Electrical Cord Removal

[mcp6453]

My daughter's overpriced flat iron uses this exact cord with built-in GFCI/ALCI:

The cord rotates at the iron, as you can see from the non-plug end. How does the connector disconnect from the iron? I don't want to pull on it. Might there be a retaining clip inside?

Does a flat iron that's plugged into a GFCI outlet, as is required by code in bathrooms in US, even need an inline GFCI?

Home Depot has this replacement that might even be a better quality GFCI:

I've learned to save the cord from a defective hair dryer if the GFCI is still good. These parts are probably $2 from China, but they're $20 or more in the US.

On a somewhat related question, can someone suggest a very compact inline method of splicing a DC power cord? I've used these in the past for replacing DC power connectors on laptop power supplies, but the strain relief is in the way.

Rather than a connector, I'd rather find some sort of cable splice. If that fails, I can always solder wire-to-wire and cover the splice with heat shrink tubing.

[trader4]

Who knows for sure. But in general the usual means of attachment are:

The retaining strain relief, etc is somewhat soft and it's just pushed into the hole, relies on a groove to hold it in

clip, or nut

one half of the hole is in two halves of the case that come together and hold it when assembled.

From a safety standpoint, if it's only used in an outlet that is GFCI, then no, it does not. But obviously it's very easy to then use it somewhere that is not GFCI.

If it's $2 in china, I'll bet I can find something like it on Ebay for $4, with free shipping.

The solder/splice is what I've always done. You could use one of the butt type crimp connectors too, but soldering leaves less bulk.

[dpb]

Possibly, but I'd guess from the way it looks the two halves separate and just putting them together holds it.

...

I've used the above connectors on a lot of stuff, too. Lastest was to add an additional low-amp output from battery charger to a sealed battery pack for an old 'lectric-start push mower that the charger had died for.

For another w/o the strain reliefs, look at the Amphenol 44 series inline --

I don't have any better splicing ideas -- haven't really seen anything that isn't essentially as bulky as the connector.

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[Smitty Two]

You could look at IDC splices, but what is it about soldering you don't like? It seems like the best solution to me.

(Insulation Displacement Connector, the squeeze-on technology with teeth that bite through the insulation to contact the conductor. Common in after-market switch-wheels for lamp cords, and the way those big ribbon cables in your computer are terminated.)

[mcp6453]

Thanks for the pointer to the 44 series. They look interesting.

I believe that I may get some uninsulated butt splices and use them with heat shrink. That arrangement will solve some problems. The inline connectors look like a great choice for critical projects.