Neutrik powerCON TRUE1 Safety Notice
- Thread starterSTEVETERRY
- Start date
Lyle Williams
Well-Known Member
Thanks for passing this on. I think a connector would need to be very worn, but the consequences are pretty scary.
In temporary builds the electrical bonding of metalwork is pretty inconsistent. People also don't like 6mA RCD/GFCI devices due to nuisance trips.
A live-to-chassis fault will hang around waiting to kill someone.
In temporary builds the electrical bonding of metalwork is pretty inconsistent. People also don't like 6mA RCD/GFCI devices due to nuisance trips.
A live-to-chassis fault will hang around waiting to kill someone.
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STEVETERRY
Well-Known Member
This photo shows a brand-new connector pair that was successfully mismated in an experiment. There was no wear on the connectors, and it did not take much force or fiddling to mismate them. The connectors cannot twist as in a normal mating, but the contacts are indeed misconnected in a potentially unsafe manner. The easiest way for this mismating to happen is if the mating path between the connectors is not in-line--a possible scenario that could indeed occur on top of a ladder with a poor view of the two connectors, for example.
Be careful.
ST
DavidJones
Well-Known Member
This fight against Darwin is real.
I had a guy jam a blue powercon into a white one once. That was fun.
Really not good you can do this easily with new connectors. This could easily happen 6:30am in the middle of hanging 250 ice cold fixtures on cold truss with gloves on.... and you won't figure out what happened until the truss is 40' in the air.... and with a person who has never seen these new fangled devices.
Really not good you can do this easily with new connectors. This could easily happen 6:30am in the middle of hanging 250 ice cold fixtures on cold truss with gloves on.... and you won't figure out what happened until the truss is 40' in the air.... and with a person who has never seen these new fangled devices.
ptero
Active Member
I thought I had seen/heard that the powercons are not rated to be made or unmade while power is on. Is that indeed true? My practice is to power down if doing so, frinstance during a focus to shift a fixture that would require unplugging. We do power down to make such changes. Others have shrugged and said they do not power down and it all seems to work fine. I could see short term happiness but long term still causing accumalative damage w/a little arcing each time. Just wondering what is true and what other folks' practices are. Thanks in advance for any insights.
IIRC I've only mismated a True1 once, and it was a pain to get out of the video panel.
PowerCon (Blue/white) is indeed NOT rated for live disconnect, so yes, if possible, it would be prudent to use the fixture's power switch before disconnecting. On the other hand, True1 is, which is probably the main reason that most manufacturers are using it on all new lights, regardless fixtures intended IP rating.
Lyle Williams
Well-Known Member
I don't have any True1 connectors and I am stunned that mismating is possible with new connectors.
If you have these in your fleet you need to inform all your staff and put a written policy in place to prevent an occurance. (Eg, policy that prohibits use by untrained people and prohibits blind plugging)
If you have these in your fleet you need to inform all your staff and put a written policy in place to prevent an occurance. (Eg, policy that prohibits use by untrained people and prohibits blind plugging)
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DavidJones
Well-Known Member
I have used True 1 right from the start. I have never had this issue, It appears that it would take a fair amount of force to do this with new connectors, and even worn ones would take some effort. That being said I have had "stage hands" plug in NL4 upsidedown(I would have thought that this was impossible, the entire connector plate had to be disassembled and both connector and jack thrown away), 5-pin XLR plugged into ethercon, 5-pin plugged into 3-pin jacks(there were NO pins left on the connector). Ground wires tied into hot legs on 400 amp panels, and probably a half dozen electricians that did not know you have to twist cam locks.
It's been said before, "You Can't Fix Stupid," but you can send out a bulletin asking people not to do stupid things, and hopefully reduce your liability.
It's been said before, "You Can't Fix Stupid," but you can send out a bulletin asking people not to do stupid things, and hopefully reduce your liability.
I encountered one professional stagehand who didn't know one needs to twist TWIST-locks. It's right there in the name! But obviously this hand didn't know the name either.
GreyWyvern
Well-Known Member
Make something idiot-proof, you'll find a better idiot!
Hi!
I've come across this thread whilst doing some further reading for university. Could anyone share a video of them mismating the two connectors? When I start to search online all I get is shopping options.
I'm doing a technology/events management course and think this could be an interesting case study.
Thank you!
J
I've come across this thread whilst doing some further reading for university. Could anyone share a video of them mismating the two connectors? When I start to search online all I get is shopping options.
I'm doing a technology/events management course and think this could be an interesting case study.
Thank you!
J
I bought a male and female cable connector last week and I haven't been able to mismate them. I guess I must have some of the new design.
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