DIY Plug point.. Ensures correct fit and versatility..

[Subcenter2009]

Dear friends,
This is a plug point that I built 4 years ago.
It is divided into 3 sections:
1. Audio section.
2. Set Top Box section.
3. TV section.
All 3 sections have monitor lamps.
The switches and sockets are all from reputed companies.
The Sun-Mica board is from a board cutter nearby.
The wooden box is from the local electrical store.
Wire is 3-20 Gauge.
The advantage with this plug point is the precise fit that often eludes readymade extension cords.
Hope you like this post.
It is easy to make and I am sure you can get it done easily if you know only a litle about electrical work. Ask your local electrician to do this after showing them the attached pic if you so desire.
Your's
Subcenter2009

 

[Shivam]

DIY is usually cheaper and better than what you can purchase 'ready' for the same money in the market.

I had assembled a similar extension board sometime back for my audio equipment but with some differences-

Main power cord - Supra cable
There are no indicators of any kind
The internal wiring was done with thick copper wires and the wires were made to cross each other at right angles and parallel running wires were kept away from each other by an inch or so.
The wires were cleaned with isopropyl alchohol before making the connections and not touched by hands and later after tightening the screws, the wires were covered with solder.
Basics of wiring were followed (no reversal of phase and neutral), ground wire was connected to make a redundant connection and ground would not break even with one loose connection.
The switches are the weakest link in power supply and so I had used high quality15 Amp switches.

At present the equipment that needs to be switched on everytime like the amp is directly connected to the power conditioner (Zephyr by Audire) and the equipment that needs to be switched on/off is connected by the extension box that I had assembled.

 

[anuragn]

Such type of "portable" boards were common in olden times (i.e. pre-mobile phone, pre-internet era).
Anyway, I have got a concealed board (with ROMA switches & sockets) installed near the TV unit in my almost-ready new house. The board has lots of points customised as per my requirement. It was done by my electrician before POP/Putty/Painting of the walls.

 

[vijayb]

What are the precautions I need to take while drawing power from the socket? Basically I live in an apartment and there is one 3 plug pin. I connected Belkin 8 power point extension to it and draw power for my 40" LED TV, STB, Denon 2113 connected to Polk Audio speakers, External HDD (powered), Wi-Fi Router and DVD Player. Is there a possible burn out from the source where I draw the power? The apartment is approximately 9 years old.

 

[ontherocks]

If you can, try measuring the total current drawn from the single wall socket when all the devices are ON and running. You could use a multimeter or a clamp meter.
The current drawn should be less than the current rating of the socket or better still the wiring that goes into that socket (sometimes people attach 15A sockets to 5A capable wiring).