Source for 3-prong "Courtesy Plug" outlets? (pic attached)

[waspclothes]

Does anyone have a source for the circular 3-prong "courtesy plug" outlets?

This one is on a Traynor YGM-3 and measures about 1.5" from centre to centre on the mounting holes.



I found a few threads online about this part, but all the links are now broken.

[Leo_Gnardo]

You might try Apex Jr. a surplus dealer in or near Burbank California. A couple years ago it was reported he had a "barrel full" of 3 prong Edison outlets at $15 each. Might be out by now, but worth a try anyway. Snoop around at apexjr.com . And he's a member here though seldom seen.

[Justin Thomas]

If you have a small independent hardware store nearby (NOT Blowe's or Home Despot) try taking a pulled outlet in to them. Those folks are ridiculous-knowledgeable, have good ole Muhrikan Ingenuity, & don't put their customer's project ahead of corporate HQ's fear of litigation. If they don't have something that can work, they might have something you could dismantle to make work.

Justin

[nevetslab]

I don't recall what year Amphenol discontinued those outlets. I'm sure that's why Fender stopped putting them on the rear panel...both in the 2-prong and 3-prong (Nema 5-15R). I'd love to find the 3-prong to put onto my old Superior Electric 7.5A Variac. Very rare outlets these days, and are probably only going to be found on old discarded military panels in surplus, or places like what Apex was (Steve Slater was one of Bill's sons, who owned Apex in Sun Valley, CA up the road a piece from Burbank.

[waspclothes]

I don't recall what year Amphenol discontinued those outlets. I'm sure that's why Fender stopped putting them on the rear panel...both in the 2-prong and 3-prong (Nema 5-15R). I'd love to find the 3-prong to put onto my old Superior Electric 7.5A Variac. Very rare outlets these days, and are probably only going to be found on old discarded military panels in surplus, or places like what Apex was (Steve Slater was one of Bill's sons, who owned Apex in Sun Valley, CA up the road a piece from Burbank.

I was actually planning on visiting Apex on a trip to LA in June! I'll have to check them out.. is there any other places you recommend checking out?

[Leo_Gnardo]

Apex was (Steve Slater was one of Bill's sons, who owned Apex in Sun Valley, CA up the road a piece from Burbank.

Was? Is Apex gone? I sure hope not. OTOH you have reported many of the other surplus shops in that area disappointingly gone outta business. Many happy hours I spent combing thru their bins shelves and stacks back in the late 80's - early 90's.

[galaxiex]

Surplus sales Nebraska has them.

A bit pricey tho...

Scroll down a bit on the page....

https://www.surplussales.com/Electrical/ElecAC-1.html

[nevetslab]

Was? Is Apex gone? I sure hope not. OTOH you have reported many of the other surplus shops in that area disappointingly gone outta business. Many happy hours I spent combing thru their bins shelves and stacks back in the late 80's - early 90's.

As far as I know, Apex is no more....though I could be mistaken. Seems it closed down in the early 90's. Saturday mornings were always a treat. Once a month the General Dynamics Radio Amateur's Technical Swap meet in Pomona began at 7AM, which got most of the same sellers as the TRW Swap Meet in Redondo Beach. So, on the way back from Pomona, I'd stop off at the C & H Sales Warehouse in El Monte, scour it for the latest treasures, then drive back thru Pasadena to the C & H Sales store on Colorado Blvd, stop off at Dow Radio up the street from them, then up the 210 fwy and get off at Sunland Ave, drive down that canyon road to Apex, then down to Joe Factor Sales (Surplus Hardware), and also Electronic City just west of that in Burbank. Rare I'd come back empty handed. On the way back down to Redondo Beach, I'd stop off at Industrial Liquidators in Hawthorne (formerly Earls Supply). They closed down in the late 90's in Hawthorne, but I think their store in San Diego is still open.

Bill Slater was getting pretty long in the tooth by then, retired, just having the store to run (keeping his sons busy). Connie was the connector specialist...knew the MS & Cannon connector series backwards and forwards, having worked at Lockheed for decades. That property has now been turned into a large open area shopping mall, though the large models of the P-38 Lightning, the F-80 Starfighter jet, the Constellation passenger plane and the Blackbird spy plane still stand erect on their large pillars, now sporting the store signs within the complex.

[nevetslab]

Surplus sales Nebraska has them.

A bit pricey tho...

Scroll down a bit on the page....

https://www.surplussales.com/Electrical/ElecAC-1.html

A bit pricey indeed.....$33 indeed. Thanks for the contact, though!

[waspclothes]

Does anyone have a source for the circular 3-prong "courtesy plug" outlets?

This one is on a Traynor YGM-3 and measures about 1.5" from centre to centre on the mounting holes.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]53481[/ATTACH]

I found a few threads online about this part, but all the links are now broken.

Thanks Leo, Apex Jr still had a few in stock so I ordered one. I also hope to visit him on my trip to Los Angeles this summer.

For others looking, Surplus Sales of Nebraska has this part for $33: https://www.surplussales.com/Electrical/ElecAC-1.html

They also have the same part but without the metal plate for a more reasonable $9 at the bottom of the page [ (CNE) 160-10N ], but I believe the OD is wider than the 2-prong version I'm replacing so probably won't fit into the original bracket?

Also, someone on ebay currently has a lot of 24 of these for $70, which is a lot more reasonable than $33 for one... if someone wants to buy all 24: https://www.ebay.com/itm/LOT-of-24-A...YAAOSwSqtco2l8

[Leo_Gnardo]

OK, I think I got it sorted now. Apex, closed early 90's. Apex Jr. still up & running. And Nebraska? Pricey +++, I wouldn't buy anything there unless it was the only place to get it. I checked their website a long time ago and said, forget it!

Good surplus shops are a terrific resource. I still have things I bought from Les Couch, on the outskirts of Albany NY, in the 1970's. Including rare exotic color pilot jewels - he had jars of them only a quarter apiece. Good ol' Les, if he's still around he must be 110 years old. Hm, probably not.

wasp, it's a little hard to tell what's going on in that ebay ad. If the LOT of receptacles is $70, I'd jump on that. But it looks like a "Dutch auction" where they are selling single outlets, and have a batch of them to sell. Although $70 apiece is outlandish...

[olddawg]

If you aren’t a purist for a restoration I’m sure something like this would work fine using a piece of scrap sheet metal, some hand tools, and 10 minutes work. Less than $2.
https://www.unicornelex.com/ProductD...MaAi3GEALw_wcB

[Bloomfield]

Are you in Canada? I can't remember. A1 Parts in Etobicoke might have those; I don't see them on the website but maybe if you sent them a photo they could tell you. I seem to remember those at Active Surplus, but they are gone now. Sayal could be worth a try, also in the Toronto area. There are a lot of power receptacles under 'Electrical Accessories' - many of which are not pictured so maybe worth a shot.

http://www.a1parts.ca/

http://www.sayal.com/zinc/index.asp

[loudthud]

The original Fender parts were made by Amphenol. I have an old 2005 Allied catalog that lists the 3 wire equivalent as made by WPI under the part number 160-2N. If you google WPI 160-2N there are some hits. Good luck.

I think Bruce from Mission Amps (Denver Area) had some if you can track him down. He makes Harp amps now.

[Randall]

"Courtesy plug"

Typical Fender misnomer. It's not a plug, it's a receptical.