I see where our disconnect is. Read on....

On Mar 24, 1:24*pm, (Chris Lewis) wrote:
According to DerbyDad03 :

I guess it depends on who you ask...

True. *It is slang afterall, but we normally see the term
here when (improperly) connecting a generator to a house wiring
system with a cord with male plugs at both ends.

snip

Actually, in a previous life, while repairing all sorts of electronic
equipment both in the military and in industry, as well as working
with Grandpa in his shop, the only thing I ever knew to be a suicide
cord had a plug at one end and bare wires at the other...unless it was
upgraded to include alligator clips. All the techs had them in their
workbench drawers - unless we knew an inspection was coming. g


Right. *But you converted your "bare wire at one end cord" to a
"bare wire at one end, and a bulb socket at the other end cord", right?

No, that's not what I said. I said make a suicide cord by cutting off
the socket (female) end from a 3 wire cord - thus creating the suicide
cord - then attach the bare wires to a pig tail socket (or light
socket) and plug it into the wall. Here's the words from my post,
snipped for brevity:

- Take a three wire cord and cut off the socket end, exposing the
three conductors
- Attach one wire from the pigtail socket to the black hot wire and
one to the green ground.
- Plug it into the outlet.

That's no longer a suicide cord.

Sure it is...it's a suicide cord being used for it's intended purpose
- temporary power.

To be pedantically correct, using your definition, you first
created a suicide cord, then you turned it into a worklight.

OK, so it's just like when I use a suicide cord to test an electronic
device - I turn it into a power cord. I'm not sure of your point
here.

[It's DANGEROUSLY MISWIRED! worklight. *Miswire, in this context,
is of bulb neutral to ground.]


Of course it is. But making a worklight was not the point of the
exercise. My post was in response to Mr. Ross's concern that he wasn't
sure he could make a good connection by sticking the 2 wires from the
pig tail socket into the hot and ground holes in a three pronged
receptacle. By using a suicide cord and the pig tail socket (or lamp
socket wired incorrectly) he can be sure he has a good connection
*inside* the receptacle. No one suggested he toss this set-up into his
toolbox and use it the next time he changes his oil.

I tend to treat a cord with a male plug at one end and bare wires
at the other to be an "as yet unused electrical assembly" ;-)
You can buy them just that way. *Eg: dryer/stove or other pre-made
"appliance" cords.

[But I have used a one just like that to test a motor live.]

Yes, you can buy them...but where's the fun in that? And who doesn't
have an old cord, both 2 conductor and 3 lying around? There's
something to be said for the feeling you get when you take a perfectly
safe object and turn it into something that can kill ya. g


So, until someone posts an article describing a suicide cord on
Wikipedia, making it the *definitive* answer g I'll say that both
versions are correct.

That's not hard to do ;-)

Wikipedia is only the opinion of the last person taking a whack at it ;-)
It's usually pretty good, but sometimes...

That was joke. Note the grin next the words " *definitive* answer ".

Did you know that many schools (my kid's included) will not allow
Wikipedia to be cited as a source in the footnotes or bibliography of
a report? Too much inaccurate info being taken as fact merely because
it's formatted so "professionally".

--
Chris Lewis,

Age and Treachery will Triumph over Youth and Skill
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.