Cord - destroyed

DBoz699

DBoz699

Veteran
Can anyone give me some basic electrical tips?

I just came home from school...I wanted to edit..so I go to plug in the power cord for my speakers and woofer...and then before I plug it in, I see the cord was chewed and the copper wire and insulation is showing. Then I realized my sister's damn pitbull was in here last night while I was on the computer. Now I'm screwed, and I dont know where to find this particular powercord because its not like a computer power cord or anything.

Is it possible to just cut the danging points and try to fuse the cord together and go overkill on the electrical tape?
 
If it involves electrical current, it wouldn't be safe to solder the wires. Except if you cut them and solder them to the plug. Which doesn't fulfill safety regulations, if I am not wrong. So you may get a male plug, attach the wires with the internal screws (following colors) and then add a cable extension.

What kind of cable is that one?
 
It's a power cord. The dog chewed through it. Today I cut the dangling piece and took a swiss army knife, stripped about half an inch of the black rubber lining. Then I took the remaining pieces of hanging copper and twisted them together and went crazy with the electrical tape. It works but sometimes it goes out randomly then just turns the speakers on again.

AAAHHH...I might as well just go to circuit city and buy a cord..but hey I tried...


thanks for your inputs.
 
blckhawk542 said:
It's a power cord. The dog chewed through it. Today I cut the dangling piece and took a swiss army knife, stripped about half an inch of the black rubber lining. Then I took the remaining pieces of hanging copper and twisted them together and went crazy with the electrical tape. It works but sometimes it goes out randomly then just turns the speakers on again.

AAAHHH...I might as well just go to circuit city and buy a cord..but hey I tried...
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Yes, either get yourself a new cord or repair the cable by putting the male prong in the chewed end. Please do not repair it as you described it: it's unsafe, dangerous and bad quality-wise.

What you did might work for an emergency situation, a few hours or so when you need the equipment, but never permanent (less than a day).

Pity the dog didn't get a shock, to learn the lesson. It could have caused a short circuit at your house.
 
Well I always unplug the power when I turn off the computer because the woofer takes up alot of electricity. It's like 40 lbs..Iduno the wattage..but I'm glad he didnt get shocked..but he paid the price later after i showed him the cord and yelled at him. lol
 
blckhawk542 said:
Well I always unplug the power when I turn off the computer because the woofer takes up alot of electricity. It's like 40 lbs..Iduno the wattage..but I'm glad he didnt get shocked..but he paid the price later after i showed him the cord and yelled at him. lol
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You mean you unplug the power at least every day? That's not very good for the wall socket, as their springiness will start to suffer, if they don't already. The pressure plug/socket should be preserved by all means.

The woofer amplifier is certainly class B or less, so it's consumption when not reproducing is very small. You should use a master switch to disconnect all.
 
blckhawk542 said:
Today I cut the dangling piece and took a swiss army knife, stripped about half an inch of the black rubber lining. Then I took the remaining pieces of hanging copper and twisted them together and went crazy with the electrical tape. It works but sometimes it goes out randomly then just turns the speakers on again.
Click to expand...
The solder goes on after you twist the wires together, but before the electrical tape. It conducts electricity and fills in all the gaps between the wires. This should stop the signal dropouts.

Since the solder does conduct electricity, you would still have to wrap the whole thing in electrical tape, or heat-shrink tubing, which would be even better.
 
If the damage is close to where the plug goes, just get a replacement plug with screw-terminals from a hardware store. You wind up with a shorter cord, but it's a secure connection. Just make sure none of the tiny little threads of wire get loose and cross over to make a short. If it's too short, plug it into a surge suppresor with a switch so you can stop unplugging it.
 
I tried it...so I got very frustrated at it...and threw the cord out because it went beyond repair. I went to the store and bought a new computer power cord and it actually worked out fine.

But..thanks for your inputs...now I'll know how to deal with electrical problems later on.
 
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