The facts
- Maker: Scolmore.
- Locks at: the equipment inlet.
- Needs on the PDU side: nothing; the plug is a standard C14.
- Needs on the equipment side: any standard inlet (C13 connector).
- How it holds: Scolmore's IEC Lock: a latch inside the C13 connector grips the earth pin of any standard C14 inlet. The plug is a standard C14. Built here on LSZH (low-smoke zero-halogen) cordage at 10 A, 250 V, for rooms where a cable fire must not fill the space with acid smoke.
- How to release: Pull the red tab on top of the connector back and withdraw it; the same tab is pulled back to fit it.
- Published retention: Over 100 N (about 22 lbf) lock retention (AMG Systems datasheet for its IEC Lock-connector cord).
- Plugs: C14. Connectors: C13.
What it is
IEC Lock is Scolmore's equipment-side mechanism with one moving part. Inside the C13 connector a latch closes on the earth pin of the inlet it is pushed onto; the earth pin is the longest and is present on every standard C14, so the latch always has something to hold. A datasheet for a cord built on this connector publishes over 100 N (about 22 lbf) of lock retention. The plug is a standard C14 and does not lock. The cords here are built on LSZH cordage, low-smoke zero-halogen, at 10 A and 250 V. Scolmore also makes IEC Lock+, a locking C14 plug for standard outlets, and C15 / C19 connectors; we stock the C13 lead.
Why LSZH
Ordinary PVC cordage burns with dense smoke and hydrogen chloride. In a sealed equipment room, a tunnel, a ship or a telecom hut, that smoke is the hazard that clears the room before the fire does and corrodes the equipment that survives. LSZH compounds give off little smoke and no halogen acid. Where a site specification asks for LSZH on the power leads, this is the locking cord that meets it.
What it fits
Any standard C14 inlet, on any equipment, from any PDU or strip with a C13 outlet. It is made as C14 to C13 only; a C20 inlet takes A-Lock or S-Lock with a C19 connector.
Release
Pull the red tab on top of the connector back and withdraw it. The same tab is pulled back to fit the connector; let it go once the connector is home and the latch takes the earth pin.