Why does the theatre use 2P&G? What are the advantages? It would seem that either the Edison (for it's common-ness?) or the Twist-Lock (safety - won't come apart) would have more advantages.
This is something I've been wondering for a while now.
I don't have a problem with twistlock, it's great. You typically don't have to worry about it coming apart (great for vertical runs when you have no pin splitter) and nobody is going to plug their CD player into it.
Where are you buying your plugs from, because I want in on that.
cdub260 said:I have worked in venues that use L5-20 twist-lock connectors, and they most certainly do come apart, far more easily than a 2P&G with properly spread pins. Oh, when they're new they stay together just fine, but as they age and take abuse, they seem to lose that ability. There will be disagreement on this subject, but I feel that the 2P&G is a more robust connector, better able to handle the rigors of stage use.
Not everyone knows how to do it, or that it has to be done. And with the design of the stagepin connector, if the pins are partially exposed it doesn't take much for it to go BOOM. That's why the pins of a twistlock are oriented in the way they are."As long as the pins are split correctly"
to clear up a misconception about edison connectors, 20amp ones dont have any better current carrying capacity over a 15amp connector. The pins are the same, just oriented differently in the male, and one contact in the female is T shaped, but again has the same current carrying capacity. The only reason these two different devices exist is to keep appliances that need a 20amp circuit from being plugged into a 15amp circuit.
Hopefully no one is using the cheapo hardware store edison connectors, should only be using hubbell or leviton (I prefer leviton as the strain relief accomodates 12/3 SO better than the hubbell) 5266 / 5269 series.
The electrical code states that you cannot use a 5-15 on a 20-amp circuit. The main exception is with hospital grade, where you MUST use 12awg wire.
And those cheapo connectors REALLY should not be used with 12awg wire nor on 20a circuits. There are three grades of 5-15s that I am familiar with, residential grade, commercial grade and hospital grade.
The T-shaped ones you talked about are 5-20RAs. The electrical code recognisances them as a 20a receptacle that is allowed to have 15a loads connected.
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