Local power cable source (NEMA 5-15 to IEC C19)

[Ben Scott]

On 5/1/07, Bill McGonigle <bill at bfccomputing.com> wrote:
>> The C19/20 connectors are rated for 16A minimum, while a 5-15
>> outlet is rated for 15A max.  ... potentially allow you to exceed the
>> maximum safe current rating of one end of the device.
>
> Maybe Paul could be lucky and have 20 amp outlets at his site.
[...]
> Then he'd have a 16 to 20 cord, which I'd guess is safe (but probably
> violates code somewhere, right?).

  I've wondered about that sort of thing before.  You can plug a 15
amp, NEMA 5-15P plug into a 20 amp, 5-20R receptacle.  Now, the 15 amp
device is going to be rated at 15 amps, but the 20 amp plug is going
to have 20 amp over-current protection ("circuit breaker").  Say the
5-15P device is one of those one-to-three power splitter cubes.  Now
one can plug 20 amps worth of equipment into a 20 amp circuit, and the
over-current protection will not activate, but the 15 amp splitter
might well burn up.

  Now, the code doesn't have to make sense.  For that matter, "the
code" isn't "the"; code can vary wildly from one jurisdiction to the
next.  But one point-of-view might be that just because something
might be dangerous doesn't mean it isn't still otherwise valid and
useful.    Look at the aforementioned splitter: Fire guys frown upon
them, because they can be easily abused, but they're perfectly safe if
used for low-current devices.  So they're not illegal, just
suboptimal.  Your scenario might be another one of those cases.

  But IANAFI (I Am Not A Fire Inspector).

-- Ben