Update: This How-To was written for April Fools’ Day. It is not advised you attempt to make or even use this cable. The comments have made it very clear how dangerous to you and others using this cable can be. The image above is not of a full male-to-male cable, only the ground is connected, and the generator is not running.
We all know Ethernet has the crossover cable, cars have jumper cables, and RS232 has the null modem. Well, it is about time our wall sockets get their own crossover cable. This crossover cable is great for running power to a circuit disconnected from power. Maybe you are out of fuses, the breaker is broken or you just don’t want to go check the fuse box when there is a murderer about. This cable makes a great gift for even the most loathsome of acquaintances.
This an April Fools’ Day post. You should not do this!!!
Warning: These are Mains voltages and currents we are working with. If you do not know why you should not attempt this, you should not attempt this.
You will need:
- 1 Extension cord.
- 1 Male extension cord repair connector.
- Tools to strip the extension cord, and attach the connector: Knife, wire strippers, and screwdriver.
- Respect for mains voltages and currents.
If your extension cord has warning labels, read them.
Cut the extension cord to the desired length.
Strip about one inch (2.5cm) of the outer insulation from the part of the cord that has the male plug.
Strip about 3/8 inch (1cm) of each of the conductors. If there is a strip gauge, use it for a guide instead. Twist each of the stranded conductors to prevent fraying and possible shorts later.
Slide the shroud over the cord.
Screw the conductors into each of their respective terminals on the connector.
- The Green or bare conductor goes to the ground conductor terminal. It often has a green screw.
- The White conductor goes to the grounded conductor terminal. It often has a silver-colored screw.
- The Black conductor goes to the ungrounded conductor terminal. It often has a gold-colored screw.
Use a multimeter to check continuity and make sure there are no shorts.
Slide the shroud up to the connector and fasten the two parts together.
Secure the cable clamp.
There you have it, a finished Mains crossover cable.
There you have it, a Mains crossover cable. How might you use this crossover cable?
You could first plug it into one of the power strips that has an integrated 15A breaker (with nothing else plugged into that strip) to avoid overloading the wall plug and that branch of the house circuitry. Although it would be best to have breakers on both hot and neutral as there are many homes out there with sketchy or plain old wrong wiring.
I am very shocked that so many intelligent people failed to realize that this post is a April Fool’s Day Joke. The tags clearly demonstrate this fact. The depth of some of the discussions is truly hilarious. It is one of the great internet moments.
Poor joke for April Fools day. A neat hack to create a joke on others would have been better…
Really need to mention that you need to disconnect from the street.
oh and one other thing any lineman that gets killed because they “assumed” that the voltage was off to the line they were working on deserved to get nailed.
Why do you put the generator outside where it could get rained on? Put it inside and close the windows and doors good and tight. That way you don’t let all the extra electricity outside when you’re running your generator. Better close off all the interior doors too, just to be safe.
Now, this is important, make sure you stay right there with your generator to make sure it’s still running. This is very important, don’t fall asleep on the job!
April Fools!…um, dude are you asleep…dude? you’re lips are wicked blue, you been eating popsicles?
>I am very shocked that so many intelligent people failed to realize that this post is a April Fool’s Day Joke. The tags clearly demonstrate this fact. The depth of some of the discussions is truly hilarious. It is one of the great internet moments.
I was actually looking for the April Fool’s joke to see what Hackaday cooked up in this immediately leaped out at me. This is rather disturbing and not funny. April Fool’s FAIL, in my opinion. It’s not even covered by the “completely cruel, but funny to everyone else, and turned out to be harmless” category.
@cliff
I hope you don’t think that would hold up in court.
“Your honor, the lineman clearly deserved his fate because he did not check the power. The fact that my client connected his generator to the power grid in a dangerous and illegal manner, and broke the National Electrical Code is irrelevant. Clearly, it was entirely the lineman’s fault.”
What’s your excuse if the lineman checks the power, and you plug your generator in as he’s putting his meter away? He checked it, and it said it wasn’t live.
These cables actually exist in commercial form but not for what is shown here. They are designed for people who work in remote locations on homes that have yet to have power lines extended to them . I went with someone that was finishing up a plumbing and electrical job on a new home. The generator we used output 240VAC @ 30A or 120VAC @60A. We used it in 240VAC mode.
One end of the cable has the plug for the generator and the other end has no connector but the wires break out into connections that look like they have been soldered then covered with heat shrink. That end gets attached to the place in the service panel that the lines coming from the utility would normally attach.
