Subject: using 3.5mm stereo plug for power, to avoid connector shorts

Many of those plug in wall power cubes use a 3.5mm (1/8") "earphone"
jack sort of connector.  Problem is that this sort of connector, when
not fully seated in the female, can be shorted by the female's sleeve.
And could burn out the power pack.  One solution for reducing this
risk is to replace the male jack with a 3.5mm (1/8") stereo jack (the
sort used on portable stereo sets).  Connect the old tip wire to the 
new tip, and ground stem lead to the new ground stem.  And leave the
intermediate ring contact No Connection.  This creates a gap of about
3mm or so, which is less likely to be jumped together to get shorted.

You should do this test before removing the old connector:  Plug in
the unwired stereo connector into the power connector on the radio
or whatever, and connect clip leads from it to the old connector, paying
attention to the polarity!  Once you verified that the polarity is
correct, operate the radio to see if the new jack will really work.

proceed at your own risk, use only as directed, void where prohibited,
for a limited time only.
/EX