The History of Electrical Sockets and Plugs

globeHave you ever wondered why there are so many different sockets and plugs and cords when you travel the world?  I often hear friends complaining about blowing sockets out when they go overseas, or about having to buy so many different adapters when traveling.

“Clark, why can’t they all be the same?” they ask me. “Why haven’t power cords been standardized?”

There is a long answer and a short answer.  The short answer is they have.  The long answer is where we start our story. Don’t yawn! While this tale may seem simple, it is a hallowed story marked by patent corruption, war, and colonialism… Continue reading The History of Electrical Sockets and Plugs

The Auto-Lock®: Guaranteeing a Steadfast Connection

C14_C19_5287Some people have two left feet.  I believe that I have two left feet and a third invisible foot that exists only to trip me in very important moments. It’s an issue. During my senior prom, while showing off my signature Hammer moves, I tripped and unplugged the DJ booth and all of the lights, resulting in complete darkness and silence for about ten minutes. In college, while rushing to finish a project, I tripped over a power cord in the computer lab which turned off every single computer, resulting in a sprint for my life as a mob of caffeinated procrastinators chased me through the quad at 3 am. I have ruined countless presentations, proposals, and parties.

For some industries, the importance of maintaining constant power is far more important than my two left feet. Hospitals need to ensure that power can be supplied to operating room machinery seamlessly. Storage facilities need to supply power to all of their mainframes. The OEM marketplace is well aware of the necessity of power supply. But how do you guarantee this? Continue reading The Auto-Lock®: Guaranteeing a Steadfast Connection

The Epic Rotating Power Strip

I will be the first to admit it; I am a compulsive organizer.

I like things neat and together.  My clothes are organized by function, then color coordinated.  My papers are in neat piles, with straight lines highlighted for useful information.  My kitchen could easily pass for a set for the Food Network.  However, one area in which my meticulousness continues to fail me is my power cords.

Power strips always frustrated me.  One slightly larger plug would overtake two outlets!  I never was able to fully utilize them without attaching another power strip, which just seemed redundant.  Fortunately for me, Quail Electronics came to my rescue, with the new rotating power strip. Continue reading The Epic Rotating Power Strip

Polarized: It’s Not Just for Sunglasses

Polarization often reminds people of sunglasses, but it’s actually an electrical term as well! Who knew? (Well, I did, but I’m the exception, not the rule). My knowledge of polarization was particularly useful the other day. I was playing a casual game of croquet with my friend, Quincy Quail, when he started complaining about plugs to me, of all things.

“What’s the point,” he asked, “of having those 2 little prong things different sizes? I always try to plug lamps and things like that in, and I end up doing it backward! It’s so frustrating!”

I realized that many people must have this problem and that as a power cord blogger, I have a responsibility to the world to make sure people are getting the most out their sockets, and understand why their plugs are the way they are.

Continue reading Polarized: It’s Not Just for Sunglasses

American Wire Gauge vs. International Wire Size

If you grew up in Am1 CONDUCTOR_GREEN_YELLOWerica, meters and millimeters are basically a foreign language.  When I used to read a ruler growing up, I didn’t bother using the centimeter side. Actually, I didn’t even know why it was there. Thinking about it, the one on my desk now doesn’t even have centimeters (I should probably fix that). However, if you grew up on the other side of the pond (or anywhere else for that matter), the metric system is alive and well.

Well with International and North American wire size, it can be just as confusing. For North America, I never understood why as the wire got larger, the number got smaller. Why is 18 AWG smaller than a 10 AWG? Well, back in the day the gauge was determined by how many times the wire had to pass through the drawing dies. The smaller wire, such as 18 AWG, is going to have to pass through more times than the 10 AWG. Actually, makes sense, right? Continue reading American Wire Gauge vs. International Wire Size

Celebrating 25 Years in Business

Logo-OrbSome people need universal power cords to operate their servers, some people need 10 gauge power cords to operate something a little stronger or some people might need a Schuko plug power cord for their company in Europe. Whatever you may need we have the variety out there covered for you. Quail Electronics, Inc. has been one of the world leaders in power cords since 1988. With our expertise in the business, our company thrives on meeting all your expectations about power cords.

We have many options for Domestic, International and Medical markets. Domestic cords have UL and CUL approval and the international cords have the appropriate approvals for their area. All of our hospital grade cords are Green Dot approved which means they went through rigorous testing by Underwriters Laboratories.

Continue reading Celebrating 25 Years in Business