Socapex Patch

[Apmccandless]

This is a patch panel I just purchased used. I was told this was an Edison patch. On the back of the panel the socapex neutrals are attached to a neutral bus bar. The grounds are soldered together on the connector and then they are bonded to a ring terminal with a ground lead. How are the brass crimps pictured in this image patched into Edison dimmers. The rack is 3 NSI DDS 9800 with edison outputs on the rear. I have checked the dimensions of the brass crimps and they are the same dimensions as a hot terminal on an Edison socket. The only method I can discern to patch this into a dimmer is to plug each of the crimps into the hot conductor of a dimmer. This seems unsafe. Is there a patch panel missing from this equation? Also does it comply with code to have the neutral bus and grounds attached to the socapex panel and tied into the neutral bus on the rack or does each neutral need to be connected to the dimmer pack? Also all of the conductors on this panel are Machine Tool Wire (type MTW) is this code compliant for internal wiring for a stage switchboard?

 

[Amiers]

I would do two things.

Call the person you bought it from and ask them who dismantled it. Then call them and have them come out and hook it up, with an electrician present.

 

[Footer]

IF that patch panel was installed in the dimmer rack itself then yes... you could bus the neutrals. However, you can not do that outside of the dimmer rack. Every neutral needs to be run back to the dimmer individually due to harmonics. If this was that easy our socapex cable would be much lighter because we would only need 9 conductors vs the 14 we commonly use.

That copper wedge is NOT a UL listed connector and therefore should NOT be used by itself to hook up to the hot side of the dimmer. You would then need to figure out how to get your neutral to the bus bar and how to get the ground to ground, legalities aside. This looks like an awful Frankenstein of a patch panel.

Send it back and get your money back. There is no way to even come close to making that thing comply with anything close to NEC. Other option would be to d-solder everything and get a proper ground, neutral, and hot into an edison connector. Depending what you paid for it you need to decide what is cheaper.

 

[Apmccandless]

I only paid $10 per socapex connector. I am fine if I have to resolder these to make a code compliant patch. The dimmers are all installed into a rack and share a common neutral so harmonics should not come into play in this instance. I am more writing to determine what kind of patch bay might have used these. I have seen people do things in the past that seemed unsafe but after discussion and research I discovered to be compliant.

 

[theatricalmatt]

Some dimmers are supplied with terminal strips (as opposed to Edison, stagepin, or socapex receptacles). I'd imagine you would lug the end of the socapex thing you've got onto the appropriate connector on the terminal strip.

I can see the temptation to get an inexpensive solution. I think I would've just gotten a socapex breakin with Edison connectors.

 

[Footer]

I only paid $10 per socapex connector. I am fine if I have to resolder these to make a code compliant patch. The dimmers are all installed into a rack and share a common neutral so harmonics should not come into play in this instance. I am more writing to determine what kind of patch bay might have used these. I have seen people do things in the past that seemed unsafe but after discussion and research I discovered to be compliant.

Harmonics can come into play on any system... and the second the neutral is undersized by improperly busing them together you can really throw yourself into some big issues. You need to have every single circuit connected to each dimmer at the pack with an equal sized neutral, hot, and ground. No exceptions. There is nothing in section 520 of the NEC that allows for sharing a neutral between dimmers outside of the rack itself.

There never has been a legal patch pay that used these connectors. There has never been a connector designed to only grab the hot from a 5-15 connector like you have. If this rig walked into my building it would be put back on the truck.

 

[epimetheus]

I'm with Footer on this one. That's not a safe nor code compliant patch panel. Neutrals can be bussed, but inside a listed device, where the main neutral is engineered to be of adequate size. This is what you find inside most dimmers, but that's the key, inside. As others have said, for that patch panel to be safe and code compliant it needs each circuit's hot, neutral, and ground brought out in a separate connector or to terminal strips in the dimmer pack.

 

[JD]

Looks like soft copper tubing and vise-grips. Maybe it was designed to be used with a terminal strip to prevent strand cut. Can't imagine to plug into the Edisons by design. Possibly the first owner found he could stick them in there and did that. However, the two screws per Soca may indicate there was a screw loose in the builder. If it was for a terminal strip, that would explain the common neutral as it was only for mounting inside an engineered assembly. Not the type of thing that should be sold on its own IMHO.

 

[Apmccandless]

Thanks guys, sounds like what I expected. I have some soldering to do. Does anyone know about the compliance of the MTW wire?

 

[Footer]

Thanks guys, sounds like what I expected. I have some soldering to do. Does anyone know about the compliance of the MTW wire?

You are going to have to replace it... the edison connector you buy won't be rated to have multiple insulated conductors ran into it.

 

[MikeJ]

Is there another panel with female sockets that is not shown here? if not it seems that you only have half of what you need.