Talk:DC connector/Archive 1

Minor stylistic note
Following ISO 31-0 and the SI style guide for writing units, please write a voltage always as in "9 V", not "9V" or even "9v". The suffix "DC" is rather redundant in an article about DC connectors ...


 * We have our own style guidelines for units, though the outcome is the same in this case. — Omegatron 19:08, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Nokia Cell Phones
Nokia lists "DC-4 compatible charger" and similar numerical references (1-5 perhaps?). Iggynelix 02:34, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Are these equivalent to EIAJ RC-5320A 01-05 standards?
 * Are there U.S. compliance/compatibility considerations (outside the obvious voltage ranges)?

Spam tag
The Manufactures section is in my opinion, spam. I followed the link from the spam cleanup page, and am thinking that deleting that section would be a good idea.

However, I do also think that the author(s) of that section did so on good faith, but are inadvertently advertising those companies as companies that sell stuff, which is not encyclopedic. Please can somebody else advise / take action. Thanks, Stwalkerster 21:54, 7 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I'm the editor who added the spam tag. The problem I saw was that I couldn't think of a way to determine which ones were notable.  Personally, I think only the Powerpole, the Molex, and the round barrel connecter are notable.  But that's because they're notable to me.  At the VERY least, any site that exists solely to provide replacement laptop parts should probably be removed.  --Mdwyer 21:46, 8 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I'm the editor that added many of those links (and who added the PowerPole section, the EIAJ section, and the Adaptaplug matrix and cross-references), and did not intend the links as spam, but as a good source of reference material for use by others and myself in continuing to refine this page. I have used all or nearly all in my research. Perhaps moving the list to References would be more appropriate?


 * I believe it is still an important resource, but presenting it differently may avoid it seeming as spam, such as making more of the links point to specific DC connector pages and data sheets, instead of the home page. --Peter K. Sheerin, K6WEB 00:12, 25 March 2007 (UTC)


 * After looking at the lists again, and realizing how many had been added after my initial list that do indeed seem to be spam, I went through the list to find the notable ones and created links specific to DC connectors and placed them in the references section, where their purpose is much clearer and useful.


 * Thus, I deleted the Manufacturers section.


 * I'm leaving the Distributors and Laptop section for now to provoke further comments. Perhaps the laptop information is useful enough it should be its own page? It could contain a table listing which connectors each major manufacturer uses. --Peter K. Sheerin, K6WEB 04:50, 25 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Thank you very much for adding (and maintaining!) that information. I've got an Icom with a scorched diode because I used the wrong powerpoles, once.  Actually, it looks like there's enough information, there, to spin Powerpole off to its own article.  If I find some time, I'll try to do just that.  --Mdwyer 19:59, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

I deleted the section (renamed Sources since this discussion began). I had previously moved the useful links to the References section. If there is enough desire to restore the section on laptop power connectors, I'd like to suggest that it be created as a new page that contains actual cross references to the connectors listed here or on Coaxial DC Power Connectors. Peter K. Sheerin, K6WEB 04:50, 2 April 2007 (UTC)

Further questions
Thanks, --Abdull 18:55, 28 May 2006 (UTC)
 * Which DIN paper standardized the DIN connectors?
 * Can it be true that laptop systems always have the minus polarity on the outside of the plug (as the generic power supply I bought does not allow to change polarity)?
 * This is the typical and desired case--putting positive voltage on the outside of most barrell DC connectors is undesirable because a short to ground can easily occur if the connector touches gruond. This is why using mini headphone plugs for power is not a smart thing, because neither the tip nor ring is protected from accidental contacts with ground, but a well-designed barrell connector with the positive voltage on the interior, recessed from the tip--is the preferred design.
 * That only holds true in cases where "ground" is in fact connected to the negative pole of the supply - such as a motor vehicle chassis. Roger (talk) 13:48, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Aren't there ways to construct electronics so that polarity doesn't matter?
 * Yes, the power supply could be routed through a bridge rectifier before going into the actual device, but that would just be an additional cost item. Roger (talk) 13:48, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
 * What size DC plugs do the new HP/Compaq and Dell "Smart Chargers" use? It seems to be a 3 pole connector with an O/D of approx 7mm, inner diameter of 5mm and a center pin of 0.7mm. The cable has a centre core and then two layers of shielding. I think our engineer said that the centre pin was a signal, the inner contact is the power and the outer contact is the shield. --Bodlang 12:34, 29 January 2007 (UTC)

Merger proposal
The SAE connector article is a stub which could just as well become one of the sections of this page. There isn't anything particularly notable about the SAE connector as such to justify it being a separate article. Better a section in this substantial article than an unremarkable little stub on its own. Roger (talk) 13:39, 1 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Done. but can anyone tell me which SAE standard number this connector is described by? --Wtshymanski (talk) 01:05, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

pictures?
wouldn't it be better to have a picture for each type mentioned? (at least for each type with it's own section in the article) --TiagoTiago (talk) 10:58, 3 February 2009 (UTC)
 * There are a few pictures without captions so no way to tell what they are Roger (talk) 14:00, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

Keep out of public, may prevent mistakes ;-)
Several competing standards exist for DC plugs, and in some cases incompatible plugs will fit together. To avoid damaging equipment these conditions must be true:


 * For common constant voltage loads, the supply voltage must match and current capability be sufficient.
 * For constant current loads, the current from the supply must match and voltage maximum be low enough for the load to handle.
 * Polarity must match.
 * Power supply filtering and ripple must be lower the tolerance of the load.
 * Connectors must match mechanically.

If this information would reach the public they may avoid frying equipment. That would be a bad thing.. doh Electron9 (talk) 02:04, 7 June 2010 (UTC)


 * Wikipedia does not give safety advice. See WP:NOTGUIDE Roger (talk) 17:33, 7 June 2010 (UTC)