12 volt outlets

dirty tools

dirty tools

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I have several 12 volt motors that I would like to use.
I have a 12 volt power supply about 25 amps.
I want to wire my shop to use them.
what electrical plugs and outlets can I use use?

I have a 12vdc motor to be used as a tool post grinder, pencil grinder,
and a couple general purposes motors and actuators

i don’t want any oops ( plugging into wrong voltage)

any id of what I can get
 
Could use two conductor connects like the 4 version for trailers.
 
The Anderson Powerpole connectors are relatively inexpensive and easy to work with. They are also polarized and one size is both plug and receptacle. www.Powerwerx.com is where I shop for that stuff. They also have the Red/Black "zip cord" but it is not UL listed for building use as far as I know.

Does your power supply have current-limiting or will the short circuit current be more like 25Amps or more? Low voltage doesn't mean safe because high currents can melt the plastic wire and cause fire just like AC can. In any case, be sure to fuse it properly for the wire.

Also, voltage drop will happen. In the 120V or 240V case, a couple of volts drop due to current drawn and resistance of the wire are no big deal, 1 or 2 percent or so. But for 12V, that same voltage drop works out to be more like 10-20%. Bear that in mind, along with the short circuit / overload current when choosing the wire size.
 
Marine supply dealers should have suitable connectors.

10AWG copper wire has a resistance of 1 milliohm/ft. A 10' run of 10 AWG wire carrying 10 amps will have a voltage drop of .02 volts (.01 volts per conductor). This would be a drop of .17%. FWIW, the power dissipated as heat by the 10 AWG wire would be .2 watts Neither of these numbers present any concern regarding power loss or safety.

Resistance doubles for every 3 wire gauges and 8 AWG copper would see a voltage drop of .0125 volts for the same wire length and current draw. Conversely, 12 AWG copper would see a voltage drop of .032 volts for the same wire length and current draw.
 
A regular 120V house receptacle and cord plug are polarized so you can only plug it in one way, one blades wider than the other. Just mark the receptacle 12v or paint it a specific colour.
 
Low voltage high current connectors tend to be expensive. Can't beat aliva's idea for cost- just don't let an inspector see it
-M
 
markba633csi said:
Low voltage high current connectors tend to be expensive. Can't beat aliva's idea for cost- just don't let an inspector see it
-M
Click to expand...
I don't think an inspector would really care bout 12V Again paint it pink or something to differentiate it from 120V
 
I keep a bin of Molex connectors on hand. They’re inexpensive, good current capability (use more pins for more current as needed) and can come in way too many sizes, including bulkhead mount. Here’s the first picture I found:

1674508692369.jpeg1674508692369.jpeg
 
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