Doing that allowed us to work anywhere in the home and use the homes lighting as well as prime the pump on the well and test out the plumbing system . You could do it with extension cords back to the generator, but man what a pain on a large job to snake cords down hallways and out to water pumps. This works and is just as safe , probably safer due to stumbling over cords, as any other method.
Now doing this on your home during a power outage it would be unsafe with a 110VAC generator because you could inadvertently power the other hot through the neutral causing a shock hazard. A 220VAC generator though has two 110VAC with a neutral and is not any different than what the power company provides to most homes in the USA. The problem is connecting into the current wiring easily. The only outlets wired heavy enough in a home to support that kind of connection are a dryer or range and I don’t think I will be pulling them out , unplugging and all that just to hook up a generator while the power is out.
If you intend to do this for power reasons they make switches for under $100 that mount between the meter and breakers and can be switched to use either power line or generator in a split second.
Generator outputs are almost always isolated from the local ground, just like using a transformer.
The only time I would ground a generator is if I was using equipment that had no other ground source. A home has its own and doesn’t need another one.
ya know, just running an extension cord to what you need seems a whole lot easier and no hacking required. the plug on the extension cord is only rated for 15 amp, if the wiring inside the wall is rated for the same, it’s a very easy way to fry a plug and possibly part of your house wiring. please do not attempt
Serious question:
Lots of posts warning about this feeding back into the supply via the step-down transformer.
How the hell does the transformer step the voltage up to anything higher than it would have had anyway? Does the transformer magically become more efficient when run in reverse?
Every time I’ve seen a linesman working on the line here it is isolated *and earthed* at both ends.
Dangerous? Yes, but only if your linesman is also taking shortcuts.
I have heard some of my neighbors talk about doing this with their 220 outlets in their garages during outages.
yes, I currently live in the woods.
@ Anony Mouse
No lineman ever assumes a line is dead. You don’t even need to check, you ALWAYS assume the line is live . Any lineman who doesn’t will not live long.
The reason you always assume a line is live is because in outages if you were to check the line, it may be dead. You start repairing it and suddenly a breaker auto resets at a substation and the line is now live. Also there are many homes now that are using solar and wind power and that provides power from the home back onto the lines just like a generator. Like with a gun and always assume it is loaded, the same is true with power, always assume it is live.
Needs more LEDs to be impressive.
Lawsuit, death, raping my childhood, not funny, more crying from people, etc
this is illegal, and dangerous and a very bad april fools day joke, (shame on you HaD), dont do this, this is a very good way to start a lot of problems.
OK … I’ll ‘fess up and admit I made one of these in December to hook up a string of Christmas lights that went the wrong way from the plug. Yes, I shocked the crap out of myself. Even my kids laughed at how stupid I was. But I used it all the way through the Christmas season without getting shocked again!
VERY DANGEROUS!
It needs a warning sign describing the lifting capacity. Otherwise someone might walk underneath if you happen to use it to hoist your piano up to the 2nd floor.
As others have pointed out…
This is:
Very dangerous,
ILLEGAL,
and should be removed.
Worst AFD gag ever, if it’s even that.
Everyone at HAD should be shot for allowing this item up as long as they have.
o.k. fair enough, funny, dangerous stupid but funny,
but it could still have been funny if the post explained the safety precautions of doing this.
1. turn off the main circuit breakers.
2. as soon as you are finnished using it, dismantle it imedeatly. or it ten years you kid finds it and plugs it in.
>>>>>>>>the page should be flagged in the robots.txt file to avoid it getting pulled up on a search engine in six months time.<<<<<<<
widowmakers do have their uses, but don't forget the first rule of widowmaker club.
anybody who is defending this post should have an arduino implanted in their forehead with flashing leds spelling out the word "FAIL" just to be sure that noobs don't take advice for them.
there are tons of people on the internet with no clue, for example the guy who's asking if he should put i diode in it to make it safer.
people who need to ask how to program an arudino.
people who should be keeping their mouths shut until the've read the fucking manual.
and these idiots will try anything you put in an instructable.
freedom and responsibility are scary things, and some people here are showing just how little they know know about either. grow up.
there was a decent discusion on widowmakers on the blueroom.co.uk a while back. where eveybody was grown up and profesional.
for some dangerous hacks explained properly look at big clive's website. (no link, if you don't know how to use google you shouldn't be making a bam board, a tingletron, or exploding smarties with pyrotechnics)
This is SO kewl.
