Power Strip Q's

[SirPeale]

I'm going to hack this power strip.  I'm going to take the switch and wire it up to the switch in the orignal cabinet.

Here's the question: what are these parts?  The capacitor I know, but what's the other?  A diode?

[SirPeale]

another view

[SirPeale]

And I just realized I posted this in the wrong forum, sorry!  I'll hit up a mod to move it, post haste.

[gnateye]

i think those are the actual surge protection, you should just leave the powerstrip together and cut the wire and splice yoru switch into that, thats what i did, the inside of my powerstrip was too tight, i just spliced my cab switch into hte powerstrip wire, right above the powerstrip itself, there are pics on my site, i did this on my second cab

http://www.cosmicbreaks.com/arcade

good luck

[SirPeale]

Oh, I wasn't going to remove those or anything.  I just wanted to know what they did.

I'll have to rebuild them to a point, anyway, as I need a longer cord.  This one is only perhaps 6', and I need at least 20'

[gnateye]

like i sadi im pretty sure thats what protects your stuff, that little resistor burns out so your electronics dont.

[SirPeale]

like i sadi im pretty sure thats what protects your stuff, that little resistor burns out so your electronics dont.

You sure that's a resistor?  I thought perhaps it was a diode.  Film resistor?

[SirPeale]

I've got to get some more pictures up on the website.  Although it's ugly, it's now playable.  Fun!

[grafixmonkey]

I'm pretty sure that's not a resistor - Got a continuity checker on a multimeter?  Check the silver thing while it's unplugged - If it's a short circuit it's a fuse, if not it's probably a diode.

I could see it being a zener diode.  Putting one of those right there could make the power strip suck up any excess voltage from power surges.

[Bluntman]

<- works in an electronics store...

looks like it migt be a Thermal Fuse.... it's not for surge protection, it's for OVERLOAD protection.

Too much current gets drawn and things get hot, the heat generated trips the thermal fuse and thus cuts power.

and that other thing is not a capasitor, it's a THERMISTOR, does the same job as the thermal fuse, but it "self repairs" after it cools down.

the thermal fuse is there incase the thermistor fails - once the thermal fuse blows, it's like a normal fuse, it has to be replaced.

[SirPeale]

Very interesting, Blunt!