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Idea for DC Plug and Jack — Parallax Forums

Idea for DC Plug and Jack

metron9metron9 Posts: 1,100
edited 2006-08-21 13:34 in General Discussion
I just got my SX package today, I wanted to get started working with it so I went to radio shack to get a walll wart with a plug that fits , 3 plugs seem to fit I picked Q it has too big of inside diamater as the led shows moving the plug is a bad connection.

"Q" mind you that's the 17th letter of the alphabet how many size DC jacks do we really need?

so the Idea is:

Small
Medium
and Large

Get rid of all of the other dozen sizes, it's a frikin joke.

Whew, good thing I have a bunch of 6V warts I bought that have a plug that actually fits.

It really is not good for people like me that have real problems with plumbing, I am ok with electrical stuff but plumbing, there are just way to many different sizes and it extends to DC jacks as well now I see.

Ok, going to install the software now after I have some quite time...

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Think outside the BOX!

Comments

  • DigitalManDigitalMan Posts: 42
    edited 2006-08-19 04:25
    When I went to Radio shack about a year or so ago, they had a bundle of labelled wires out with connectors to test which you needed. That bundle was <i>huge</i>.

    Personally, I think that if there must be so many sizes, they should just be called by numbers, preferably the outer diameter. Then it's easy enough to measure. And maybe the polarity. So a 5+ would be 5mm OD, center positive. Or something like that.

    *ponders* Wow, it just occured to me that some power plugs use mono audio-style plugs and jacks. I bought specific power plugs and jacks for no reason...

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    I think I shall assemble a circuit to run various·calculations, and control peripherals accordingly. I will give it some user input device, and perhaps a display screen to show data. But what would I call this device...
  • RDL2004RDL2004 Posts: 2,554
    edited 2006-08-19 11:56
    The number of different connectors used in the electronics industry borders on insanity. I'm talking about connectors in general, not just power connectors. The connector section in the Mouser catalog is nearly as big as the semiconductor section and way bigger than the passives section. It's ridiculous.

    I agree on the DC power connectors on wall warts. These have always seemed idiotic to me. Why wasn't just one picked as a standard long ago?

    I like the 2.1mm center positive that Parallax uses. Seems like a good choice for standardizing on, it would probably work fine for 99% of all applications.

    - Rick
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2006-08-21 02:45
    Interestingly enough the DC Jack we use is also the one listed in ExpressPCB (There seems to be only one, as I recall).

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    Chris Savage
    Parallax Tech Support
    csavage@parallax.com
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2006-08-21 12:08
    The ONE good thing about this diversity is that there's less danger of users plugging the wrond Wall-wart/PSU/Charger into an expensive piece of equipment...

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    Don't visit my new website...
  • metron9metron9 Posts: 1,100
    edited 2006-08-21 13:34
    Somebody said...
    The ONE good thing about this diversity is that there's less danger of users plugging the wrond Wall-wart/PSU/Charger into an expensive piece of equipment...

    I don't buy that, Three of the connectors (one of them I thought was the correct size) fit the outside dimention, but the inside dimention was too large. The real point here from the diversity standpoint is just the opposit of your point. Because there are so many sizes they have come up with the removable tip. Now this removable tip will fit on ANY VOLTAGE and it can be plugged in REVERSE VOLTAGE as well (center+ or center-). Another thing you assume in the above point is that two wall warts 6V and 12V would then have only 2 different plugs, that is not the case.

    I have right on my desk a 12V AC 250ma wart with the exact same plug as the 6V DC 2 Amp wart that I am using to power the SX board.

    If there was a different plug/Jack size for each voltage then you would be correct and one could specify a 6V DC plug instead of a 2.1mm inside x 3.x outside dim or plug A thru Q.

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    Think outside the BOX!
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