Outlet strip

[Don Y]

For folks with lots of wall warts:

[Micky]

It doesn't say it, and the picture is weird, but that thing is about 4 feet long.

I just bought a compact version, and 2 days after it arrived, I moved from the basement to an upstairs bedroom and don't need it anymore. Oh well.

[Dan Espen]

Just bought one with 10 widely spaced outlets. Strip is 48 inches long.

Finally got my computer room power wiring under control.

Only 3 of the plugs are wall wart type but all 10 outlets are in use.

Highly recommended.

D> For folks with lots of wall warts:

[Don Y]

This one is 26 inches. Most of mine are about a foot long with 6 outlets. But, too closely spaced for wall warts.

And, usually oriented the wrong way -- i.e., the cord exiting the wall wart ends up headed *into* the next adjacent wall wart (or, has to bend,

90 degrees, to exit off to the side. [Note the orientation of the outlets in the URL posted]

I have a bench (of sorts) on which I have *10* USB devices that use wall warts! So, a USB connection and a power connection for each.

I don't want them to power up whenever the computer to which they are mated is powered up. OTOH, I want it to be relatively easy to SELECTIVELY power them up.

There are two basic ways to do this (given that none of these devices have ON/OFF switches):

- leave the devices plugged in (power) and only connect the USB cables for the devices that you want to receive "power up" commands from the PC

- leave the USB cables connected and only "plug in" the devices that you want to be able to UNDERSTAND those "power up" commands! i.e., a device must be powered on *and* USB connected to "come alive"

If I don't want to be plugging and unplugging wall warts... ... and, don't want to be plugging and unplugging USB cables... then, I need some form of "switching" to do this for me!

I can make a special USB adapter cable that has a switch IN it by which I can simulate connecting and disconnecting. Or, I can make a POWER SWITCH that simulates plugging and unplugging the wall wart!

The latter is the easier, lower-tech solution

With this power strip mounted horizontally behind one of my benches, I can plug in all of the wall warts. I can also plug in each of the USB cables (to a USB hub hidden nearby). Then, by ADDING individual switches to the power strip, I can "switch on" individual wall warts and get teh effect of plugging/unplugging them -- with "fingertip convenience".

Modifying an outlet strip to add individual power switches is easy (some already have that ability -- but usually have outlets spaced too close together or in the wrong orientation). The trick was finding an outlet strip that had the proper spacing AND orientation (and, had to be shorter than the ~38" space that I have available)

Now, I have to figure out where to locate the *second* outlet strip...

[gregz]

I have small strips that have outlets on three sides which work fine, but I have terminated use because of outdated suppression circuit that could catch fire. I like metal strips that have tabs for screw mounting. I could use one for my bench.

Greg

[DerbyDad03]

You could easily fashion U shaped brackets to use as clamps for that outlet strip. I'm sure there are multiple ways to mount it. If it can be opened up, you could simply put screws through the back plate.

Just FYI, the receptacles for my workbench are mounted across the front, under the overhang, facing out. This keeps the top of the workbench free of cords and nothing on the workbench ever blocks the receptacles.

[Stormin Mormon]

Nice idea. The Harbor Freight one is about twenty bucks.

I've been wondering if I can build some thing with short outlet boxes, and some 14 gage wire? Long board to hold all the outlet boxes. Probably only cost about forty bucks in parts. Daisy chain the outlets together.

[Don Y]

I have eight 6-outlet strips mounted to the undersides of my four "work surfaces". But, the outlets are close together (closer than most wall warts are "wide") AND oriented along the same line (i.e., if you connected all of the "neutral" connectors, you would never cross over any of the

*hot* connectors). So, I can get one, maybe two wall warts into a single strip, forfeiting most of the remaining outlets in the process.

This has four-way "keyhole" mounts cut into the back (a + shaped slot) so you put a pair of screws in the surface on which you would like it mounted and then "slide" the strip onto/over the slots.

What it's missing (for me) is a switch-per-outlet. And, a "mirror image" version so I could mount some in locations where I want the cord to exit "the other way".

Time to see what sorts of "goodies" I can rescue, today... :>

[Neill Massello]

[Paintedcow]

Are you aware that you can buy "Wiremold" (brand) strips that are made to be fastended to a wall, and you make your own power strips?

You buy the channel by the foot, and you put in standard duplex outlets, which are spaced about 6 inches apart.

Places like Home Depot, Menards, Lowes, etc usually sell the "Wiremold" channels used for surface wiring, but generally do NOT carry these 'outlet strips'. You have to go to an actual electrical supply store for them. I assume "Wiremold" has a website too, so maybe you can mail order them.....

Many years ago, I bought 10ft of this stuff, and made two 5ft. strips with cords and plugs. I can plug them in anywhere I need multiple outlets that are spaced apart. The channel I used is metal, so it's durable.

[Don Y]

I have a couple of similar "cables" -- I call them "medusa cables" (cuz they remind me of the Medusa).

They're impractical. You end up with a tangle of wall warts on the floor, in a lump.

The outlet strip lets you "mount" the wall warts -- wherever the outlet strip itself is mounted. So, you get the wall warts (and their cords) off the floor in a more manageable configuration.

[Dan Espen]

I agree. Also looks like a max of 6 connections. Not enough for my setup.

1 desktop, one laptop, docking station, KVM, scanner, printer, speakers.

[Don Y]

Buy more! :> I have 12 outlets (2 x 6 outlet strips) fastened to the undersides of each of my work tables -- in addition to a pair of ~6 outlet UPS's that give me a little "glitch protection" and convenient power switches (too hard to reach the power switches on the outlet strips).

This makes it easier to unplug individual cords as they each hang freely.

But, not practical for wall warts as some of them are too heavy to stay plugged in while their weight is being supported. Hence the desire for this unit that I can mount on the *back* (so the outlets are oriented like a bunch of wall receptacles, side-by-side).

Docking stations are yet another example of a foolish design choice; each of mine requires an *external* power supply (i.e., the same power supply that powers the laptop normally). So, it takes up space on the work surface (or, on the floor nearby).

But, it also misses the opportunity for that station to distribute POWER to any of the NON-PORTABLE peripherals that, no doubt, are tethered to it! (your scanner stays with -- or *could* stay with -- the docking station as well as the printer, speakers, power for the speakers, etc.)