Ghetto Electrical Cord

Before I even begin with this ‘ilbe, I have to say electricity is a DANGEROUS element.  You can burn your house down, or even kill yourself.  If you aren’t 100% sure of what you are doing, DO NOT TRY THIS. 

Even beyond that, this ‘ible is NOT a proper way to do this type of function.  IT IS WRONG.  But, I am stuck here in Afghanistan and I have very little to work with, so this is what I had to do to make it work.  I have taken many other mitigating actions to make this work safely.  Also, this product will be recycled as soon as it can be replaced with a proper cord.

With all that said, let’s start the fun

Standards are a great thing.  There are always so many to choose from!  (That is an ironic joke for those lacking in a sense of humor.)  Well, UPS manufactures have decided to agree to use a standard that no one has cords for.  So that leads me to this ‘ible.

Situation:  You have a UPS that only has C14 panel mounted male connectors for outlets.  You also have a US 2 Prong USB external drive that you need to get data off of it. 

Materials: You have a single C14/C13 cable.  You have a single 2 prong to 3 prong adaptor.

Tools:  You only have a LeatherMan Wave Multitool and a roll of electrical tape.

Mission:  Make “Tab A” fit into “Slot B” as it is.

Open the 2 prong to 3 prong adaptor.  Just pry it open and it should all come apart nicely.  Save the ground tab for another project.  Cut the two metal tabs that extend from the adaptor.

Cut the cord for the cable and strip the wires.  You can cut off the ground (green) wire as the USB drive only has two prongs and doesn’t use the ground.
Now cut a hole in the face plate of the adaptor, fish the cable through it and strip the inner two wires.

Crimp the wire between the metal tabs for the plugs.  This may take some "doing."  work with it to make sure you have a good connection. 

Remember, a good electrical connection requires a good mechanical connection.

Now, put the adaptor back together and tape it up real well. Cut two slits where the plug will go into the adaptor.

Plug it in and see if it works. 

Enjoy the data on the USB drive!