Coiled VS. Coiled

Picture this: you’re in need of some power cords. You call Quail Electronics requesting a coiled cord. The sales representative asks you, “would you like a coiled cord or for your cords to be packaged in a coiled form?” Well, now you’re confused, thinking ‘what’s the difference?’ Today I will be explaining coiled vs. coiled.

First, we have coiled as in the way it’s packaged. For example, you can have your cords packaged in a form which can either be hanked (often described as a figure 8 wrapping) see Image 1,   hanked

OR you can have them coiled as a “loop,” as shown in Image 2image 2

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How to Crimp Terminals

I bet you’re wondering what an electrical terminal is. A terminal is the point at which the conductor of an electrical component comes to an end and provides connection to external circuits.

And how do we crimp terminals, you ask?
Let me explain. The word crimping, in this context, means to combine two pieces of metal together by deforming one (or both) to hold the other. It’s called “crimp” because of the deformity.

You’ll need a crimping tool in order to correctly crimp connectors onto the wire. Please remember that pliers are NOT crimpers! To verify that you have the right crimper, the crimper Continue reading How to Crimp Terminals

How an Electrical Cable is made

The world of electricity can be very complicated. But what about electricity do we in fact know? Well, we do know electrical cables are designed to carry current from one element to another. What we DON’T know is how an electrical cable is even made. Of course, as always, I am here to help with any confusion!

An electrical cable consists of conductors, which is an uninsulated wiHow an electrical cable is made 1re suitable for carrying electrical current. Electrical conductors are made up of metals such as, copper, aluminum, etc. Most wires are made out of copper because it conducts electricity with high flexibility and very little resistance.

Electrical wires come in solid core, stranded, or braided together to form a single assembly, where the ends connect to two devices, therefore, allowing the electrical signals to transfer from one device to the other. Continue reading How an Electrical Cable is made

AC & DC — For Those about to Flow We Salute You!

Ever wonder how the Aussie band AC/DC got their name? Or what makes it possible for them to ROCK and ROLL?

There are two types of current flow in a circuit: Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC).

Have you ever sat down and looked over at your desk lamp and thought, “how does the light come on?” Well, just like every home and office, AC power comes in through the power lines to your home and is what is available to pDifference ACDC 1ower outlets. AC stands for Alternating Current. Your lamp is being powered by AC because of the direction of the flow of electrons. There is a rotating magnet along the wire which causes the electrons to keep switching directions forward and backward. Also, the amount of energy that can be carried through alternating current is easy and also economical to transfer over longer distances and provides more power.

For example: here’s your power plant. It can yield 1 million watts of power. How does this work? Well there’s a way to Continue reading AC & DC — For Those about to Flow We Salute You!

Why You Shouldn’t Buy Male to Male Cords

I’ve read several stories on why people choose to purchase and/or make these male to male power cords, but for some reason, they’re referred to as “suicide cables.”

male to male 1Why? See, power cords have two ends: the male and the female end. The male end is the plug and the female end is the receptacle. When you plug the male end into a wall outlet, the female end or connector is ready to be plugged into a device or equipment, which will allow the electricity to flow through. That is a safe connection. BUT, if you plug the male end into an outlet and have a male plug on the other end, this leaves an exposed conductor (which is the biggest NO-NO).

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