New ac cord for 100w Twin

[ctcpete]

Just received my 1st order from Mouser which included my new ac cord. Looks like they sent me the European model (blue,black yellow/green). Their part description called for US colors. I'll contact them.
Anyway what specs do you guys recommend? I believe 10amp/18 is sufficient (for approx. 10ft length)? Is shielded recommended over non shielded?
I am enjoying this process. I hope I don't exceed my question allotment. Thanks again for your kind replys.
Pete

[Steve A.]

Just received my 1st order from Mouser which included my new ac cord. Looks like they sent me the European model (blue,black yellow/green). Their part description called for US colors. I'll contact them.
Anyway what specs do you guys recommend? I believe 10amp/18 is sufficient (for approx. 10ft length)? Is shielded recommended over non shielded?
I am enjoying this process. I hope I don't exceed my question allotment. Thanks again for your kind replys.
Pete

I usually pick up a nice looking extension cord at the hardware store (on sale of course) and cut off the receptacle end. Or get a pigtail at one of the wholesalers. For a 100w amp I probably would want to use a 16GA cord. I'll use 18GA cords on amps under 20 watts. Not that you really need all of that to handle the current (which is not excessive at all) but I just like hefty cords on hefty amps...

I'm not sure what Mouser can do except have you return the cord for credit- I just ohm the wires out to figure out which is hot and which is neutral (not being able to remember the color coding- or much anything else!- these days...)

Good luck!

Steve Ahola

P.S. I didn't realize that they had shielded power cords these days- probably very expensive!

P.P.S. As for wiring up the cord in your amp, I always thought that it was best to keep the ground wire the shortest, so if it ever got pulled out, it would keep the tension off of the hot lead. Bruce Collins set me straight on that- you want the hot lead to be the shortest and the ground lead to be the longest. If the cord ever gets yanked out when it is live you want the ground to be connected so that the current from the hot lead would go to ground and not to you!

[Enzo]

No, shielded cords are not expensive, they come with computers ansd stuff all the time.

There is absolutely no point to using a shielded power cord on a guitar amp. On the other hand it won't hurt a thing either.

Unless your cord has to meet UL specs for a product certification test, the colors don't matter as long as you wire it up right. Just use the one they sent.

A 10A rated cord is fine, your amp will never draw more than its fuse rating, which is a lot lower than 10A. In my view 18ga is fine for the same reason, it will never have to conduct more than a couple amps.

I agree with Steve on big sturdy cords - mechnically sturdy, not worried about electrically so much. But I also don't like overkill with cords that are hard to deal with.

I also will probably never buy a real power cord again, like Steve. Snipping the end off an extension cord is probably cheaper. The standard removable power cords like all copmputer stuff and most amps these days use, are dirt cheap. Grab one of those and snip off the female end - voila, instant power cord.