[SOLVED] Has anything technically/physically changed with this kind of monitor power cables over last 10 years?

[vikaskumar2299]

I have a 10 years old Samsung SyncMaster 933 monitor. It has this kind of power cable and a monitor input design. Basically it's a 3 pin input. Middle pin is slightly bigger than other two and PSU of monitor is built inside the monitor only: (see Photo below):

Photo 1

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Similarly, many new monitors which also have built in PSU inside monitor itself, still use similar power cables and input. Here's a Dell monitor from 2020 input and power cable photo I found on YouTube.

Photo 2

They look same right? The only difference I could found out was my Samsung monitor cable is 6 AMP around 240 V with small plug for wall socket and this new Dell monitor has 16 AMP 250 V cable with a little bigger plug for wall socket. Which shouldn't matter from what I've learned because monitors use too less power. The other size of each cable (which we insert to monitor) looks same and same size - and that concerns me mainly.

Otherwise, basically they look same. I am curious, would that old power cable work with new modern monitors like this Dell monitor? Or the design of these cables and inputs still have some physical change which I might not notice and it won't work?

PS: Not to be confused with those laptop style brick cables where PSU is outside the monitor. That is a separate thing and has entirely different design and irrelavant to my question.

 

[Mtop]

What you describe are the electrical Ratings od said cables, meaning the maximun voltage and current that the cord can safely carrry.
My 1200watt power supply has a massive power cable and my laptop's appears flimsy.
Your 6amp cable should work but first verify the power requirements of the monito (often printed near recpt.) make sure amp numbers on cable are larger that the amp numbers on monitor.

If cords feel really hot you may have a problem.

 

[vikaskumar2299]

What you describe are the electrical Ratings od said cables, meaning the maximun voltage and current that the cord can safely carrry.
My 1200watt power supply has a massive power cable and my laptop's appears flimsy.
Your 6amp cable should work but first verify the power requirements of the monito (often printed near recpt.) make sure amp numbers on cable are larger that the amp numbers on monitor.

If cords feel really hot you may have a problem.

Hi. The monitor user guide Electrical specifications mentions this:

21 W (Max)^2, 11.74 W (Pon)^3, 37.3 kWh (TEC)^3

I think I'm pretty 16 AMP plug for wall socket is not really needed. What I am more concerned about is the design of monitor inlet and cable outlet is still same as it was 10 years ago?

Also, for desktop PSU, of course I have a separate cable. That is a different thing. I know that desktop consumes way more power!

 

[Mtop]

Agree'd 16 amp is not needed but can be used.
Don't be concerned cables are designed for safety if it fits - use it
Those cables havent changed in longer than 10 years (got a drawer full)

 

[BFG-9000]

The device end of what is now standardized as a C13 IEC cable (the standard for the socket is C14) was codified in 1970. This is why IBM PC clones and their monitors have had this plug since the very beginning.

However its design is far older, being commonly used in British electric irons, percolators and kettles (hence the common name for this cord type as a "kettle plug") since 1950 when PVC began to be widely used as insulation.

Notably, in Europe the wall end is usually fused and the IEC standard itself only requires up to 10A. However given the low 120v wall standard in the USA , 14ga wire and 15A ratings are pretty common here, especially for large photocopiers and laser printers. That "16A" may actually only be the rating of the plug itself and not the wire, or it might actually say 16AWG/16ga on the wire instead which is only good for 10A continuous up to 50' long.

See, here it's common to either have 15A rated (wired with 14ga) or 20A rated (wired with 12ga) wall outlets and it would be extremely uncommon for a cord to be rated 16A, especially if the wall end was wired for a 15A outlet (the 20A plugs are different and have one horizontal blade so would not fit into a 15A outlet, because here the cords are not fused).

Laptop power bricks often use C5/C6 IEC instead which is commonly referred to as a "Mickey Mouse" cord for obvious reasons.

 

[hotaru.hino]

Otherwise, basically they look same. I am curious, would that old power cable work with new modern monitors like this Dell monitor? Or the design of these cables and inputs still have some physical change which I might not notice and it won't work?

The end you're holding in the first photo is known as an IEC 60320 Type C13 plug. The IEC 60320 standard been a thing since 1970.

You can learn more about it at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60320