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I'm working on a project that requires AC power. It's going to be drawing around 250W DC [25V/10A], so around 200VA. I plan on using a C14 plug, with the hot lead going into a small circuit breaker, then going to an on-off switch. Neutral will be tied direct to the transformer and Earth Ground will be direct to the chassis.

Looking at the internals of some power supplies, I see that most of 120VAC connections are doing through some sort of robust connections, but I can't figure out what they are.

enter image description here

My original plan was just to solder onto the IEC C14 terminals with some 16AWG or 18AWG stranded wire, but it seems like these connections are probably more secure and less likely to come loose. Any advice on how to get these 120VAC-interfacing components connected?

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    \$\begingroup\$ those are crimp terminals female spade. they come loose, too. \$\endgroup\$
    – Marko Buršič
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 18:17
  • \$\begingroup\$ @MarkoBuršič Ah! There we go! Thanks! interesting choice then, any reason to use ones that can disconnect vs. permanent bonds? \$\endgroup\$
    – Felix Jen
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 18:24
  • \$\begingroup\$ Those crimp (or 'solderless') terminals have manually-added heat-shrink over the exposed bits. One can also purchase solderless terminals that are already fully insulated (no heat shrink required). Be sure to use the proper crimp tool for the terminal connection that you purchase. Soldering the wire directly may not be an approved connection method (depending on the component). Soldering also introduces the (slim) chance of damaging the component due to heat exposure. I use solderless connections where possible. \$\endgroup\$
    – Chris Knudsen
    Commented May 18, 2021 at 18:48

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These are the right ones. No other type will fit on. Some one have a center locking pin, if the contacts have a hole in the middle, they hold better than cheapest variants. You have to read the datasheet of the C14 plug and select the correct width of the contact.

Image enter image description here

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks! Do you happen to have a link to an example of one I could look into? Width irrelevant, since I mostly want to see what they look like as a product \$\endgroup\$
    – Felix Jen
    Commented May 19, 2021 at 1:33

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