
Smart Alternative for Extension Cords - AndrewWarner
http://freshome.com/2009/12/26/smart-alternative-for-extension-cords-rambler-socket/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+FreshInspirationForYourHome+%28Fresh+Inspiration+for+Your+Home%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
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gvb
Looks like a mechanical problem waiting to cost you more money.

* Winding means sliding contacts to transfer the power... when they wear and ultimately fail, the failure mode is often overheating due to higher resistance. Now you have heat in a confined space (wall) with poor access. If you call the fire department to make sure there is no fire along with the smoke, they _will_ make sure, which is a _good_ thing, but it won't be pretty.

* The spool must have a spring rewind mechanism... again, rewind mechanisms tend to fail and now you have a cord that won't go back out of sight.

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cool-RR
Yes, problematic. I guess though that if the box in which the wire is rolled
can be fully pulled out of the wall (after unscrewing of course) then maybe
these problems won't be so bad.

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njharman
"Cute" maybe, not smart.

It doesn't seem easily replaceable (or even inspectable for damage)

It's not portable / it's fixed to that particular socket. So, if I
occasionally need an extension cord in the garage and in the den I need to buy
two of these instead of only on cord.

It's more complex, almost guranteed to be more expensive and more prone to
break down.

Winding a cord that tightly probably damages it unless it's specially
constructed.

Doesn't look like it can be all that long. 50',75',100' ext cords are common.

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elblanco
It's usually not the distance to the plug I have a problem with, it's the
number of outlets I need more of.

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ars
That's probably not legal in the US. Fixed installations must not use flexing
wires.

Flexing wires must be detachable from the fixed installation.

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rbritton
While I like the idea, when building a cord into the wall, it should be of a
gauge that can support the maximum current of the breaker installed. I don't
know what European plugs are (pictured), but US ones are typically 20 amps. It
takes a minimum of a 12-gauge electrical cord for that and the pictured cord
looks like 16-gauge at best.

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cracki
in germany at least, we have 10 or 16 amps rated, on 230V, and cables have 1.0
or 1.5 mm^2 cross-section per wire.

what is 12 and 16 "gauge" and what voltage do you folks use?

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Zak
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_wire_gauge>

US household current is 110V, 60Hz and typically 15 or 20 amps on a circuit.
16 gauge is approximately equivalent to a 1.5mm^2 cross-section solid wire, or
to 30/0.25 (which I assume means 30 0.25 mm^2 strands).

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moron4hire
I rarely need an extension cord for any purpose, and I rarely need it in the
same place. Part of the appeal of an extension cord is that it is modular and
mobile. With these plugs, I would have to replace every socket in my home.
With an extension cord, I need only one. It also comes with me when I move.
This is a fix in need of a problem.

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nopassrecover
It would be great for garage plugs or rooms near an external door.

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lallysingh
Seems like two changes could hit many of the concerns here:

(1) The box can unclip from the wall, and disconnect from an internal fixed
plug. An emergency pull handle is all you really need.

(2) A slow-but-steady retract mechanism. grinich's idea for a small electric
winch makes a lot of sense if a spring version couldn't do it slowly and
steadily enough.

And if you're worried a moron won't listen to your amperage ratings, a built-
in breaker.

Still, a nice-to-have in the kitchen, workshop, and garage. The electric knife
we use at thanksgiving has a uselessly short cord, and nobody remembers to
find a good extension until _way_ too late in the evening -- too many other
concerns first!

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proee
If this is using a spring-loaded rewind, it's potentially dangerous.

One of the kids in my school up was blind in one eye (it looked terrible). He
was next to one of those vacuum cleaners with a retractable cord and the end
of the cord flew up and hit his eye when his mother was winding up the cord.

I'm pretty sure they don't allow spring-loaded rewind cords on vacuum cleaners
any more.

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grinich
Why not have a low-power electric winch pull the cord back?

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chancho
Because then you need a motor and a battery, adding weight and cost to an
already heavy and expensive item.

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Devilboy
I've seen similar concepts before, but they never actually make it into
production. There's too many things wrong with this, not least of which the
costs to manufacture and install. Also remember that tightly coiled power
cables carrying significant load will heat up and could cause a fire.

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JulianMorrison
YAGNI

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jsz0
Smart? Eh I dunno... don't install it on your outside walls or you won't feel
too smart when your heating bill arrives. Insulation in wall keep warm in?
That's umpossible!

