Power cords can definitely add to the cost of the LE. Most of my output cords are indoor extension cords that I get from garage sales, Goodwill, etc so that usually isn't too much of an issue but the input cords seem like are harder to find something that will work good at a reasonable cost. Well in my quest to build the best, most inexpensive setup possible, I have stumbled across a couple of ideas that I think have some merit.
First of all, I noticed that my wife's hair dryer (as well as most of the newer ones) have a built-in GFCI. The cord on my wife's seems to say 15 gauge wire so I don't know if that is some metric equivalent or what, but they should be at least 16 gauge as a hair dryer uses quite a bit of current. I see these things all over garage sales, etc for $1 or so. For someone running low amps and/or using LEDs, taking the cord off an old hair dryer seems like it would be perfect to power an LE and give you GFCI protection at the same time. Seems like win-win to me.
Secondly, for those of us needing more capacity than a 16 (or 15???) gauge cord will safely supply, I think I have stumbled on another inexpensive solution. I see those 6 outlet power strips/surge suppressors all the time in garages sales, etc. for $0.50 to $2. I got to looking at them and 95%+ of them use 14 gauge cord for the input wire. I have started buying these and taking them apart and using the cord for the LE input power and just throwing the rest away. Most have cords that are a couple of feet long, but I have found a couple of older ones that have 4-6 foot cords on them. A 6 foot, 14 gauge cord for LE input power for $1 seems like a good deal to me...especially since they already have the male ends on them which can run over $3 by themselves.
Anyway, I hope this might help others save some money while still producing a quality, reliable product.
Thanks,
-Keith
