# Cam-Lok gender orientation



## FatherMurphy (Jun 10, 2010)

A discussion/debate erupted at the local arena recently, as the TD tried to decide what to order to add permanent connectors to some distro equipment that currently has bare wire tails. The question was if the cam-lok genders for the ground should be reversed, reverse the ground and the neutral, or run all genders the same way.

If there's an actual standard, nobody here (including myself) has heard of it, and we've seen all three versions touring through, plus the area rental and production houses have all three orientations in use, so there isn't even a local standard.

I've always been of the opinion that reversing the ground is a good safety feature, whereas reverse gendering the neutral trades merely trades one hazard for another (being able to accidently cross a phase onto a neutral, vs. energizing conduits, cases, trusses, etc. with neutral current potential - one blows up gear, the other blows up people if they touch something and create a better path to ground).

Is there a code or standard? What do the posters here see most often?


----------



## Sony (Jun 10, 2010)

I personally prefer ground and neutral on the company switch as males, then the phases as female as this corresponds with the direction the electricity in the cables is flowing. I have seen ground/neu reverse and I have seen them not reversed, I haven't however seen just ground reversed. I do not know what the official standard is but I personally prefer ground/neu = male and phases = female as that is how the company switch installed in my venue is setup.


----------



## mstaylor (Jun 10, 2010)

You are correct that there is no standard. Many do reverse the ground and nuetral but is certainly not required. I prefer the reversed system but it works either way.


----------



## bishopthomas (Jun 10, 2010)

I prefer the ground and neutral reversed, but whatever you decide on just make sure you have plenty of turnarounds.


----------



## BrockTucker (Jun 10, 2010)

Ground/Neutral reversed with turnarounds locked away where only qualified technicians can get to them.


----------



## photoatdv (Jun 10, 2010)

I've seen the reversed version a lot, however I don't really see it as being important. Anyone tieing in should know what they're doing, therefore they shouldn't swap neutral and hot accidentally or anything. I think you need to post a large sign stating only qualified persons may tie-in however. . And have a disconnect closeby.


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 10, 2010)

My opinion: As others have said, it doesn't really matter, as long as adequate turnarounds are provided. However, Either reverse G&N or not, but don't do one without the other! Only audio companies do that, and they don't know anything about power.

If planning a new installation, why not add both genders of G&N to the disconnect (with appropriate protective spring-loaded covers)? The double neutral is a good idea anyway, and reducing the need for turnarounds (that are never around when you need them) will prevent much aggravation down the road.


FatherMurphy said:


> ... Is there a code or standard? ...




STEVETERRY said:


> > Might this be addressed in ESTA's BSR E1.18-1:  Standard For The Selection, Installation, And Use Of Single-Conductor Portable Power Feeder Cable Systems For Use At 600 Volts Nominal Or Less For The Distribution Of Electrical Energy In The Entertainment And Live-Event Industries, Mr. Terry?
> 
> 
> Unlikely, as no public comments have been received on this issue to date. There will be other public reviews before E1.18-1 becomes a standard, though.
> ...



Perhaps some history would help in the decision. From Cam Turn Arounds:

STEVETERRY said:


> Some history:
> 
> 1. Cam-Lok E1016 connectors were first used in an entertainment application on Colortran 6 x 6kW portable dimmer packs, circa 1977. In order to attempt UL Listing, they needed non-intermateablility of hot, neutral and ground. This was at least 7 years prior to NEC recognition of single conductor feeders and single-pole separable connectors, with their associated connection-order rules. Without these NEC rules, UL made up some of their own: no intermateability of hot, neutral, ground. (Note that even today, the NEC makes no statement about non-intermateability of these specialized connectors).
> 
> ...


----------



## Chris15 (Jun 10, 2010)

Sony said:


> I personally prefer ground and neutral on the company switch as males, then the phases as female as this corresponds with the direction the electricity in the cables is flowing.



NO NO NO NO NO NO!
We deal with AC and that reverses direction every 10ms (or whatever 1/120 seconds is for you Yanks with 60Hz)... It's like believing that it matters which direction your audiophile cable is connected...

What is it with you yanks not understanding that a line connector is female and a load connector is male? Therefore all outlets are female and all inlets are male.

Derek's idea of both genders of neutral scares me. When you are connected to the right gender, you have an exposed MALE connector. Yes it's Powerlock, so the shutters will slow you down, but it is still possible to access the contact in a male. When live, neutral is current carrying...

Now I know that Powerlock is much more common in the US because of you needing double the current to do anything, but SURELY the connection of Powerlock is a task reserved for COMPETENT persons... A COMPETENT person should be able to match colours and not need a reversed connector to prevent stupidity...