Fuck all the cry babies, I’m gonna try this right now.
What kind of knife should I use to strip the wires? Is a kitchen knife ok? What’s it mean to “shut down the main”?
Oh Nevermind, I’ll figure it out as I go.
@comments
CALM THE FUCK DOWN
Long time ago… Brown box I think?!?!?! help me old school phreakers.
Instead of connecting it to the mains power, connect the generator to the PHONE line and kill an entire area code :D
Ah April fool I am.
The warning says it all.
“Warning: These are Mains voltages and currents we are working with. If you do not know why you should not attempt this, you should not attempt this.”
That said, I’ve been doing this for years. Things to remember, outlets are usually only rated at 15 amp and while most homes in the US are 2 leg, you’ll only be powering up one leg of the panel.
Not that I care, but this is also illegal in most areas. If you don’t turn the main breaker off, you could kill a lineman who might not be following the correct safety measures and policies to protect himself.
These plugs are also called suicide plugs, and for a good reason.
And the commentary is funny as hell.
I know the post is a joke but don’t try it thinking shock hazard is the only issue. Branch circuit very often have poor connections due to back wiring, loose screws and nuts. If you plug a solid 20A source into a fully loaded circuit you are asking for some hot connections. If you are really unlucky you may even find a 15A circuit.
This is why I stopped coming to this dumb ass web site. You guys think you’re clever? this needs an arduino. Fucktards. HACKADAY SUCKS BALLS
so I can’t make jokes on the flawless never-false bastion of true knowledge that is the internet? since when is it my responsibility to protect the stupid?
Don’t people have parents anymore?
Read the disclaimer. Don’t let your kids go to this site if you think they are to stupid to be safe on it. If you don’t feel safe, don’t go here either.
You have no right to criticize someone else’s blog for it’s safety, it’s the internet, there’s child porn on here, bug those people, that’s actually a crime.
Go make your own hacking website and put whatever you want on it and leave this one alone because I like it the way it is!!!
they call that a “suicide cord” for a reason. Illegal, and if someone gets hurt your liable for even building it. You need a UL listed switchover, installed to nec standards, to transfer the source of power.
just connect 1 meter of wire with male connector just before your breakers and add some switch, which will make sure that there will be no power in that male during regular use. (it will switch between grid and generator).
Then hide this cable somewhere and give some protector case on it (some unconnected female is ok).
then you will get secure way to connect generator to your house electric system (power will be in females only at any time and you will be able to securely connect your generator using extension cord)
Calm down guys. This is very common in Florida when hurricanes wipe out the power for a few days. But usually you’re supposed to use the 220 main. Also, always switch the main breaker of so you don’t kill any lines men or try to power your neighbors house. It should also be noted to turn your AC off as the AC will kill most generators the second they turn on. Not to mention the fact that it will cause permanent damage to your AC system.
HURRRRR DANGER IT ARE UNSAFE U WILL JAIL HACKADAY
POOPS!!1!!
Yes, it’s dangerous if you are an idiot.
However, if you flip the mains breaker first, only plug in the important circuits you need to power (ie refrigerator, heat), then there is no problem. My Dad has one of these at his house and it works liek a charm.
I’ve been checking the Darwin awards site, still no mention of “dave”
this would be classed as illegal in nz, and you could be fined up to 10,000.00NZD or be imprisoned, due to the fact that any one could plug either end in to the wall and you have bare live concuctors exposed and are not electrically safe!
Delete the post. Yer just using the comments aS your own Neilsen Rating System. Just because goverment healthcare got approved doesn’t mean we need to send people to the hospitals and have the taxpayers pay for it because they read it on hack-a-day. At least change the title to something referring to a power outrage helper with a solar panel or something. I’m embarassed I read this, it’s like common knowledge and not a hack. It’s how your outlets are wired in the walls between eachother. If I pull off the drywall and make connectors between all the outlets it would function the same. My gawd.
I’m guessing this is not UL listed or approved? LOL
i have better btw
its a little cord that hangs out of my wall, regular plug on the end
that way, to hook up to my generator, all i need is a regular extension cord
just need to make sure to not touch it when the line voltage is working though..
The Infamous Blotto Box!! by The Jolly Roger
(I bet that NOONE has the balls to build this one!)
Finally, it is here! What was first conceived as a joke to fool the innocent
phreakers around America has finally been conceived!
Well, for you people who are unenlightened about the Blotto Box,
here is a brief summery of a legend.
