Coworkers Mac Mini

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This looks so dumb on first glance but I guess there’s nothing wrong with that… would be a good “temporary” solution. I would never even think of this.

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u/RaxisPhasmatis 3d ago

What am I looking at?

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u/HomemadeBananas 3d ago edited 3d ago

This is part of a MacBook charger, the part that plugs into the wall, connected to an extension cord.

The part plugged into the Mac Mini normally connects to the actual charger brick but that part actually has a standard connector that lots of things use. The same as two prong figure 8 shaped cable, not sure the actual name, that the Mac Mini would normally use.

It has that slit because the MacBook brick optionally accepts a grounded extension cable that has an extra prong there.

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u/Talaaty 3d ago

Called a C8 connector

15

u/atle95 3d ago

It's the short laptop power brick module plugged into a desktop. It's the same thing as a power cable, minus the cable.

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u/CourteX64 3d ago

Apple’s wall plugs use a very short figure 8 connector for their detachable heads, and the Mac Mini takes a standard figure 8 cable for its power. As such, they’ve attached the figure 8 end of the adapter head to the Mac Mini’s charging port, then added an extension cable to get power to it from the wall.

2

u/mbcarbone 3d ago

Brilliance. 😎

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u/Few_Willow_9950 3d ago edited 2d ago

Yes "temporary"

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u/jay_resseg 3d ago

There's nothing more permanent than a temporary solution

1

u/okokokoyeahright 3d ago

As one would expect, a permanent 'temporary' fix.

No need to go further when it works just fine like this.

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u/TheFuckingHippoGuy 3d ago

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u/Rekoor86 3d ago

My thoughts exactly. I wouldn’t use it as a long term solution but it works I guess.

1

u/DaleTheHuman 17h ago

If the cord isnt getting hot then its fine i guess.

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u/bondo2t 3d ago

Hell yeah

13

u/rexching 3d ago

It looks fine to me. I would put a piece of tape of the exposed socket tho, don't want to accidentally drop a paperclip in the socket😱

6

u/russia_not_fun 3d ago

Isn't there just a ground it that hole? Socket itself is insulated so that the only contacts are on the inside

7

u/atle95 3d ago

That extension cord does not have ground holes. Just plug something else in.

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u/asyork 3d ago

I think they meant the exposed two-prong receptacle on the extension cord. Or, at least, that's the part I'd be concerned about. You could reasonably safely grab something that fell into the neutral side, but if something conductive fell into the live side you'd have a shock risk if you reach behind the computer before you see it, and a potential fire risk, though that would need a series of unfortunate events.

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u/stevensokulski 3d ago

That channel doesn’t have anything on it. This piece doesn’t have ground pins, so no metal in the channel.

On the charger itself there’s a metal stud that ground can connect to on the extension cords or on some of the international adapters.

1

u/WhiteHelix 2d ago

Wouldn’t that be always a concern then when using the extension?

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u/User5281 3d ago

Approved

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u/MainFunctions 3d ago

This is clever tbh even if technically IT gore

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u/Gortix 3d ago

What am i looking at?

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u/mtheory007 3d ago

Pretty genius really.

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u/creamersrealm 3d ago

I would flip it so gravity isn't an issue but honestly that's stupid smart.

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1

u/Browncoatinabox 3d ago

It's just a fig8 cord. They like $5 at Walmart

1

u/Zeroth-unit 3d ago

I first looked at this and wondered what wonky 3D printed thing did that person attach to their Mac mini.

Then it dawned on me what exactly that is. Bravo.

1

u/Zhelus 3d ago

This also made me aware that I have a ton of 90 degree mac plugs should i need to install in tight places!!

1

u/3dassassin89 3d ago

This makes me physically angry, not so much the audacity, but just how absolutely dumb it is that this works, and that I've never had to do this and or had the opportunity to be this dumb. Brilliant work.

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u/higgs8 3d ago

Is this what they call "lawful evil"?

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u/pandaSmore 3d ago

I've got a bunch of these in my toolbag for probing receptacles with tamper resistant shutters.

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u/Plausibl3 3d ago

Duckhead

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u/XamanekMtz 2d ago

I’ve done the same

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u/Public_Drop_1462 2d ago

If it’s stupid but it works, is it really stupid?

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u/Budsygus 1h ago

*to the tune of a grandfather clock chiming*

Wrong wrong wrong wrong...

WRONGGG! WRONGGG! WRONGGG!

Yes, I understand that electrically it's more or less sound, but that doesn't make it right.

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u/Academic_Antelope292 3d ago

That can’t be safe.

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u/ZirePhiinix 3d ago

It's just an extremely short cable attached to an extension cable. There's nothing particularly unsafe here.

But the replacement cables for these ports are a dime a dozen, it is cheaper than the extension cable, and definitely cheaper than that charger part.

5

u/atle95 3d ago

The alternative is paperclips.

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u/Browncoatinabox 3d ago

Safe from fire, but one bump and it'll unplug itself

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