DeSisti HMI "Edison Cable" help

[Greg Golter]

Hey people,

I am a student at a film school and we are having issues with our DeSisti ballasts.

We were taught to believe that each ballast requires both a Header Cable (Head to Ballast) and an "Edison Cable" (Ballast to AC Power), but all but one of our Edison Cables have broken. Upon searching for replacements, we have been having a lot of difficulty finding these Edison Cables.

Does anyone have any advice for how I could find (or even make) Edison Cables? I have recently gotten the idea that "Edison Cable" may be an incorrect term for this cable. Can anyone confirm for me the correct term?

Pictured below is the type of ballast that we use at our school:

http://static.bhphoto.com/images/images500x500/388171.jpg

Thanks in advance for the time and help.


EDIT: Riding off another recent post about Ballast Cables, I saw a post suggesting to find the proper veam connector. Is this an appropriate part for the ballast I pictured above?

http://www.newark.com/amphenol-industrial/ms3116f8-4s/circular-connector-plug-size-8/dp/85C4108

If so, could anyone offer me any advice as to how to use one of those ends to create an AC Power cable? Would I be using a 5-15R NEMA Connector? Can I just take an extension cord and cut out an end and use the three wires or is it more complicated? I just looked all of this up after finding the term "veam" so I know very little about all of this wiring stuff.

 

[Fratis]

Hi Greg. The ballasts I use that are 2.5K and up I prefer detachable power feeders. This is so I can power them either with 110V or 220V with twistlock or bates. With a ballast in the 575W/1.2K size all of mine, and most, have hard-wired power feeders. I would buy some 12/2 SO cord and some Edison connectors and wire them directly into the ballast. If you open the unit up you will be able to trace the wires from the panel mount connector. Just replace those with the new cable. Use a strain relief where the cable passes through the sheet metal. The connector has 4 pins but I'd gamble that one is unused. Particularly in a film school environment its one less thing to leave behind. I've had to hard wire a couple 18K ballasts on location over the years due to forgotten feeder cables. If you are dead set on removable power feeders then yes all you need to do is buy cable and connectors then copy one that you have. Not sure if Desisti is still in business but you should try to get a part number for the power feeder female connector.

 

[BillWojo]

Those Amphenol connectors are pretty rugged and pricey. If your connectors are still usable they can simply be reinstalled onto some new cable. If your soldering skills are not up to par, find someone who can do it for you. Make sure to use heat shrink tube over the soldered joints.
Most of those style connectors have the industry part number on them. Look them over carefully.
If you elect to simply hard wire directly into the units than do as Fratis said and install a good strain relief into the case. It does more than it's name implies, it also prevents the cable from cutting into the sheet metal and shorting out. Use the ones with the rubber grommet that clamps onto the cable when tightened, not the cheap all metal ones used on armor clad cable.
Bill Wojo