I have a string of outdoor lights which consists of four separate wires out of a wall wart. Unfortunately, I need to feed the string through a small 10mm hole in a wall but leave the wall wart indoors.
The easiest way would be to cut the four wires around 200mm away from the wall wart, pass the string ends back through the hole, and then reconnect them. Is there a plug and socket that will allow me to do this? This will be an annual event...
Low voltage, yes?
The male mini-DIN plug (as used on some keyboards and mice) is just a whisper under 10mm without its outer casing.
Isolated low voltage? Chocblock and sticky tape.
Mains or non-isolated 4 or 5 pin male/female XLR inline. Male on the light strings. 10A or so rating not technically a mains connector though.
Ah brain fade about required to pass through 10 mm hole. XLRs need a 20 mm hole... Choc block leaves bare ends on the string.
Staggered single connectors, e.g. phono
I had a second thought about using a four-pole 3.5mm jack such as that on a USB connector I have here on my desk. The moulded-on leads are well under the 10mm spec but I haven't so far found an illustration of a solderable/connectable version to get measurements from.
Nick
Yes, low voltage.
2 x phono plugs and line sockets - one black, one red, staggered along the cable slightly? Cheap and easy to solder. A small four pin connector might be tricky.
Running at mains voltage?
There are disco light sockets that are 4 pole or more.
You could use four separate pairs of auto crimp connectors, each pair a pin and receptacle. These are insulated and very small OD. You'd have to stagger them along the cable but that would also identify them.
The crimp tool is cheap.
Bill
Looking at typical garden lights I would think the red ones would be a better fit.
I would open up the wall wart and see how the wires are attached inside.
When I come across those on a car I'm trying to sort an electrical problem on, you can near guarantee they are not doing the job properly. The cheap pressed steel crimp tool most use simply doesn't crimp properly. Unless the cable is right at the upper end of the range they are said to accept. In practice, most can be pulled off. ;-)
Looks like the easiest to solder and connect/reconnect. Thanks, all: I'll go with this.
Core drill and the SDS?? :)
Could you leave the wall wart inside and a connector in a weatherproof box outside all year round?
In which case I'd suggest ordinary audio DIN connectors and parallel up the pins if needed.
Owain
The current handling of these - or at least the basic plastic ones - is very poor. Touchel (who use the same pin pattern but with a metal case) may be better.
Or use an outside box to house the wall mart?
What is this annual event?
At a guess, putting up outside lights to celebrate the birthday of Isaac Newton.
(Pedantic note: I said "the birthday of", not "the birth of")
Have to be a bloody big box to fit a supermarket inside it, and how that will power his xmyth lights i dunno :)
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