50 Amp 125/250-Volt California Standard Connector

[zbang]

Film is VERY flammable, so arcing was a potential disaster.

A friend looking that this thread pointed out that nitrate film was banned in 1951. Also, since the hazards were well known, it was only handled in specific places. (And unprocessed film was never outside of a metal container when outside the lab.)

So that film-set theory would have to go back into the 1940s, but AFAICT that was really the era of plugging boxes and "paddle" plugs.

 

[Jraef]

A friend looking that this thread pointed out that nitrate film was banned in 1951. Also, since the hazards were well known, it was only handled in specific places. (And unprocessed film was never outside of a metal container when outside the lab.)

So that film-set theory would have to go back into the 1940s, but AFAICT that was really the era of plugging boxes and "paddle" plugs.

It goes back to the 1920s...

NEMA goes back to 1926, then they released standards for plugs and receptacles in the 1940s. But the issue for early Hollywood as told to me was that in the ABSENCE of standards, they came up with their own. The NEMA standards came along afterward. Hubbel (the company, not the man, who passed away in the 20s) invented the Twist Lock in 1938, so the "California Standard" device was reportedly in use in Hollywood before that.

 

[Todd0x1]

I heard back from my contact. He says Hollywood was all sister lugs and paddle plugs until the 1980s.

Something I forgot: Up until more recently, soundstage lighting power was DC to eliminate filament noise that would get picked up by mics. I remember being on a soundstage at Warner Bros in the 1990s that had DC power. Mole Richardson won an Academy Award in 1983 for their 12kw DC dimmer. -Can't use a 125/250v 3P4W twistlock on DC with 2 wires.....

I still say hollywood lighting didn't use the 125/250v CS twistlock.

 

[zbang]

I'm also a little suspicious of a twist-to-lock plug being used before the Twistlock(tm) was invented. Jreaf- I think your informant was misinformed themselves.

 

[hillbilly1]

Seems like I have seen them used on UPS systems, may have been KMart, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen one of those.

 

[Meltric_South]

Interesting conversation. I've run into the California Style plugs used in lots of applications, but didn't really have a good answer to why they were called "California Style". Thanks everyone for adding to my knowledge.

 

[Todd0x1]

Interesting conversation. I've run into the California Style plugs used in lots of applications, but didn't really have a good answer to why they were called "California Style". Thanks everyone for adding to my knowledge.

Its what we use because we can't afford fancy self ejecting load breaking connectors

 

[Meltric_South]

Its what we use because we can't afford fancy self ejecting load breaking connectors

Here at Meltric we like to say, "Can you afford to not use them?"