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Old 12-12-2004, 07:32 AM   #12 (permalink)
ScottKuma
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Location: Maineville, OH
NOT TRUE! Although you're correct that there's no fixed polarity, the device may be polarized, expecting the "hot" wire in the cord to be connected in a certain fashion. It may be this way so that the device can ensure that the fuse is the first thing that voltage reaches in the device, for example.

Remember that a 120V AC electrical outlet (In the United States, I don't know about other countries) usually has three wires. If your house has properly-wired polarized outlets, one of the two main prongs is larger than the other. The smaller of these two prongs is the "hot" wire...or the wire that brings electricity to the device. The larger of these is the "common", and the third wire is the "ground."

But regardless of that, most 120V AC powered devices use one of maybe three style cords (again, in the United States).

1) a PC-style, trapezoidal cord
2) a "playstation"-style, mini-plug that's rounded on both sides of the cord, and will fit into your device either way. Many coffee-makers use this kind of plug.
3) a "Dreamcast"-style, polarized mini-plug cord that's rounded on one side of the cord and square on the other side of the cord. This kind of plug will only fit a certain way into your device. This will ensure that the device is receiving voltage on the proper wire.
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