Topic: which power plug?

[MrclSchprs]

Hello,

Today my father gave me his fiber print dryer. An old-fashioned one .... curved metal plate, white cotton cloth and various springs to press the print against the heated plates. The type plate says it is a HOGGLANSPRESS (Type 5 Volt 110 Watt 300), ELEKTRO-INDUSTRI FALKOPING SWEDEN. The press itself seems to be in good shape. It is in working condition. Unfortunately that can not be said from the plug that connects the power cord to the press. That plug is in bad shape. It is just not safe anymore and needs to be replaced.

As far as a layman can estimate, this machine seems to be quite old. Old enough not to use modern standard plugs. I can not identify the type of plug this thing uses.

I like the overall look of this machine and I would prefer if I can replace the plug instead of converting the dryer to accept a modern plug. So, I have shoot some misplaced artistry Histamatic images of this plug (male and female) hoping that someone is able to identify the type of plug I am looking for. A web shop selling these plugs and is willing to ship to the Netherlands would be a bonus.

Thank you very much for your help!

[Kai-san]

Now that plug looks quite familiar, it was very common in the sixties for kitchen appliances. The N with a circle around it is short for NEMKO (Norwegian Electrical Material Control Organization). And if I'm not very mistaken I have one of those print dryers lying about in the shed! I'm quite certain that I will never use it, so if you like I can send you the whole thing complete with plug and lead. I will just be pleased if somebody can put it to good use. I cannot vouch for the functionality, but the plug and lead should be in order. I will check it tonight or tomorrow.

[Pete_R]

(Type 5 Volt 110 Watt 300)

If you're in the Netherlands where the mains voltage is 230V then you really don't want to be plugging this in at all. You'll need a transformer.

[Francois]

You'll definitely need a transformer that's pretty strong. If you just plug it on the mains, you can expect it to overheat quite quickly.
If my travel hair dryer is anything to go by, when I push the switch to put it in 220 mode, my medium heat mode becomes hot mode...
Though I wonder if it would be possible to just add an inline power diode to cut half of the cycle of the power grid and just run it as a pulsed DC current?

Where's an electrical engineer when you need one?

[Kai-san]

If it says 110 volts then Peter is right, but I didn't think that the Netherlands has ever used 110 Volts? Maybe I'm just as wrong about that as I was about that dryer sitting in my shed...   It seems to have gone missing in one of my many house moves, all I could find was two chrome glossing plates (24x30cm) that belongs to the dryer. If you like I can send you those. But I have a contact which might be able to locate one of those plugs, I shall call him tomorrow.

[Pete_R]

You'll definitely need a transformer that's pretty strong. If you just plug it on the mains, you can expect it to overheat quite quickly.
If my travel hair dryer is anything to go by, when I push the switch to put it in 220 mode, my medium heat mode becomes hot mode...
Though I wonder if it would be possible to just add an inline power diode to cut half of the cycle of the power grid and just run it as a pulsed DC current?

Where's an electrical engineer when you need one?

You would still be putting the same peak voltage across it - just less often and only in one direction. If it's nothing more than a heating element then you might get away with it but I guess there is some sort of control and that might not be rated for the voltage. I wouldn't recommend it.


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[Francois]

I know these things are pretty primitive. If there is a thermostat it's most likely just a bi-metallic switch a bit like what we find in mechanical thermostats, so that wouldn't be much of a problem electricity wise.

My guess is that inside there are only a set of coiled nichrome wires and some ceramic blocks to hold it all together. But a dissection of the device would be needed in order to see what's in it. But one thing's almost certain: it won't contain any electronics.

Now, I have not seen the device, but here's a bit of an idea of what I would probably end up doing.
I would open it to check what's inside. For the plug, I would remove the external plug and replace it with a grommet and a proper power cord. I would choose a locking grommet to prevent pulling on the cord. I know that's how mine is made...
For doing the connection inside, I would use some screw-on ceramic terminals (sometimes called dominoes)

[MrclSchprs]

Oops, a typo. A nasty one. The machine's type plate says 220 V instead of 110 V.

[Francois]

Well, in this case things are easy!
You could even just unconnected the offending plug from the inside and re-route the connection to a new non removable cord.

Not complicated, it should take you about one hour to fix if you don't have much experience with these things. Less if you're handy.

[MrclSchprs]

Well, in this case things are easy!
You could even just unconnected the offending plug from the inside and re-route the connection to a new non removable cord.

Yes, I've considered this option, but I would like the machine to be as original as possible. I am even considering a cotton power cord instead of a regular plastic one.

[Francois]

Or yo could make a plug using some thin copper pipe that you crimp a bit so that it holds the prongs really well and some epoxy...

[Urban Hafner]

I have nothing of substance to add, but hey that plug looks exactly like the one on my old print dryer that I got with the darkroom setup.