But hey, I'm an audio guy and I work under a different power system...


----------



## mstaylor (Jun 10, 2010)

photoatdv said:


> I've seen the reversed version a lot, however I don't really see it as being important. Anyone tieing in should know what they're doing, therefore they shouldn't swap neutral and hot accidentally or anything. I think you need to post a large sign stating only qualified persons may tie-in however. . And have a disconnect closeby.


The problem in many buildings are the tie-in is done by the electrician but the tails and feeder or feeder and dimmers get tied by stagehands. They are the ones that the reversed ends are for.


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 10, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> ... Derek's idea of both genders of neutral scares me. When you are connected to the right gender, you have an exposed MALE connector. ...


Which I why I was careful to include "with appropriate protective spring-loaded covers."



Cam Lok Snap Back Cover & Protective Caps Fits CL & CLS Series Cam Type Connectors



Chris15 said:


> ... Yes it's Powerlock, so the shutters will slow you down, but it is still possible to access the contact in a male. When live, neutral is current carrying...
> 
> Now I know that Powerlock is much more common in the US because of you needing double the current to do anything, but SURELY the connection of Powerlock is a task reserved for COMPETENT persons... A COMPETENT person should be able to match colours and not need a reversed connector to prevent stupidity...


Powerlock single pole connectors ARE NOT common in the US. When rumors of requiring sequential interlock and forbidding Cam-lok connectors began, there was an industry uprising. I believe the controversy that ensued was the reason (paraphrasing here) "Single pole power connectors shall only be used by Qualified Personnel" was added.

I recently ran into a panel whose output looked like this (appropriate covers removed for clarity) and thought it was clever.







http://www.nationalsupplyonline.com/Cam_Lok_1016_Panel.html


----------



## Chris15 (Jun 10, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> Which I why I was careful to include "with appropriate protective spring-loaded covers."
> 
> 
> 
> Cam Lok Snap Back Cover & Protective Caps Fits CL & CLS Series Cam Type Connectors



Um if we're having to cater to stagehands stupid enough to be not capable of matching colours correctly, then they are more than stupid enough to open the cover and have a look...



derekleffew said:


> Powerlock




derekleffew said:


> single pole connectors ARE NOT common in the US. When rumors of requiring sequential interlock and forbidding Cam-lok connectors began, there was an industry uprising. I believe the controversy that ensued was the reason (paraphrasing here) "Single pole power connectors shall only be used by Qualified Personnel" was added.



Well I learnt something today, I had previously assumed powerlock and camlock to be equivalent, they aren't. In the instance above, I meant single pole connectors in general. We use powerlock, and they are very difficult to get to the exposed male or female, the female being nigh impossible...

Now educate me on why requiring sequential interlock would be bad...


----------



## reggie98 (Jun 10, 2010)

I'm with Chris15, "Pins point to power." The hots are always male.


----------



## epimetheus (Jun 10, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> NO NO NO NO NO NO!
> We deal with AC and that reverses direction every 10ms (or whatever 1/120 seconds is for you Yanks with 60Hz)... It's like believing that it matters which direction your audiophile cable is connected...
> 
> What is it with you yanks not understanding that a line connector is female and a load connector is male? Therefore all outlets are female and all inlets are male.
> ...



In actuality, yes, AC systems reverse polarity every half cycle (8.333ms in the US, thank you very much). There is still an overall direction of power flow. Would you argue that the load sends power back to the source in the negative half cycle? I think the direction of power flow is what Sony was getting at.

As far as genders go, the terminal that would be hot on the source should be a female. The theory being that there's less contact surface exposed in a female than a male. So, in a reversed N & G system, source phases would be female and N & G would be male. Preferably, the male neutral would have a spring loaded cover.

And since you seem to have such a big issue with both genders on a panel, how do you reconcile cam pass-thru connectors? I've seen this as a common method of avoiding turnarounds. If you have pass-thru connectors on everything, you can just plug the phases into the "in" and the neutral and ground into the "out". Of course, this only works if the "in" and "out" are bussed together in the panel, which they 99% of the time are.


http://www.dimmerrack.com/camlockpanelassy.html


----------



## Chris15 (Jun 10, 2010)

epimetheus said:


> In actuality, yes, AC systems reverse polarity every half cycle (8.333ms in the US, thank you very much). There is still an overall direction of power flow. Would you argue that the load sends power back to the source in the negative half cycle? I think the direction of power flow is what Sony was getting at.
> 
> As far as genders go, the terminal that would be hot on the source should be a female. So, in a reversed N & G system, source phases would be female and N & G would be male. Preferably, the male neutral would have a spring loaded cover.
> 
> And since you seem to have such a big issue with both genders on a panel, how do you reconcile cam pass-thru connectors? I've seen this as a common method of avoiding turnarounds. If you have pass-thru connectors on everything, you can just plug the phases into the "in" and the neutral and ground into the "out". Of course, this only works if the "in" and "out" are bussed together in the panel, which they 99% of the time are.



