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We are doing a massive purge of "stuff" from home and storage. I am accumulating a large quantity of random, unmarked power cords. Some will have "Nintendo" or "Norelco" on them - so I know to go confer with my boys about their gaming stuff or check my husbands grooming items, etc.

But what I am confounded by is several totally generic type cords - with a specifically shaped female pin end and standard oriented plug end(one prong larger than the other). There are numbers imprinted on both ends as well as printed in white ink along the wire. Lots of numbers. I attempted a google search but the results were equally random. "AC power cord for some electronic device."

How can I determine what each cord is for? I don't want to store them all "in case" - but I also don't want to throw them out only to discover they were needed for something we still use (or want to sell, give away, donate).

Melody
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    Store them - hording doesn't hurt – Andy aka Jun 01 '13 at 16:20
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    My vote goes for the "*in case*" option. The **great connector conspiracy** is all about a trashed cable being needed precisely when the garbage truck is disappearing over the horizon. – Anindo Ghosh Jun 01 '13 at 16:21
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    If it's about a few, pictures would be helpful, as well as the numbers. –  Jun 01 '13 at 16:35
  • You learn something from the comments: Hackers and engineers (or hackers who are engineers) tend to have many boxes with very much very important stuff. What some call a mess may actually be a treasure. http://www.computerhistory.org/atchm/an-analog-life-remembering-jim-williams/ That said, I am very much in favor of a proposed law requiring a standard at least for cell phone power adapters. – zebonaut Jun 01 '13 at 17:48
  • Murphy's third law - "As soon as an item is thrown away it will be needed in the next project." Often erroneously attributed as Sod's law. – JIm Dearden Jun 01 '13 at 18:56
  • Two great 'answers' and fabulous comments in just a few hours. I like this site! (which I just stumbled upon 'googling') Thanks all! – Melody Jun 01 '13 at 21:18
  • @zebonaut: In the EU at least, mobile phone charger connectors are [standardised](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_External_Power_Supply) since 2009 I think. – RedGrittyBrick Jun 02 '13 at 09:49

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But what I am confounded by is several totally generic type cords - with a specifically shaped female pin end and standard oriented plug end(one prong larger than the other). There are numbers imprinted on both ends as well as printed in white ink along the wire. Lots of numbers. I attempted a google search but the results were equally random. "AC power cord for some electronic device."

Wikipedia has a list and pictures of the IEC 60320 cable connector standard. They are generic for a reason. They are easier to use and replace than molded fixed cables. And they can come with different wall plugs, allowing a manufacturer to use the same connection on the device, but ship with a American plug, or European plug, or japanese wall plug. They are cheaper to buy in bulk than having custom ones made.

Because of this, it's also common to find different devices using the same connector. You can commonly find computer power supply cables used for monitors or tvs as well. You will find the figure 8 cable (C7) used on playstations and dreamcasts and radios. Dell uses the Mickey Mouse cable (C5) on many of it's laptop power supplies.

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As for the writing on the cable, that's often the rating for the cable itself. Type, Make, Manufacturer, Size, Temperature Ratings, etc. They are repeated every few feet. This is because the cable is made by one manufacturer, and the connectors are added on by another. The cable itself comes in huge reels, and is cut as needed.

enter image description here

Passerby
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Any chance your big box 'o cords contains some "cords" as in cords and some "cords" as in adapters?

"Cords" as in cords: These have a plug that goes into the wall and an IEC 60320-compliant plug. With these, it's not critical to use them with the exact same device they came with. The general rule is: If they fit, they're good. Over time, you may end up having lots and lots of them, because many new computers/monitors/whatnots are shipped with one. Keep the nicer dozen of each type, give the rest to a friend hacker of yours or try your community's recycling yard (cable bin for copper recycling!).

"Cords" as in adapters: These are sometimes also called wall warts, because the somewhat bigger enclosure (wart) that is plugged into the wall contains a transformer or other type of power supply, and they have a low-voltage output specifically designed for a certain type of equipment. There is no standard to make sure you don't fry a device designed for a 5 V supply with a wrong, higher-voltage adapter, e.g. one that outputs 12 V. Also, even if the voltage is the same between two adapters (say: 5 V DC), the polarity at the small plug to the device may be different... These adapters can only be used interchangeably if all the details match (Voltage, AC vs. DC, polarity, current rating, size of plug - and I may have forgotten something). Sometimes, mostly for laptop adapters, it is even necessary that the laptop receives a datagram from its very own power supply... TLDR: It is wise to have labels on adapters, like some of yours do. No labels: The tiny print or the manuals may provide the information about what matches with what. No tiny print or no manuals: Detective work, and hoping you don't let the magic smoke out if plugging the wrong adapter into a device... Some are probably junk, some may be valuable (C64, vintage musical instruments?), even if you don't need them any more (-> flea market, online classifieds or auction?).

Some more hints on power supplies or adapters of unknown origin or purpose: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/34746/930

Community
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zebonaut
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You may find it helpful to look at A Visual Guide to Computer Cables and Connectors. It certainly helped me to sort through my two huge boxes of orphans.

Gramaw
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  • Link only answers are discouraged as the destination may go stale. This might work better as a comment. – David Jan 01 '16 at 20:56