Dangerous Wiring. Every time I talk or write about mains power (110/120 VAC in the US, 220/240VAC overseas) I always include the disclaimer that this voltage can injure or kill. Don’t play around.

[stextbox id=”warning”]Mains Power Can Kill[/stextbox]

I found this photo of a very nice, neat, well organized cabinet. I was impressed. But something caught my eye. Looking on top of the power supply, I saw something that made me shake my head. Two ‘wall wart’ power supplies were placed prong-to-prong and the mains power is connected to them via a bolt and nut securing the prongs together.

There is so much wrong with this approach that it’s not worth even discussing.

+1 point for clever, -100 points for dangerous. Drop a screwdriver on there and you’ll have some awesome fireworks!

It would only have taken a few minutes more for this builder to do this in a far safer way. All the other work here is neat and organized – very nicely done.

If you need access to mains power inside your cabinet, I would suggest ‘drawn metal box’ (also called a ‘handy box’). Use a metal cover. There are many metals that you can choose from, such as Brass, Stainless Steel, and Aluminum, which you can get from somewhere like Aluminium Warehouse (view our products at aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk/aluminium) for more information. These metals may be a good choice for your project but always check with a professional first and always ensure that you have the right equipment before starting, like a strain relief. The whole thing will cost you less than $3.00. It is safe and reliable. You can add two outlets or four outlets. You can have them switched from different sources. Why not hire test equipment to make sure that your connection is safe and reliable.

But most importantly, the mains power is safely behind solid metal. Be smart, stay alive.

All metal handy box (2 gang)	Strain Relief
Metal outlet cover	Generic duplex outlet (US, 110/120 VAC)