godsquadgeek
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- Location
- Western, United States
- Occupation
- industrial electrician for food processing facility
Pretty sure this is not safe
- Thread starter godsquadgeek
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- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
Is it UL Listed?
If so it is probably safe. If not, it may not be. But I do not see anything particularly wrong with it.
What is it that is bothering you?
If this is meant to be US/NEMA receptacle (and you have not flipped the picture since the text reads properly) it looks like the wide slot is on the wrong side in the pattern.
If so it is probably safe. If not, it may not be. But I do not see anything particularly wrong with it.
What is it that is bothering you?
If this is meant to be US/NEMA receptacle (and you have not flipped the picture since the text reads properly) it looks like the wide slot is on the wrong side in the pattern.
Noticed too the N slot being on wrong side- that female end isn't big enough to be a 6-50 is it? That 5-15 cap looks awfully puny in comparison- maybe the pic was taken at a bad angle. I think that b/c the 6-50 has a top pattern opposite of the 5-15, iirc. If it is, than that was cooked up by the "creative"- unless there is some goofy specialty something cord I have never heard of.
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- Location
- Massachusetts
It is not flipped, I can read the tag.
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
It's a 6-50r to 5-15p adapter. The pinouts are correct for those types. Appears to be a molded/factory cord and not a photoshop. No idea why you'd need a cord like this... maybe some welders on a low enough setting could get by on a 15A circuit?
- Location
- Placerville, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Retired PV System Designer
A lot of adapters are made up for connecting RV or trailer shore cables to unofficial power sources. This might be one of those.
As long as the receptacle it plugs into is protected by a properly sized breaker it should be safe. The user simply has to be careful to keep their power drain down to avoid trips.
Those are usually a variety of 120/240 connector types though.
Didn't think of either of those scenarios.
I think too the 6-50 was supposed to be going the way of "10" devices, replaced by the 14-30, 14-50 etc.
godsquadgeek
Member
- Location
- Western, United States
- Occupation
- industrial electrician for food processing facility
it was an adapter bought for a small mig welder, hand held.
JFletcher
Senior Member
- Location
- Williamsburg, VA
good follow up, tho that begs the question: if the mig welder was capable of running on a 15A circuit, then why did it come with the 6-50 from the factory??
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
That would have to be a 5-50R, because a 6-50 would be 250V and the 5-15 is 125V. But a 5-50 would be 50A, 125V. So it's likely a 50A 120V welder, but it's unlikely that anyone has a 5-50R receptacle on a job site. So they give you an adapter, then warn you that you can't use the welder at full power if plugged into a 15A receptacle. I had a little combo welder / plasma cutter like that. They told you that at full 50A input it could be used at a 30% duty cycle, but if you used the adapter to plug it in to a 15A socket, it became a 10% duty cycle. So that means 10 seconds of cutting or welding, followed by a minute and a half of running with the fan on, but no cutting or welding. It was a pain in the butt, but if you had to do a job in the field and there was nothing else available, it was easier than going out and renting a generator (sometimes).
- Location
- Massachusetts
You can weld thin materials with the 15 amp supply, if you want full output you will need the full size supply.
electrofelon
Senior Member
- Location
- Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
My welder will take 120 or 240 automatically so its got one of those adapters like in the OP but its got a 5-15 on one end and a 6-30 on the other. Not sure what happens of you try the max setting while using the 5-15. Probably the universe collapses in on itself.
midamericairon
Member
This is an adapter found with many inverter welders these days. The welder can automatically sense what the source voltage is. The welder will not let you "crank" it up over what the source voltage can handle.
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- Location
- Massachusetts
I think many welders are now smarter than the old ones.
I had to run a temp feeder for a welder on a job site and asked what it needed and I was told 200-250 volts, 30 to 60 amps, single or three phase. :huh:
I walked away laughing to myself, '220, 221, whatever it takes'
Well when I looked at the welder that was the deal, it had a label on it explaining you could connect it single or three phase and it would self adjust to it.
I had to run a temp feeder for a welder on a job site and asked what it needed and I was told 200-250 volts, 30 to 60 amps, single or three phase. :huh:
I walked away laughing to myself, '220, 221, whatever it takes'
Well when I looked at the welder that was the deal, it had a label on it explaining you could connect it single or three phase and it would self adjust to it.
petersonra
Senior Member
- Location
- Northern illinois
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- engineer
You can even weld off a 12VDC car battery.
- Location
- San Francisco Bay Area, CA, USA
- Occupation
- Electrical Engineer
I have a dozen or so screwdrivers with burned tips to attest to that...
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