vaseline to plug in cords to controller? (really)

[medman2000]

Ok I'm not electrical, but I'm really struggling with plugging in my 6' cords into the controllers. Last year bought 400 or so to use with my arches - changing cords at this point isn't an option for me. They just don't want to go in to the LOR controllers - just so tight - and I've developed a tendonitis (like tennis elbow) on both sides struggling with these.

So - can someone electrical tell me if I would blow up my house by putting just a little bit of vaseline on the prongs of the cords to make them plug into the controller without so much force?? Or some other type of lubricant?

Thanks!

[-klb-]

I would recommend looking for dielectric grease. It is specifically designed to keep moisture and oxidation out of electrical connections. Not sure if you can get it at the home improvement stores, or if an electronics store will do better. Actually, you can often find it at auto parts stores. Also being silicone based, it is allegedly less likely to break down plastics & rubber than petroleum greases.

The down side of any grease is that if dropped or left uncovered, they will pick up tons of dirt.

[TJ Hvasta]

Medman, not sure what your asking.. You're going to tell us -exactly- what you're trying to do.. and a picture is really helpful..

..do you mean feeding the cords thru the clamps in the case? Which cords are you using? If you're using just normal 14/16 gauge household extension cords, you should have no problem feeding 8 into each clamp...you do have 2 entry holes for the cords right? Make the hole bigger and use a larger clamp (1 1/2")

If you are talking about the blades of the plug going into the dongle sockets, you should not have to use anything at all. Are you trying to plug polarized plugs (one blade wider than the other) into non-polarized sockets?

[medman2000]

Sorry TJ. I have 8 arches, 8 sections, 4 colors each (=256 channels=16 controller boxes). I purchased 6' extension cords to connect the lights from the arches to the regular cords supplied with the controllers. Yea, really, it is just plugging in the extension cords (polarized blades) into the 16 cords of the controller. I know I shouldn't have to do anything - and I can plug these in fine during the summer, but same plugs and same controllers and I can't get them in during the Minnesota cold snaps. Which is now.

KLB - thanks, at this point I'll pick a little dirt with stuff actually plugged in than clean plugs and no lights

bob

[Surfing4Dough]

I suspect that it has something to do with the 6' cords. They are probably cheap quality so not plugging in well.
What if you used a hair dryer to warm up the plugs a tad (5-10 seconds) to see if it loosens the connection enough?

[George Simmons]

Surfing4Dough wrote:

I suspect that it has something to do with the 6' cords. They are probably cheap quality so not plugging in well.

I disagree totally. I'm having the same issues with five different controllers, all of which are from approximately 2007-2008 and have the LOR-supplied dongles. At first I also thought it was the cords. Then, when I began having problems trying to plug anything at all in, I came to the realization that it is the dongles. I've never before had to use a hammer to plug cords in but that's exactly what I spent a couple of hours doing yesterday. Something very definitely changed with those dongles since last year, because I had none of those issues then. The controllers were all stored in the "attic" in my garage this summer, which must have affected them in some way. I suspect it was low-bid cords that LOR used back then and it's coming around to bite us now. And the issue is definitely with the narrow blade of the plugs.

[Dan C]

could it be possible that there might have been some moisture in the female plug from before and now they have rusted closed somehow?

[-klb-]

I have also noticed that some of the older dongles get much stiffer when cold. I usually try to plug them in not during one of the cold fronts that generously get shared with us.

[TJ Hvasta]

hmmm, then I'm stumped.. on 4 controllers I use dongles from Monoprice, were .94/ea, (are actually 2' extensions I cut off plug ends) made in China, just like the LOR-supplied ones.. not having any issues with mine but then they're new. The other 5 controllers use household 6' extensions, which I should have used as each have 3 taps instead of one.

Good luck with yours tho!

[medman2000]

we had freezing rain last night and can't even walk to car without falling right now! Will have to get the grease tomorrow I guess.

Is WD40 safe? Or dry graphite lubricant? I have those here now.

I envy those of you who have the skill set to wire your own boxes!

George did you really use a hammer? Trying to visualize any type of tool that could plug these in putting the strain on the tool instead of my elbows

[George Simmons]

Yes, I actually used a hammer. It worked as well as anything else and allowed me to take out my frustrations. (I probably should have tried channel locks.) I did have to replace a plug on a light set though when it cracked in half, which took even more time. Altogether, I spent over an hour and a half plugging lights into four controllers. The dongles I made myself from extension cords for the other 22 controllers all work perfectly. Perhaps LOR can make a change to those less expensive and more reliable dongles in the future.

[-klb-]

Do not use graphite. It is conductive, an you will never get it all off.

Let WD-40 dry for a couple of hours (or more) before power is applied.

[rstately]

If it's that bad on the 2007/2008 controllers, maybe it's worth changing
out the dongles? I know that would drive me crazy!

[George Simmons]

That's exactly what Sharon said also. In fact, she said if I didn't cut off those dongles and replace them she would. (I believe she was referring to the controllers.) Either that or she wasn't going to be helping connect things next year. Which basically means the dongles are history...

[rstately]

George Simmons wrote:
  (I believe she was referring to the controllers.) 

You may want to sleep with one eye open?

[TJ Hvasta]

LMAO!! Her middle name's not Lorenna?

[Jim Saul]

The Di-electric grease is available at just about any auto parts store, thats what I would recommend for lube.

for what it's worth, because I have far less channels than I do lights, I picked up 3-way, 3-prong taps at Menards, 2/$1. I never plan on removing them from my controllers, that may be a good long term solution for you.

[Max-Paul]

Oh well. It seems that every now and then we get on the subject of dongles. See my sig line below. George was the supplier of it. And as you can see, George was talking about dongles then too.

Thanks again George

[George Simmons]

Yeah Max, but that was someone else's dongles who were giving him problems. I'm finding that it's a totally different thing when it's your own dongles that are mis-behaving.

[-klb-]

That is a bit beyond the kind of personal admission I would make here. :shock: