What's wrong with this picture? (Heh)

I agree and if it's using low voltage DC for control, than having something with Edison plug in doing so would be kind of stupid in asking for someone to plug it into 120v. AC.

Don't know what it was used for other than normally add a taps are used for small par cans as perhaps laid out along a wall to light the wall.

All that said, and in that we agree it's foolish to use such gear, much less use it in a professional setting, who knows what this gear was used for. Your guess is as good as mine.

Intent is that I found it curious to see this type of adaptor show up at the shop. I certainily know I did not buy it and it won't run off any of our gear. Much less I have not given out any zip cord or add a taps lately.

Perhaps in going back to the origional theory about this used for sound gear, could it have powered up a bunch of small speakers given 18ga cable at about 5' distances over say 50'? Granted it's an un-balanced plug.
 
Even so - there would be a fair amount of resistance in the cable when you take into account the number of taps. Also, even if using 16ohm boxes, you could only string 8 together before the total load reaches 2ohms. Most of the signal would go into heating up the cable.

As you say - any guess is as good as the next!
 
If a question for me, I took it home. We don't do sound and have no use for the found gear without any markings on it as to who to return it to. It's been added to my "wall of shame" in the end never to be used again. This as opposed to some against code but marked gear that came back from a show and is getting sent back. This sometimes with it taken apart or cut apart or with a little note on it saying why it's un-safe.
 
I have a feeling that this was meant to be more of a joke then anything. I think most people are smart enough to realize that it would be a bad idea to let someone plug their speaker directly into a 120 v plug (or the output from there amp).

I know a guy who, just for the fun of it, makes useless, pointless converters. I believe he has a 1/8 inch mini plug to stage pin plug.


Personally, I got a great laugh out of it. I just wonder what it would sound like if one plugged the speaker into the wall.....

EDIT: and this is me not noticing another 2 pages of comments. Sorry.
 
Ah, I'd forgotten about this post! Turns out, I asked the local sound company, the jacks and stuff he uses on those are an "obsolete" power connector, even the company he buys them from is stopping selling them, or has stopped, or something like that. Basically, he made it sound like no one would have anything around that could possibly run with a jack or plug like this nowadays. So, they are not 20 amp twistlocks.

also, all of his cabinets do have 1/4 jacks on them too. and the ones with thefunky connector are mainly floor monitors, he has a few EAW cabs that use some cable who's name I forgot, and he has some that use this other funky cable, and some others who use speakon. Neat guy, I had alot of fun talking and learning from him recently at an event I was at that he provided sound for.
 
i think its a pretty cool idea, im sure its not a smart idea but still its a cool idea.
 
When it comes down to fire marshalls or electrical inspectors, replacing an end on an extension is a minor offense, probably just a power trip in the case mentioned. In the case of the pictured adapter, I'm not an inspector but... not only would I cut them up and remove the useless pieces from the premesis, I would hunt down anyone and everone who had ever come into contact with them and have a SERIOUS discussion about the way to cable things.

As for the poor lout who implemented those, he should be drug out into the street and laughed at by pre-schoolers, but not before having to watch me blow up all his gear by utiilzing his creations.

This does remind me of a good laugh I had when taking a basic electronics course in college. The first time they taught the class, once the students learned to solder they were all about making their own adapters. Then it turned into a contest to see who could make up the most arcane piece. The winner was a three way splitter to connect MIDI, 3 phase AC, and 3 RCAs for AV. (Box in the middle with a 5 pin DIN on one side, 5 cam locks on another, and three RCA connectors on another)
 
Sauron974 said:
Nobody has addressed what quality of sound you would get out of these. I'm sure that the wire gauge is sufficient to carry the current, but
1) How shielded is that cable?
2) What happens when you coil a bunch of unshielded cable carrying current?

1) These adaptors are intended for connecting speakers to amp and therefore do not required to be shielded. Signal and data needs to be shielded. Think of the amplified signal as power, as this is exactly what it is and mechanically speaking, a speaker is just a motor.

2) Coiled power cable will not cause problems when coiled because you have current flowing in both directions and therefore will cancel each other out. There was a post some time ago in which DMXtools explains this a little better but the essence of his post was that the magnetic fields that people think will happen, causing a major melt down will in fact not happen.

What is more likely to affect the sound is bad solder joints or multiple connectors. This is why I convert all my amps, boxes and leads to use Speakon connectors. The more physical connections that you have, the more chance of introducing noise or degrading your sound. I have used adaptors to convert XLR to Speakon in the past, which I built myself and have never had any problems with but it is much easier to grab a speaker lead out of the road case and not have to dive in and find the right adaptor.

The gauge of the cable is also important as if the gauge is too small, then you are going to loose a lot of efficiency, as the cable becomes a small heater. Again this is posted elsewhere, along with the formula for calculating how much power is lost in running speakers on a cable of x gauge and y length.


BNBsound said:
As for the poor lout who implemented those, he should be drug out into the street and laughed at by pre-schoolers, but not before having to watch me blow up all his gear by utiilzing his creations.

:lol: you are an evil man Jon. Fair but evil :twisted:
 

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