragile wires that go into the plugs..