Power Cable DIY - Please advise

Kind of. So in the US wiring is usually black, white , green.

Then in rare, audiophiliac related cases you have a shield. The green is the safety ground. You MUST connect the green conductor to the center pin at both ends. No and /or/buts. MUST connect it.

However, the fourth conductor, a shield, only connects at the wall, or male plug. The green wire, being of equal gauge to the current carrying wires (black and white) is all that’s needed to act as a proper safety ground. The shield is not required to be connected at all by any codes or safety procedures, but to be an effective noise shield it needs to get grounded somewhere, and the place to maximize the noise rejection is at the wall, not your equipment.

Here is a link to the DH Labs power cable, so it’s more clear.

http://www.partsconnexion.com/DHLABS-75520.html

So of course, IEC connectors have only 3 pins. How do you attach 4 conductors when you have 3 pins? Carefully. :-)

At the wall, all 4 conductors. The green and shield get twisted together. Usually black would go to the "hot" pin, white to the neutral.

At the other end where you attach your amp/preamp/DAC/whatever, only the 3 insulated wires get attached. Neatly trim any shield so it's not in the way of your work.

Best,

Erik

My experience with Furutech banana plugs was really pretty negative, so I don’t use them for anything. Have not tried their other products.

I would go with Neotech or Cardas for connectors on either end.

Also, use shielded cables. Connect the ground at both ends but ONLY use the wall end for the shield. This will give you maximum noise reduction.