As a paranoid observer of redundancy and Murphy's law, I try to have multiple back up practices during show setups: multiple consoles, tracking servers, battery backups, panic looks recorded on the dimmer rack, etc.
I recently realized that the weakest link in the system was the IEC power cord into the console. All it takes is one wanderer behind the console setting up FOH drape surrounds to step on the cord and pull the loose connector right out of the console and an external UPS is worthless at this point. :angryfire:
I found IEC locking power cords that grab on the the ground of the female end, meaning you don't need to swap out the power inlet connector on the console. Just swap the cord.
Works like this: www.quail.com/iec-auto-lock.aspx
But they require a minimum order of 10 ($10 each)
found them available individually Here:
www.mouser.com/search/refine.aspx?Ntk=P_MarCom&Ntt=145188308
and Here:
www.stayonline.com/iec-c14-to-c13-iec-lock-power-cords.aspx
Ideally, I'd love if these or another more secure connector (powerCON TRUE1?) were standard. I think it's more desirable than adding weight with an onboard UPS.
