Gerard sent a tip for connecting multiple cables to a bench power supply:
Here is a simple hack which will allow you to connect, wrap , group quite a few power cables in parallel… and all you need is a paper clip.
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Gerard sent a tip for connecting multiple cables to a bench power supply:
Here is a simple hack which will allow you to connect, wrap , group quite a few power cables in parallel… and all you need is a paper clip.
Haha! Wonderful!
It’s amazing how a simple idea can be so useful!
Nice!
On another note…what’s the current-carrying capacity of a paper clip?
And, oh, I see the whiteboard in the power supply panel reflection…but what’s that eerie yellow/green mass?? It doesn’t look like a pair of hands with a camera to me.
Thanks Ian
@Terence
Thanks!.. Yes thats me…and the white board behind me.
To all – I had to power a bunch of 5v boards and could not push all the supply wires into the terminals. All I had was a bunch of paper clips on my table and this dawned on me. Certainly, this is not as safe as banana plugs. But if you do not have any, this should serve as a quick connect. And as you guys know, these supplies come with a current limit. I was ruuning at 12V, 600mA.
@Gerard
Ah, so that is you. Didn’t mean to call you an eerie yellow/green mass, I guess the panel was just distorting the reflection :)
“what’s the current-carrying capacity of a paper clip?”
That looks like a large-ish paper clip. Having used a paper clip similar in size (and in gauge) to jury-rig a 15A/230VAC circuit breaker to temporarily get my HVAC unit working, I would say that it is capable of carrying at least 10Amps continuous, and 20Amps surge – not really the safest thing to do, but in my defense, this website _does_ have the word ‘dangerous’ in its name :-P
To be honest, the clip did get hot after 10 minutes of usage, but I was done with my tinkering by that time.
I guess people would get differing mileage based on the quality of the clip, but 5Amps continuous/10Amps surge would be a safe expectation.
@Rohit
Cool! Thanks!
Reminds me of when a tenant in our block decided to bypass the electric board fuses using a bolt instead of a fuse…. because his tig welder kept blowing it, when it was found the cabling he used had melted off its insulation, but he did get the job done, welding hanging garden baskets together but on the 15th floor? :p
Anyhow paper clips are ghetto too, I guess its the equivalent of giving that M$ Office clip the chair :P
I used a paper clip to jumper the USB 5v to the power plug on the web platform. I didn’t have any jumpers or plugs at the tyme. Playing at work.
hehe… simple but clever idea :D