Dog bit through power cables... HELP !!! (1 Viewer)

[SeanA]

Dog is O.K., but I and my equipment are not. (The experiment outside the kennel ends until she is at least a year old). And somehow she knew just which cords to take on... my two most expensive pieces of equipment. She went right through the Sony XBR cord and the H/K receiver cord, and some speaker wire to boot. Neither of the AC cords have the plug-in ends going into the unit itself. Now how I wish that more manufacturers included this nice little feature.

Anyway... I have no idea what to do. Do I try to find replacement cords myself and solder them on ? Or am I best leaving this to experts ? (I really don't want to take any chances of having unreliable AC coming into the units, as I know this can be damaging to the equipment). Would my local high-end audio & video store have techinicians that can do this, and how much can I expect to pay ? I purchased the Sony TV from them.

Please help !!! I am like the man up the creek without a paddle.

 

[Chu Gai]

If those are modulars, just buy some replacement cords. Not knowing exactly where you are, you can find some very inexpensive larger gauge (FWIW) cords over at Newark Electronics.
Newark InOne
2601 Crossroads Dr. Suite 100
Madison, WI 53718-7923
T: (608) 243-9230
Newark InOne
10200 Innovation Dr. Suite 550
Milwaukee, WI 53226-1403
T: (414) 453-9100
If they're one piece and you're comfortable around electricity, you can replace them yourself. Otherwise, call around for a repair place.

You might want to pick up one of the products that you can spray on things you don't want the dog to chew. Bitter apples I think was the one I bought. It's pretty nasty.

 

[SeanA]

Chu,

Thanks for the help. I am not sure what you mean by "modular" ??? Both cords have two-prong plugs and are flat (not round) with two separate conductors running parallel to each other. The H/K cord will have to be replaced because my dog even chewed up the plug, but there is hope for the Sony cord. The Sony cord has a special "noise filter" built into the plug, so I am going to just cut off the chewed up portion of the cord and try to mate the two ends using crimp or twist-on connectors. I don't like this, but I don't know that I have a lot of choices. If I were to open up the back panel on the receiver and TV, do you know how the power cords connect on the inside ?

I guess this type of thing doesn't happen too often or I think I would have been able to find something on the internet. I just spent almost two hours searching for replacement power cords, but found nothing that would help. There are lots of special codes imprinted on both cords, and I don't know what any of it means. Very frustrating !!! I will give Newark and my local shop a call tomorrow to see if they can help.

And thanks too for the tip on the bitter apples. I do have a "chew stop" spray, but from what I understand you have to spray it on daily for it to be effective. This is really the first bad chew incident, and she is otherwise a wonderful and very obedient dog. It's funny... she can still sense after 5 hours that I am not happy with her.

 

[Mark Rich]

Sean,

You can purchase an IEC adapter which will connect to you existing ac power cord ends. Its made by Schurter p/n 4735.0000 type 4735. Very easy DIY project. Once you have it on the end of your existing cord (6-12") you can then use any aftermarket ac cord you wish. Once again a decent ac power cord can be put together very easily.

Here is the link to the Schurter web site where you can take a look at the item mentioned above. Search by p/n or product type. You local electrical supplier should carry them.
http://www.schurterinc.com/company/h...language_id=10

 

[Chu Gai]

nice link Mark.

 

[SeanA]

Mark,

Thanks for the great tip on the IEC Adaptor !!! I think that is what I am going to do. I can get the OEM H/K cord for only $8 but than I would still have to open up the back panel, and that makes me nervous. Making the connection with the IEC adaptor will also make replacement a piece of cake in the future if my dog gets the chew urge again (and assuming she doesn't chew the adaptor end).

Can you tell me what I should be looking for in an aftermarket cord ??? The original cord is 2-conductor and 18-gage. Would it hurt at all if I used a 16-gage replacement cord ? I know that I shouldn't go smaller than 18-gage.

Just thought of another question. The IEC adaptor you suggest is 3-prong. My original cord is only two prong. Wouldn't I need to find a two-prong adaptor, or do I just not make a connection to the adaptor's ground plug ?

 

[Mark Rich]

Thanks Chu. Great little adapter that I only discovered after I'd made one the hard way.

Sean,
So many good ac cords around its hard to advise where to start. If you want a cheap solution with similar performance to the existing cords then any electrical supply store should have cables that will work. RS does or look into pc tower power cords.
If you feel creative and can cut/strip cable and use a screw driver then make one yourself from quality parts. Belden 19364 matched with marinco connectors will provide great results for around $20-$25.

Just leave the ground terminal empty.

 

[SeanA]

Just a little follow-up to let you know what I decided to do and to help others that may have the same problem due to a renegade puppy. I am taking Mark's advice for the most part, but difference is I am going to keep the OEM plug ends. (I have to re-order the replacement cord from H/K since the plug was also destroyed). Since my cords are both two conductor, 18-gage, I thought it best to retain the 2-prong polarized plugs instead of using replacement cords that are all 3-prong. So I am going to use a male and a female Schurter IEC adaptor to connect the two ends, and than just leave the ground terminal empty. Here is another link that shows the different Schurter adaptors that are available:

http://www.newark.com/product-detail...D120/7492.html

I am purchasing the following part #'s from Newark.com: 4785.0100 (Fig. 7) & 4735.0000 (Fig. 4).

Thanks again everyone, particularly Mark !!!