this post was submitted on 26 Dec 2024
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How did we possibly survive with entirely dumb power chords?
Safety regulations are written in blood. Electrical fires were indeed a problem. It's why there are rules on how many outlets need to be in a room, how spaced out they need to be (to curtail extension cord usage even when the builders are trying to be cheap and stingy with outlets). It's the reason why we have breakers and GCFIs and RCBs and AFCIs. It's the reason why we have electrical certification bodies like UL which won't certify your cable or appliance if the cords are too thin.
There's a lot of smart stuff we do behind the scenes to make dumb cords safe because even smart people make dumb mistakes.
"Dumb" power cords have thicker gauge wire than USB-C cables and much larger contacts.
This is not about contacts but cableburning tho.
Hence the thicker gauge wire.