Direction of power flow is moot. Yes I would argue that there is a return power flow - reactive power, though referencing that to the negative half cycle is inaccurate... And after all, polarity is only ever relative (like voltage itself)... We don't specify connector gender based on power flow direction, we specify it for safety reasons so that when nothing is connected, it is difficult to contact a conductor that is live or could become live (neutral being the latter in my book).

I see no issue with a pass through connector. Your inputs connect to the males, and you have female outlets. I have no problem with exposed female outlets, I do have an on principle objection to exposed male outlets...

The bussing is a different argument for a different day...


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 10, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> ... Now educate me on why requiring sequential interlock would be bad...


From a *safety* standpoint, I'm all for it. Although I suspect there are instances where it could be problematic. I.e., tying-in a hoist distro to a Wye-connected panel. How does one explain to the panel "It's okay, the neutral is not used, I don't need it. Turn the power on anyway."? (I'm guessing the solution is to insert an unwired male neutral plug.)

From a *financial* standpoint, if I owned thousands of Cam-Lok cables and devices, and someone suggested outlawing them, I'd consider it an attack on my livelihood. One company supplied 21925 feet of 4/0 feeder for the Vancouver Olympics. How many connectors would that be? And for just one event?


----------



## Chris15 (Jun 10, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> From a *safety* standpoint, I'm all for it. Although I suspect there are instances where it could be problematic. I.e., tying-in a hoist distro to a Wye-connected panel. How does one explain to the panel "It's okay, the neutral is not used, I don't need it. Turn the power on anyway."? (I'm guessing the solution is to insert an unwired male neutral plug.)
> 
> From a *financial* standpoint, if I owned thousands of Cam-Lok cables and devices, and someone suggested outlawing them, I'd consider it an attack on my livelihood. One company supplied 21925 feet of 4/0 feeder for the Vancouver Olympics. How many connectors would that be? And for just one event?



I misinterpreted what you said as there being an uprising against sequential interlocking rather than a forced change of connectors. It ought be easy enough to devise a panel type system that forces the correct connection order easily enough, enforcing the disconnect order is trickier...

Sure PRG supplied lots of feeder for Vancouver. They or Aggreko supplied a fair bit of it for Eurovision too... Most production houses expect to turn their cable inventory over every 10 or so years and so you could incorporate a transition into that. You can of course be guaranteed that every connector from discarded cable will be needed as an adapter, but that is true whenever a convention changes...

We normally use 95mm2 for 400A feeder, is that around the 4/0 size?

Maybe one day, we'll all even end up using the same colour codes for electrical globally...


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 10, 2010)

From Conductor size : PHYSICS OF CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS :
4/0 has a cross-section of 0.1662 in^2, 
so if my conversion calculator is accurate, 107.2 mm^2.

Seems one of us is using the wrong size of wire.


----------



## Chris15 (Jun 10, 2010)

So within about 10%, yes... Option B is to go to 120mm2.
The bigger issue I'd have thought would be that we have to derate everything because of our normal ambient summer temperatures... The standards are specced for an ambient temp of 40 degrees celsius...


----------



## epimetheus (Jun 10, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> Direction of power flow is moot. Yes I would argue that there is a return power flow - reactive power, though referencing that to the negative half cycle is inaccurate... And after all, polarity is only ever relative (like voltage itself)... We don't specify connector gender based on power flow direction, we specify it for safety reasons so that when nothing is connected, it is difficult to contact a conductor that is live or could become live (neutral being the latter in my book).



You really want to get into reactive power flow in a discussion on entertainment distros? I understand exactly how electricity works too, and for the record, I agree with you on defining gender based on safety reasons and not power flow direction. However, I'm just trying to suggest how others might see it. And lets face it, you don't need to completely understand the 120 reversals per second to hook up a distro.

Edit: I'm going to end my threadjack here...my apologies to the OP.


----------



## JD (Jun 10, 2010)

Really doesn't matter too much. Most of the newer venues appear to be ground and neutral reversed, however, the "pins point towards power" concept has validity. 

I think Steve Terry was the one that said a cam-lok is considered to be a tool-less lug. Point being, only qualified personal should be making the connection anyway.


----------



## Dover (Jun 11, 2010)

So far most of the discussion has been focused on the connection at the disconnect panel at which point an interlock seems like a good idea but as soon as the cables leave the disconnect it becomes useless. The problem comes in when two sections of feeder are connected together as there is no practical way to interlock five independent cable connectors. So the interlocks are defeated at the first cable connection. 

