suggestions for getting a PC toolkit and extension cord

 
The desktops we have in office are HP Compaq dc7600 Convertible
Minitower or HP xw4600 Workstation and a Dell Optiplex 980. The laptops
are mainly Dell latitude 510, HP Compaq 2710p. Any suggestions for a
toolkit which can open parts of these machines? Would the ones at
http://tinyurl.com/2ctcx8m  and http://tinyurl.com/2dslxc9  be OK?

The components which can be be plugged using the extension cord could be
a camcorder, projector, laptop or a desktop. Any ideas for a suitable
one, though I guess most shown at
(Amazon.com product link shortened) would fit our needs. We will
not be using the extension cord in a damp environment.

 g wrote:

Collecting tools is an art. It takes time. You'd start by eyeballing
the equipment, and noting whether slot, Philips, Robertson, Hex, Torx
or the like is used on the equipment.

In some cases, the perfectly good item you bought, still isn't sufficient.
For example, if a screw is recessed inside a deep hole, you may need a
different style of tool, to get the necessary reach to get to the screw.
I have a nice kit, with replaceable tips on it, which can cover a good
many requirements, but it has no ability to reach a recessed screw.
And that's when the number of tiny kits starts to multiply. For
deeply recessed screws, you need a regular long screwdriver with
fixed end piece.

So you won't necessarily get the tool purchase right the first time.

If anything, if you're in a corporate environment, the first thing you
buy is a tool box and lock. That prevents tools from "evaporating".
One guy we worked with, became so pissed off at the theft, on the
company tab, he *filled* a deep desk drawer to the top, with screwdrivers,
so that no matter how many were stolen, he'd have tools to work with.
So a tool box with a lock on it, is a good start, before even acquiring
your first kit of screwdrivers or the like. In fact, at one time,
new employees were given a toolbox and lock on their first day at
work, as a means of instilling in them, how high a "vapor pressure"
tools had :-) And yes, some of the tool boxes had crow bar marks on
them, where the lock had been tested... Having that dent in your
tool box, was a mark of pride. Someone tried to get in, and failed.

*******

If you've never shopped for an extension cord before, it helps
to visit a hardware store, and see how "extreme" some of them are.

18/3 means 18 gauge wire with three conductors. The third conductor
is safety ground. Computers dump a small amount of current down
the safety ground, so you would want the third conductor to be
present. That prevents users from getting a shock from the
metal chassis or connectors. 18/2 wouldn't be a good choice
for a computer. You want that safety ground, even in a dry
working environment.

Gauge numbers work in the reverse of what you'd expect. 12 gauge
is thicker than 18 gauge. An 18 gauge extension cord is good
for lighting perhaps, but not much else. A 14/3 or 12/3 is
the kind of thing, at the 100 foot reach, that you might use
for an electric lawn mower. The reason for that, is Black and
Decker used to blame consumers for damaging the brushes on
their power tools, if the consumer used too thin a cord. If
the voltage was allowed to drop (resistive drop in the cord),
the appliance might draw more current to compensate, and that
might burn the brush assembly. (Or, at least, that was their
excuse why so many of their whipper/snippers broke.)

Now, once you get up to about 12/3, you start to see
"contractor cord" in the description. That is a cord,
where the vinyl jacket is made thicker, to help protect
the cord in a rough industrial environment. If you go
to a store, and feel the weight of the cord, you might
discover it isn't that convenient to bend, to coil up
later, to lift around, and so on. Nobody will want to
use it, if it's too heavy. And that's where shopping
in person is a good idea, to draw the line at cords
that are just too heavy.

Of the electrical loads you describe, the projector comes
out as the most heavy load. The 14/3 is probably good
enough for that. The cord will get used for other things,
so you should be prepared for those other things. Just
carrying some cheap 18 gauge for everyone to use, won't
cut it.

(Cords suitable for power tools... If you don't need
  the length, it makes a slight difference.)

http://www.askthebuilder.com/B174_Extension_Cord_Size_Chart.shtml

    "16 Gauge Cords

     Any 16 gauge cord between 0 and 100 feet long will adequately
     handle tool loads up to 10 amps.

     14 Gauge Cords

     Any 14 gauge cord between 0 and 50 feet long will adequately
     handle loads between 10 and 15 amps.

     12 Gauge Cords

     If your tool load is between 10 and 15 amps and the length of
     the cord is 50 to 100 feet, you need a 12 gauge cord to safely
     power any tool."

You can see here, that the folks at Black and Decker like their
cords pretty thick. This link should give you a copy of their
"Extension Cord Recommendations.doc" (single page) wire gauge table.
They're going a little heavier than the askthebuilder site, as
they don't want you using a 100 foot cord with 12 to 16 amp power
tool loads. Since you're not using 12-16 amps, you can back off
a bit on the thickness. (Check the label on the projector,
for amps or watts numbers.)

http://support.blackanddecker.com/ci/fattach/get/35437/

It really depends how picky your audience is, as to
how well your cord choice works out. There are
lots of complainers in the world. I can imagine
the comments you'd get, if you got a contractor cord.

HTH,
    Paul

  On 11/5/2010 6:44 PM, Paul wrote:

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. That is very helpful.

 g wrote:


See replies to your SAME post that you separately MULTI-posted in other
newsgroups.  Now you'll have to remember to which other newsgroups you
multi-posted and go check each of them for replies instead of
maintaining the discussion within a single cross-posted thread.

Learn to cross-post:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossposting
http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/usenet/xpost.html

 On 11/5/2010 8:22 PM, VanguardLH wrote:

You'll get them all to tow the line someday!