–*-=> The Blotto Box <=-*–
For years now every pirate has dreamed of the Blotto Box. It was at first
made as a joke to mock more ignorant people into thinking that
the function of it actually was possible. Well, if you are The Voltage
Master, it is possible. Originally conceived by King Blotto of much fame,
the Blotto Box is finally available to the public.
NOTE: Jolly Roger can not be responsible for the information disclosed
in the file! This file is strictly for informational purposes and
should not be actually built and used! Usage of this electronical impulse
machine could have the severe results listed below and could result in
high federal prosecution! Again, I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY!
All right, now that that is cleared up, here is the basis of the box
and it's function.
The Blotto Box is every phreaks dream… you could hold AT&T down on its
knee's with this device. Because, quite simply, it can turn off the phone
lines everywhere. Nothing. Blotto. No calls will be allowed out of an area
code, and no calls will be allowed in. No calls can be made inside it for
that matter. As long as the switching system stays the same, this box will
not stop at a mere area code. It will stop at nothing. The electrical
impulses that emit from this box will open every line. Every line will
ring and ring and ring… the voltage will never be cut off until the
box/generator is stopped. This is no 200 volt job, here.
We are talking GENERATOR. Every phone line will continue to ring, and people
close to the box may be electricuted if they pick up the phone.
But, the Blotto Box can be stopped by merely cutting of the line or generator.
If they are cut off then nothing will emit any longer. It will take
a while for the box to calm back down again, but that is merely a
superficial aftereffect. Once again: Construction and use of this box is
not advised! The Blotto Box will continue as long as there is
electricity to continue with.
OK, that is what it does, now, here are some interesting things for you
to do with it…
hahah the blotto box. my third favourite example of why the anarchist cookbook is a load of crap <3
let's just slam a kilwatt through a phone jack… it'll be fine guys, copper is a good conductor right
I’ve done this SO many times (with proper precautions that have been described ad-infinitum above) , however I would never butcher a good extension cord for a temporary use. That’s why this hack is NG, why spend money & butcher a cord????
Just stick some 12 in the f end and plug it in. Safer this way, so the kids don’t find it later.
If used during an outage and current finds it’s way to a lineman somewhere he will very likely track you down and beat your face to a bloody pulp.
Just have a proper secondary panel installed and avoid having your teeth knocked out.
Truly a ‘Mans’ Crossover Cable!
@ stan : I see what you did there!
@mike: thx, even though its beyond me lol.
@ewan: ok yea,tl;dr i was asking for the name or description of a bit of equipment or tech, that automatically did the same thing as a diode, but obviously on a larger scale than diodes normally use.
Something like this is beyond me (for obvious reason{s})but I like knowing things, even if just to stuff my head. Happy 1st HaD!
in a bind maybe… ive been off the grid and would have used this if i needed too… but you can usually just get by with an extension cord and a splitter
As an electrical engineer, I cannot stress how bad an idea this is for someone who is not one to try. Too many non-engineers visit this site (my belief). Some idiot will try this and it will not end well.
There is a reason this is not sold anywhere, and not because it has not been thought up before.
This “hack” can get a Lineman KILLED and is a LIABILITY to this website. This should be deleted immediately for the sake of this site!
>20Amp generator operating on 20A rated wire = Darwin candidate material at its best.
I have to admit, I have built one of these for a legitimate, and safe use. Had a sandblaster cabinet with control switch that needed to turn on it’s dust collector that was located in a closet about 20 feet away. The outlet in the closet for the dust collector was initially wired full time live as the only outlet downstream of the outlet the sandblaster cabinet was plugged into.
We cut the shorting tabs on the outlet the sandblaster was plugged into, and used one of these to connect the switched outlet on the side of the sandblaster cabinet to the now isolated outlet on the wall.
NOOB KILLED LIABILITY RAWR I’M AN EXPERT ENGINEER AND I SAY THIS IS BAD.
Common sense says it’s bad… You’re also obviously not a lawyer as liability doesn’t work that way.
@SeanL
As it’s been stated before, most generators with Edisons will have a 15 or 20A breaker on them…
Unless you have one of these cables.
http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-Cable-25-Foot-Generator-3-Outlets/dp/B000289BAK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=hi&qid=1270180562&sr=8-2
Why the hell are these allowed to be sold? I’m about 99% sure that violates the NEC.
this is kinda dangerous, you could at least make some big tags for each end of the cable that give a warning, like “CUSTOM CABLE, DO NOT USE UNLESS YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING”
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