California vs NEMA??

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JFletcher

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Was at the doctors office today and noticed an odd looking receptacle; it was a twist lock with 3 slots, but had a conical prong/pin sticking out in the center. I looked them up to see what NEMA designation that is, only to find this:

http://www.lockingpowercords.com/category/45-50a-twist-lock-receptacles.aspx

California standard. I wasnt aware of a California standard receptacle. Are they trying to re-invent the receptacle? Why would anyone use that vs a 4 pin NEMA? I see the ground makes contact first/breaks last but I thought most receptacles/plugs did that anyway... why the two standards?
 
JFletcher said:
California standard. I wasnt aware of a California standard receptacle. Are they trying to re-invent the receptacle? Why would anyone use that vs a 4 pin NEMA? I see the ground makes contact first/breaks last but I thought most receptacles/plugs did that anyway... why the two standards?
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california has a couple of odd things, not the least of which is tempower boxes
have a 50 amp device that is a california thing.

we have lots of special stuff here.... living the dream.
 
Fulthrotl said:
california has a couple of odd things, not the least of which is tempower boxes
have a 50 amp device that is a california thing.

we have lots of special stuff here.... living the dream.
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Are you referring to construction supplies only?

You know how California is just like a box of granola? Everything that's not fruits and nuts is a little bit flakey.
 
JFletcher said:
Was at the doctors office today and noticed an odd looking receptacle; it was a twist lock with 3 slots, but had a conical prong/pin sticking out in the center. I looked them up to see what NEMA designation that is, only to find this:

http://www.lockingpowercords.com/category/45-50a-twist-lock-receptacles.aspx

California standard. I wasnt aware of a California standard receptacle. Are they trying to re-invent the receptacle? Why would anyone use that vs a 4 pin NEMA? I see the ground makes contact first/breaks last but I thought most receptacles/plugs did that anyway... why the two standards?
Click to expand...

That is not just used in CA, that is used for a lot of trailer mounted equipment like beer trailers and other mobile concession stands.

Much more durable than a NEMA type
 
As I understand it, the standard came from Hollywood where they used a lot of portable power generators for location shoots and would leave equipment on site for days or weeks. So that industry came up with a specialized configuration so that people in the area could not walk up and plug things into the generators, thus screwing up a production schedule. I can imagine that idea was likely born out of just such a situation. When you are paying Tom Cruise $50,000/hr to be on set, and some caterer causes your lighting generator or to shut down by plugging in an espresso cart, you make sure that never happens again.

The idea caught on for lots of other industries. There is no regulation saying you MUST use any special type of receptacle here, it's just that the CONCEPT of this dedicated portable power connector came from here, and if anyone wanted to sell to the movie/TV industry, they needed to use that connector. The fact that other industries adopted it is just because it turned out to be a good idea.
 
Thanks for the replies. I can see it being used in Hollywood on sets and food trucks where there'd be frequent insertions and possibly abuse, but no idea why one would be near the front doors of a medical building. The center pin is not a ground, correct?
 
JFletcher said:
Thanks for the replies. I can see it being used in Hollywood on sets and food trucks where there'd be frequent insertions and possibly abuse, but no idea why one would be near the front doors of a medical building.
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Maybe some kind of 'Health Mobile' truck or trailer?

The ones I have worked with where 2 hots, neutral and ground. I think the center pin is just an alignment dowel and the ground is made on the side.
 
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iwire said:
Maybe some kind of 'Health Mobile' truck or trailer?

The ones I have worked with where 2 hots, neutral and ground. I think the center pin is just an alignment dowel and the ground is made on the side.
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Typical knowledge that a carnie would have.
 
iwire said:
Maybe some kind of 'Health Mobile' truck or trailer?

The ones I have worked with where 2 hots, neutral and ground. I think the center pin is just an alignment dowel and the ground is made on the side.
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Is 'Health Mobile​' a technical term for Ambulance?:rotflmao:
 
I use these all the time. We call them cali-twist collectors. They are most commonly used in place of a 14-50 bear paw connectors. The center pin is not ground. Its used as a guide and there is an option without a pin. I think its a Cs6364?. Big generators (usually 60kw and up) have a 50a female cali- twist available to use. Also, you can commonly find these outlets at event venues. Some large food trucks/ trailers might use the cali-twist.

Sent from my LGMS330 using Tapatalk
 
One of my portable diesel generators is a 25kva cat. It came standard with two of the 50 amp California plugs. I normally use it for 3 phase though. I've a the Cat 25 KVA, one that's 80 kw, and a Cat 225 kw trailer mounted generator.
 
brian.scussel said:
I use these all the time. We call them cali-twist collectors. They are most commonly used in place of a 14-50 bear paw connectors. The center pin is not ground. Its used as a guide and there is an option without a pin. I think its a Cs6364?. Big generators (usually 60kw and up) have a 50a female cali- twist available to use. Also, you can commonly find these outlets at event venues. Some large food trucks/ trailers might use the cali-twist.

Sent from my LGMS330 using Tapatalk
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Edit*
Collectors = connectors ?

Sent from my LGMS330 using Tapatalk
 
brian.scussel said:
We call them cali-twist collectors.
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Hmm, never heard that one; I have heard them called "RV" "spider box" or "CS" connectors. Beware- there is a 3-phase+EGC version.

brian.scussel said:
The center pin is not ground. Its used as a guide and there is an option without a pin.
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...and about a third of the catering trucks I find have the no-center-pin version; I suspect it's more common in the RV community. I usually end up pulling the pin out of my cable and taping it to the shell for later replacement.

(I have wondered why the two versions, but not enough to look it up.)
 
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