Mains Cable 2m - Moulded 5 Amp Plug to Female IEC Plug - Connects Ballasts to 5A Sockets
Best for: growers whose lighting contactor or timer box feeds power through 5A round-pin sockets and need to connect that to a ballast, reflector or fan's IEC input.
Our thoughts
This one trips people up because it's not a standard UK 13A plug, it's a 5A round-pin plug, the kind you get on lighting contactor boxes that split a room's supply into separate switched circuits. If your gear's IEC-ended and your socket's the round 5A type, this is the cable you need.
This is a 2 metre mains cable with a moulded BS546 5 Amp round-pin plug on one end and a female IEC (kettle-type) socket on the other. It's designed to feed power from a 5A round-pin socket, commonly found on lighting contactor units and timer boxes used to split a grow room's lighting circuit into separately switched outlets, into equipment with a standard IEC power input such as ballasts, reflectors with built-in ballasts, and some fans.
Because contactor and timer boxes often use 5A round-pin sockets rather than standard 13A UK sockets (partly to prevent mismatched or overloaded equipment being plugged in), a standard 13A-to-IEC lead won't fit. This cable bridges that specific gap with a proper moulded connection rather than an adapter bodge.
How it compares
Getting power from a contactor box to your lighting equipment has a few possible routes.
- Standard 13A-to-IEC leads are more common and cheaper but physically won't plug into a 5A round-pin socket, so they're not an option on contactor-fed circuits.
- Cutting and rewiring your own cable to fit is possible but carries real safety risk compared to a properly moulded, tested lead.
- A 5m IEC extension cable serves a different purpose, extending reach between two IEC-ended devices, rather than converting between plug types the way this cable does.
For a straightforward, safe way to connect 5A round-pin contactor sockets to IEC-ended grow equipment, a properly moulded cable like this is the sensible choice over improvising.
Usage guidance
Using this cable is simple, but check your equipment matches first.
Check your socket type
Confirm your contactor or timer box uses 5A round-pin (BS546) sockets rather than standard 13A sockets before buying, they look different and aren't interchangeable.
Check your equipment's input
Confirm your ballast, reflector or fan has a female IEC-style input (the same shape as a kettle plug) for this cable's other end to connect to.
Cable routing
Route the 2m length so it isn't strained, kinked, or run through areas where it could be trodden on or caught.
Technical specifications
- Plug type: BS546 5 Amp round-pin (moulded)
- Other end: Female IEC (C13/kettle-type) socket
- Cable length: 2 metres
- Use case: Connecting 5A contactor/timer sockets to IEC-ended equipment
Who this is for
- Growers using a lighting contactor or timer box with 5A round-pin sockets
- Anyone connecting a ballast, reflector or fan with an IEC input to that kind of socket
- Growers replacing a damaged or missing lead on existing kit
- Multi-light setups running several fixtures off a split contactor circuit
Our take
A cheap, easy fix for a compatibility gap that catches a lot of growers out when they first wire up a contactor box. Check your socket and plug types match before ordering, and this sorts the connection properly.
Does exactly what it should, day in, day out, a small but necessary bit of kit for contactor-fed lighting setups.
