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Your Classic Guide to Buying Power Cords for Your Needs

Talk about the majorly used power cord types and you are sure to hear the names IEC and NEMA power cords. As you all know, NEMA – which stands for National Electrical Manufacturing Association is the body that is responsible for publishing international standards for different equipment and their interconnections. In today’s blog, we shall talk about NEMA & IEC power cords and provide you with some tips to consider when you want to buy them online.

Power Cord And Their Types

Looking at a power cord, you will see a single cable that has a pair of couplers on its ends. You can detach these ends from the device and electrical supply. Using it, you can connect a portable electronic device with the supply line. Also, it can easily pass through an extension cord or a wall socket.

Now let’s discuss its anatomy in detail. A power cord has two major parts – The Cable Plug and the male connector. One can connect the AC outlet for rendering electricity. The receptacle on the other end, also known as the female connector connects to the equipment. Search the internet and you will find an array of connector and interface types. But the IEC and NEMA Power Cords we are referring to are usually available in North America.

Now, let’s talk about the types.

National Electrical Manufacturing Association is responsible for certifying different cord types in North America and other countries. These cords have amperages from 15 to 60 and voltages from 125 to 600. It is also possible to create customized and non-interchangeable plug types based on voltage or amperage. You will find several types of NEMA plugs available in North America; out of which NEMA 1-15-P & NEMA 5-15-P and C14 to NEMA 5-15 Power Cords are the most popular ones. NEMA Type 1 has prong or a round pin underneath the two flat prongs; whereas NEMA type 5 makes use of 3rd pin when it comes to grounding.

Nema Power Cords

Let us acquaint you with two different types of NEMA Power Cords

NEMA 1-15-P Power Cord

The manufacturers of electronic devices and small appliances make use of ungrounded NEMA 1 plugs due to the low cost of design and compact size. Also, they are upward compatible with grounded NEMA5 receptacles.

NEMA 5-15-P Power Cord—Two-Pole With Ground Pin

NEMA 5-15-P is a 3-prong grounded device. Its connector comes with two flat parallel blades and a round ground pin which is situated above and between them. You can plug it into a standardized 110 VAC wall outlet. The female outlet of 5-15-P is known as 5-15-R.

And Now On To IEC Power Cords And Their Types

IEC Power Cords, either IEC320 Power Cords or IEC 60309 are available for different purposes, temperatures and in several earthing combinations. If you want to use these connecting couplers, you would have to just change the power cord that complies with the standards. Doing so will help you ensure that it has worldwide compatibility.

Take a look at different types of IEC Power Cords.

IEC 60320 Power Cord

IEC 60320 is an international standard embraced by several countries in the world. “320” depicts the number of specifications of the power connector. The IEC 60320 power cord types range from C1 to C24 and come with different blend voltage, temperature and current.

IEC 60320 C13 Vs. C15 Power Cord

IEC C15 is no different than C13 power cord but have few differences. The IEC-C15 connectors can connect to the C14 inlets. But IEC C13 connectors do not fit into the C16 inlets. IEC C15 connectors can work with high temperature devices including computer networking closets, electric kettles, server rooms as well as PoE switches that have high wattage power supply.

The standard IEC C13 on the other hand can run monitors, computers, printers, amplifiers as well as fixed configuration switches. They have a rating of 15A/250V (domestic) and 10A/250V (International) with the temperature rating of 70°C.

So, What Points Do I Need To Consider Before Buying IEC And NEMA Power Cords?

There are several points that you need to consider before buying power cords but it is of utmost importance to select a power cord that delivers high performance, both durability and speed wise.

Thereafter, you need to select the right plug for your country. For example, if you remove NEMA power cord from a cord set built from North American cables and replace it with a European plug - CEE 7/7 power cord; it will not be standardized for usage in Europe. Also, you need to check the voltage specifications as the wrong voltage might destroy your device as soon as you plug it in.

We hope that the above given points prove to be of good help when you choose to buy IEC and NEMA Power Cords online.

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Location: United States

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