By Jeff Andrews
Some groomers have been experiencing cord problems with clippers that have voltage converters on the end of the cord. These converters adapt 120 volts AC to DC current that runs your clipper. DC motors have more torque and seem to hold speed better in tough coat. Because of the extra weight of some of these cords, they break and short out right behind the clipper. If the converter is pulled from the wall socket and hits the floor, components inside can break and cause the cord to fail as well. You can prevent these situations from happening with a few modifications you can do yourself.
The cord shorts at the “Stress Relief”, which is the thick part that goes into the clipper itself. The stress relief is supposed to be stiff so that the rest of the cord, which is thinner, does all of the bending. But with the twisting and turning that groomers do, this can cause the cord to start shorting out right behind the clipper. I have found that by using a zip-tie, and zip-tying the cord to the hanger in the back, it helps to keep the stress relief in place (Fig. 1). Which, in turn, makes the thinner part of the cord twist and bend the way that it was designed to. If you need the hanger to hang your clipper, get a key ring and run it through the hanger.
Another issue with this cord, and any other clipper having a voltage converter on the end where you plug it in, is the cord becoming “dead”. These converters, even though they are small, are packed with components. If you accidently pull this converter out of the wall and it hits the floor, the chances of one of these components breaking is great, thus the cord will become dead, and no electricity will go to the clipper.
As you can see, there are quite a bit of electronics packed into this small box (Fig. 2). And it doesn’t take that big of a whack to break something inside if it’s pulled from the wall socket and it hits the leg on your grooming table. The solution? Get a power strip, and set it on the floor, then plug your cord with the converter into the power strip. It can’t fall from the floor, and you just saved yourself the expense of a new cord and sending it off for repairs.
In conclusion, if you zip-tie your cord now before it starts to short out, and get a power strip to plug it in on the floor, I think your problems will be over.
As always, read all your labels and manuals, and have a safe day grooming! ”
Jeff Andrews is a World Class Sharpener and owner of Northern Tails Sharpening, Inc. He is an author and pioneer of many equipment maintenance videos and how-to articles that are appreciated by groomers worldwide at no cost. Jeff is a member of NDGAA, IPG, and NAPCG, and still grooms at his shop in Mobile, AL. 251-232-5353 http://www.northerntails.com
