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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 1,691
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SvenNYC Offline OP
Member
OK, maybe some of you guys who work on urban & suburban powerlines (overhead wires) might know what this is.

If anyone has seen the first movie in the Back to the Future trilogy, there is a scene where "Doc" is trying to re-connect some cable coming down from a lighting rod on the roof of a courthouse.

He's hanging from the clock hands and reaching out for a connector of some type.

Can anyone identify what kind of connector this is? It's some sort of square boxy looking thing with a female insert. He also gets the pins of the male end snagged onto his pants.

Was this a legitimate high-power connector used in the 1950s (when this is supposed to be happening) or is it just the product of some inventive props department?

Also would be nice if someone could post a nice picture if this thing really existed.

Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 421
Member
when I was a lad, I worked in a truck freight terminal, and the strings of lights we used inside trailers had connectors that were smaller versions of that prop.,
...there were IIRC three strips of brass? screwed to a rectangular block of wood at the end of the light string, and the "plug" was shoved into a duplex "receptacle" by every pair of dock doors.....all 450 of em


Tom
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 939
F
Member
the connector what the Back to Futre show by "Doc" that connector look like they used on forklift truck battery connector aka early Anderson connector useally handle high current DC system and of course the AC also if rated too


Merci , Marc


Pas de problme,il marche n'est-ce pas?"(No problem, it works doesn't it?)

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
I bet it is something they borrowed from the "best boy" (stage electrician)
They use some big honking connectors for lights and such.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 524
Member
... AMPHENOL anyone???


.."if it ain't fixed,don't break it...call a Licensed Electrician"
Joined: May 2003
Posts: 2,876
E
e57 Offline
Member
I second the fork truck battery charger cable. Like one of these guys: http://www.andersonpower.com/products/mp/mp.html

I guess I could also think stage high amperage lighting feed cable right from the set too.

Been a while since I've seen the movie....


Mark Heller
"Well - I oughta....." -Jackie Gleason
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 7,520
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Member
I remember the scene. Could it have been some sort of Twist-Lok in a box? Was Twist-Lok even around then?

Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 4,391
I
Moderator
I remember the scene and strangely enough did focus in on the connector.

I felt it was a cobbled together prop, not a real electrical device at all.

What made me focus on it was the fact the "The Doc" was able to simply plug it together but then it was able to support the weight of a overhead cable for quite a long distance.

I think we have to chalk this up to Hollywood.

I mean anyone can make a DeLorean fly and time travel but to make a cord connector... [Linked Image]


Bob Badger
Construction & Maintenance Electrician
Massachusetts
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 161
M
Member
There's an old theatre connector series called a "stage connector" that came in two versions, large and small. I don't remember the amperages offhand...

The plug was two brass or copper plates about 1/2" wide wrapped on the sides of a 1/2x1-1/2" block of bakelite from the tip to a covered screw terminal at the handle where the H/N or +/- cable connections were made. Two of these could fit into a connector side by side.

The connector was a boxy looking thing with two brass or copper stripson the inside where you would stick these plugs. The opening was about 1x1-1/2" to accept two plugs. No need for a two-fer...

The dimensions above are approximate and were for the lower amperage version, probably 20-30A. The larger version was probably about 100A.

The plug and connector had the advantage of having a large contact area, but you could VERY EASILY stick your fingers inside an energized connector. The contacts of the plug were also energized when you started to make the connection and you could again VERY EASILY have your hand wrapped around both contacts while making the connection. The ontacts weren't hidden until the plug was fully inserted, and then there was no guarantee that it would insert all the way. There wasn't much pressure on the contacts and could easily fall out (I've heard of varieties with springs between the bakelite and brass) and you all know how well bakelite holds up to being dropped or stepped on...

I'll try to find pictures to post They're almost as scary as the Mole Lugs still in use today. (Needless to say all of this was before UL listing, NEMA, and common sense got the better of the connector...)

Techie, do you have any pics on these connectors?


Mike Wescoatt
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 745
M
Member
Mike:
That's the plug I was thinking about, too. Those wicked-looking things were available in 50 amp (full plug) and 25 amp ("half plug") sizes. They were also used in both A.C. and D.C. (carbon arc) circuits. What was so insidious about these things was that they were completely interchangeable [Linked Image]. I ran into a few of these stage plugs when I was with the I.A.T.S.E. many years ago. At that time, touring companies still used old "piano boards" that were equipped with porcelain receptacles, old resistance dimmers and the usual knife switches and fuses. There were also "plugging boxes" available for connecting anywhere from 2 to 6 stage plugs to one dimmer circuit. Those things would spark like July fourth fireworks when you hot-plug them [Linked Image]. It was common practice to wear asbestos gloves when handling these things because of the relatively small "safe" handle area, and the heat produced in these connectors.

Mike (mamills)

[This message has been edited by mamills (edited 01-05-2006).]

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