DIY ELECTRICAL WIRING

VSFLESHnBONE1

Active Member
BUILDING MY OWN COOLTUBE n WANTED 2 KNOW HOW 2 CONNECT MY E39 MOGUL BASE SOCKET TO MY STRIPPED 600V MALE BALLAST CORD.

SOCKET = 1HOT+1NUETRAL (THICK SILVER WIRING)

CORD = SAME + GROUND (THIN BRASS/COPPER? WIRING)
 

hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Wrong socket. You need one with a provision for a true ground. Silver wire = aluminum most likely and not good.
 

bicit

Well-Known Member
Wrong socket. You need one with a provision for a true ground. Silver wire = aluminum most likely and not good.
Most sockets don't have a grounding terminal since the bulbs themselves don't have a ground. The grounding conductor is usually attached to the metal case/reflector, not the socket itself. This is to provide an extra level of safety if there were ever a short and the reflector were to become energized. The ground gives a path of lower resistance for the energy to travel through than your body would, thus reducing a life threatening shock to a slight jiggle.... ideally... may not always work out that way.

I just looked at four different mogul light fixtures to double check. All of them are grounded to the reflector, not the socket. Fixtures are a variety of ages from a 20 year old parabolic to a year old radiant V reflector.

The short little stub of aluminum wire isn't going to hurt anything. It'll have slightly higher resistance through that portion of the wire but that's about it. However I highly doubt it's actually aluminum, probably plated copper to reiterate the point that it's the neutral side.
 
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hotrodharley

Well-Known Member
Most sockets don't have a grounding terminal since the bulbs themselves don't have a ground. The grounding conductor is usually attached to the metal case/reflector, not the socket itself. This is to provide an extra level of safety if there were ever a short and the reflector were to become energized. The ground gives a path of lower resistance for the energy to travel through than your body would, thus reducing a life threatening shock to a slight jiggle.... ideally... may not always work out that way.

I just looked at four different mogul light fixtures to double check. All of them are grounded to the reflector, not the socket. Fixtures are a variety of ages from a 20 year old parabolic to a year old radiant V reflector.

The short little stub of aluminum wire isn't going to hurt anything. It'll have slightly higher resistance through that portion of the wire but that's about it. However I highly doubt it's actually aluminum, probably plated copper to reiterate the point that it's the neutral side.
So long as there is something to ground. With the high price of copper it wouldn't surprise me if it is aluminum. I always advise super safety with electricity here because many will read these bits later after we are out of the discussion.
 

VSFLESHnBONE1

Active Member
Idk if the silver ones are copper but here's sum flicks the silver ones are much more thicker n stronger probably about 7 little wires that make up each hot n common n the copper ones are thin n stringy probably about 50 little wires..
 
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