AC transformer brick clutter - what's your solution?

  • Thread starter Thread starter spoon2001
  • Start date Start date
S

spoon2001

I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into them.
They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got a bad
thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?

I saw some interesting stuff under the "Power Sentry" label. Owned by
Fiskars.
 
spoon2001 said:
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into
them. They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got
a bad thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real
mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?

I saw some interesting stuff under the "Power Sentry" label. Owned by
Fiskars.
Click to expand...


Some people use 12" extension cords to allow use of all slots
 
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into them.
They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got a bad
thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?

I saw some interesting stuff under the "Power Sentry" label. Owned by
Fiskars.
Click to expand...


You can buy 12 inch long "extension cords" that allow you to use all
the sockets in you power strip, but it makes the wiring even uglier.

You can get power strips up to 6 ft long with power plugs 6 inches
apart. I frequently screw them on the wall behind a workbench or
under a desk. WireMold is the big brand and Home Depot has them.
Here's a pic;

http://www.wiremold.com/www/commercial/products/images/application_photos/2000.jpg

You could buy two and screw them to the wall with the socket
placememnt offset by 3 inches. That would give you as many as
24 sockets in a 6 ft space.
 
philo said:
Some people use 12" extension cords to allow use of all slots
Click to expand...

Cyberguys (cyberguys.com - no connection except being a customer) has
what they call a "Liberator", which is basically a 12" extension cord --
and a variant which is a 12" Y extension which lets you hang two warts
in the space of one plug. Got a few of them and they save a lot of space.
 
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into
them. They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got
a bad thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real
mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?
Click to expand...

Google for something called "The Octopus" or something similar. It is
like an AC strip, but has individual cords for each outlet. Kinda looks
like an Octopus.

Saw an ad for this. I don't remember where. Sorry.
 
Won't say it's the best idea but it's worked the best for me, so far. Take
an extension cord, cut out a center section then put a female crimp-on
receptacle at one side of the cut and a male crimp-on plug on the other. Now
you have 2 ext cords of whatever length you make them. Most of mine are
3-6", just enough to get them off the power strip. A lot of low current
outlets can be added this way.
Still a mess, but better.
YMMV
 
ric said:
Google for something called "The Octopus" or something similar. It is
like an AC strip, but has individual cords for each outlet. Kinda
looks like an Octopus.

Saw an ad for this. I don't remember where. Sorry.
Click to expand...

I think you may mean the PowerSquid, shown here:

http://tinyurl.com/9s4hu
 
spoon2001 said:
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into them.
They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got a bad
thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?

I saw some interesting stuff under the "Power Sentry" label. Owned by
Fiskars.
Click to expand...

I'm working on a plug reducing plan. Started when I put a 12VDC power
supply in a SFF PC - since I have a 12VDC 20A supply running for
amateur radio gear, tapping a lead for the SFF PC was not hard.

Then I got an auto adaptor for the laptop. Another tap from the 12
supply, two fewer AC plugs to find outlets for.

Now am looking and find that 99% of the power cubes are 12VDC out.
Ahh. Only need to find some cords with mating plugs then trace out the
polarity to make pigtails. Got the pigtail cords from a collection of
power adaptors I have collected but have no idea what they were for
originally.

Eventually move all the accessories to their own 12V power supply.
Part of the reason for this whole thing is that some cheap power
adaptors can cause radio interference - not something I want. Using a
higher quality power supply to power all the 12V thingies eliminates
electrical noise, and reduces them all to one AC plug.
 
spoon2001 said:
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into them.
They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got a bad
thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real mess.

any recommendations for a power "strip" that would take maybe 8 of these
nuisance bricks? For a reasonable price?

I saw some interesting stuff under the "Power Sentry" label. Owned by
Fiskars.
Click to expand...
Plug in a second power strip, into your original power strip if
necessary, but using the other half of the wall plug is probably safer.
Fastening them to the back of the desk just below desk top level (or to
the underside of the desk) keeps them accessible but out of site and
helps to reduce wire clutter.

John
 
Fry's/Outpost.com has electrical cords that are about 1' long that allows
you to plug the brick into the cord, and then the cord into you power strip.
 
I use a power strip designed to be use on a work bench. goes on the wall
about 31/2 feet long X 1 1/2 wide. It has 8 outlets
 
spoon2001 said:
I've got maybe 10 of these transformers that have the plug built into them.
They take up two slots or more on a standard power strip. I've got a bad
thing going here, daisy chaining one power strip to another. A real mess.
Click to expand...

Basic power strips are cheap, the specialize ones with more space
between connectors are more expensive.

Since most of these wall warts are for fairly low current, if they are
for +5V or +12V, or both, you can wire the devices up to be powered off
the PC's power supply, using the standard 4 pin Molex connectors.

See "http://store.yahoo.com/svcompucycle/pcimolex-17.html" for a PCI
card edge bracket with three outlets.

I run a 15" LCD panel off the PC's 12V power, and I have a Molex to
proprietary cable for an external hard drive, for when I use it.
 
Justice said:
I'm working on a plug reducing plan. Started when I put a 12VDC power
supply in a SFF PC - since I have a 12VDC 20A supply running for
amateur radio gear, tapping a lead for the SFF PC was not hard.

Then I got an auto adaptor for the laptop. Another tap from the 12
supply, two fewer AC plugs to find outlets for.

Now am looking and find that 99% of the power cubes are 12VDC out.
Ahh. Only need to find some cords with mating plugs then trace out the
polarity to make pigtails. Got the pigtail cords from a collection of
power adaptors I have collected but have no idea what they were for
originally.

Eventually move all the accessories to their own 12V power supply.
Part of the reason for this whole thing is that some cheap power
adaptors can cause radio interference - not something I want. Using a
higher quality power supply to power all the 12V thingies eliminates
electrical noise, and reduces them all to one AC plug.
Click to expand...

I run as many devices as possible off the PC power supply using 4 pin
male Molex connectors and one of those PCI card edge brackets with
female Molex connectors (see
http://store.yahoo.com/svcompucycle/pcimolex-17.html).

With a 400W supply I have plenty of +12V and +5V capacity. And of course
another advantage is that everything is turned on and off with the PC.
 
Back
Top