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#188787 09/02/09 10:43 AM
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
There's a story behind this picture, and I'd like to share it with you.

Back in the 70's, offices were changing. No longer did the typical desk have but a typwriter and - maybe - a pencil sharpener. Computers were coming; word processors and plug-in calculators were common. Even the simplest desk required several receptacles.

So, the 'power strip' came on the market. None of these were UL-listed, simply because UL refused to do so. It was felt that installing a power strip would lead to an NEC violation: that is, more receptacles than the code allowed on a circuit.

Within the offices of a certain testing lab, the staff faced the same problems as everyone else: not enough receptacles. Well, they certainly were not about to buy a non-listed product! Oh, no .... they had their maintenance guys make something. This is a pic of what they came up with:

[Linked Image from electrical-photos.com]

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 144
Member
haha, i think i have one like that stashed away somewhere. they come in handy, especially if you replace the switch with another outlet


-Joe
“then we'll glue em' then screw em'”
-Tom Silva
TOH
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 183
N
Member
At least they used nipples to connect the boxes. All too often I see wires just run through open knockouts...

Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 943
Likes: 2
N
Member
Look at the good side, looks to be all Hubbell components (not 100% sure about the switch).

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 144
Member
i wonder why the switch box is bigger than the 2 outlet boxes??


-Joe
“then we'll glue em' then screw em'”
-Tom Silva
TOH
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
It's not, Joe ... it's just a different make. Some have rounded corners, some have square corners.

Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 144
Member
i see


-Joe
“then we'll glue em' then screw em'”
-Tom Silva
TOH
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
G
Member
Yep.
The switch box is the type that is drawn from a single piece of metal, while the receptacle boxes are made from flat pieces of steel that have been spotwelded together.


Ghost307
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 8,443
Likes: 3
Member
Originally Posted by ghost307
Yep.
The switch box is the type that is drawn from a single piece of metal, while the receptacle boxes are made from flat pieces of steel that have been spotwelded together.

I can understand the spot welded box being made out of one bit of steel, but how do they make them other boxes?, especially when they have knock-outs in them.

Joined: May 2005
Posts: 984
Likes: 1
G
Member
They put a single piece of metal into a large punch with a die on it.
The die holds the metal by the edges while the rest of it is stamped into the shape of the die. The tabs for the screws are bent over in a separate operation, while the knockouts are punched 'almost' through, with the exception of the little part that holds it in place.

If it's a complicated part, it may go through several separate dies to get to the finished product.

Some of the auto part stampings when I was working at Ford went through as many as 5 dies to get to a finished part, with some of those dies having moving parts so that the steel wouldn't get stuck on the bottom part of the die.


Ghost307
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