Keis new wiring system

[raesewell]

I noticed  some days ago that Keis the heated clothing people had two types of power cables one for the newer range and one for the older range. There is now a plug where there was a socket and vice versa. I was wondering why they had made this change, was is just to get more sales or for a technical reason. So I sent an email and below is the exchange.

Hello, I wonder if you might be able to satisfy my curiosity? What prompted the change in power lead configuration in the Keis range?

Regards
Rae Sewell

Hello Rae,

 

Thank you for your email and I hope you are well.

 

The reason Keis has changed the power connectors on their Keis heated gloves, and within the Keis heated jacket arms…

 

While the most heated glove power connections have historically always provided a power socket on the glove, and a power plug bringing the power to the gloves, this has seemed contrary to almost all other plug/socket power delivery situations.

 The power lead coming from a motorcycle battery, or a portable battery, provides a socket in which a garment can be ‘plugged’ into. This is a best-practise standard. Like one ‘plugs’ any household appliance into an electrical wall socket.

 

So, as the leading brand in heated clothing, Keis Apparel have made the necessary change towards a better connection standard. Making sure that all ‘power input connections’ are plugs, and all ‘power output connections’ are now sockets.

 We are sure that this will be soon become the norm for heated clothing manufacturers.

Best wishes,

Harry.

Hello Harry and thank you for your reply. It makes perfect sense. However it does pose the question as to why it was done the other way in the first place.

Regards
Rae Sewell

I am still awaiting a reply 

[Matt]

Haha they'll excuse their ignoring that as a rhetorical question :p.

Interesting though! One would assume they've been thinking this since their first product where everything was rushed and last minute. Since then they've been trying to pick a good moment to annoy their base. Perhaps the real reason is a new CTO. Or CPO. Or C3PO.

There must be some other benefit though than not being recalcitrant. Did everyone electrocute themselves when plugging gloves in? Or plugging gloves over, even.

[richtea]

The power output is a socket for protection - you can't short out the pins so easily as if they're sticking out like a plug.
The passive side (the glove) can have pins sticking out - no power source, no risk.

(You'll now tell me they're covered by a sheath anyway!)

There will be a nice market for plug->socket adapters shortly!

[raesewell]

The adaptors are already out there 

[Phmode]

Don't umderstand why they don't use SAE or DIN plugs/sockets (whichever is the one where both connections are the same) where earth is exposed and live is shrouded.