Another thing that appears to be overlooked is the condition of the cable. While it is almost impossible to mis connect a brand new feeder with a correctly coded set of ends, it becomes a lot easier misidentify a cable when the ends are covered in grime from last weekend’s outdoor gig or have been recoded three different times with e-tape, especially if there is not a full set of colors to begin with. Yes it dangerous but feeder like that does exist.

On the topic of qualified personnel I see two things wrong with the arguments presented here. First off several posts have mentioned that only a qualified person SHOULD connect cams, while that is most certainly true, there is nothing to guarantee that only qualified, alert and observant personnel will ever make the connections. This leads me to my second point that just because someone is trained does not eliminate them from making a mistake. Closing the disconnect on a 400A dead short will probably seriously injure if not kill you (see the arc flash thread). 

In conclusion, I do not see why the safety advantage of a reversed ground and neutral should be ignored regardless of the level of training of these using them.


As for the OP, In my experience reversed neutral/ground tends to be more common in the live event and entertainment industry. The generator and portable power markets tend to prefer straight connections.

Dover


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 12, 2010)

Chris15 said:


> ... It ought be easy enough to devise a panel type system that forces the correct connection order easily enough, enforcing the disconnect order is trickier...


How about an audible alarm that sounds when disconnect occurs?

While reading about the history of Union Connector in _PLSN_, I was reminded of this product (and the ludicrous advertisement):


Electrical Products, Stage Pin Connectors, Power Distribution Equipment

Qualified Person, indeed!

EDIT: Note that with this product "Sequential connection not required" as it won't energize unless all plugs are inserted properly. Again I ask the question "What happens when connecting a hoist distro that doesn't use a neutral into a 120/208VAC 3Ø Wye panel?"


----------



## JD (Jun 13, 2010)

derekleffew said:


> "What happens when connecting a hoist distro that doesn't use a neutral into a 120/208VAC 3Ø Wye panel?"



Dummy cam-lok comes to mind.


Dover said:


> Closing the disconnect on a 400A dead short will probably seriously injure if not kill you (see the arc flash thread).



A properly constructed company switch will contain the arc flash and the user should be ok. In such units, the door must be closed and latched leaving nothing exposed or un-contained.
Never saw a 400x3 dead shorted, but did see one leg of a 200x3 dead shorted (not my gig) due to reverse gender and a drunk house electrician. Loud but completely contained.


----------



## gbdesign (Jun 13, 2010)

Sounds like some of you are advocating a system that is almost foolproof (idiotproof?), an impossibility. There has to be a level of personal responsibility, ie: the qualified person, who pays attention to what is going on, is sober, and does the best and most correct job possible. No matter which directions the cams are.


----------



## JD (Jun 13, 2010)

gbdesign said:


> Sounds like some of you are advocating a system that is almost foolproof (idiotproof?), an impossibility. There has to be a level of personal responsibility, ie: the qualified person, who pays attention to what is going on, is sober, and does the best and most correct job possible. No matter which directions the cams are.



Nothing will ever be idiotproof! Our industry is so small, I suspect there are not many statistics that can be compiled. I do wonder if the reverse gender system actually makes things more dangerous in an attempt to make them safer. Guess we will never know. 

I must put a disclaimer in about my previous post: I was there, heard it happen, but did not witness it first hand so I can not be sure it was a reverse gender situation, especially as it was at a time prior to this being popular. The problem was multifaceted. A drunk electrician, as well as the concept that the feeders were made live prior to even being laid out because the guy wanted to take off. (I guess to the next bar.) Never saw him after that day so I suspect he was dismissed. (Not too common as it was a strong union town.)


----------



## derekleffew (Jun 13, 2010)

JD said:


> Loud but completely contained.


The drunk house electrician or the dead short? :neutral:

Perhaps the House Electrician had a drinking problem due to the lack of standardization of gender of ground and neutral Cam-Loks?


----------



## FatherMurphy (Jun 15, 2010)

Thanks all for your responses. My recollection of Broadway tours coming through the roadhouse I was at in the 90's was ground-only reversed, as is my present employer's equipment, so I was surprised at the number ground-and-neutral responses. I'll certainly have more information at my disposal next time the question arises.

The TD ended up going with all-the-same as his standard, but bought several pairs of turnarounds to cover himself with.


----------



## avkid (Jun 16, 2010)

FatherMurphy said:


> The TD ended up going with all-the-same as his standard, but bought several pairs of turnarounds *to cover himself with.*


Is he going to make a suit out of them?


----------

