Where to plug in your soldering iron

People who often repair Williams and Bally WPC games, especially on location, will know the problem.. sometimes it's difficult to plug in a soldering iron.
You could buy a soldering iron on gas, but sometimes you just need electricity (even for additional light).
Carrying an extension cord with you when you're going out on a reparation is not something you always want to do, it's something else you have to take with you (and can forget), and going underneath a pin on hands and knees in a pub usually isn't something you'd enjoy. Especially if there's only one wall plug and you have to unplug the pinball machine to plug in a soldering iron, troubleshooting becomes time consuming.

WPC games however have a service plug inside the cabinet. On top of the metal box there is an IEC connector that is connected to the main voltage coming from the wall plug.

However most soldering irons have a regular plug, and as you want to use it on your workbench too, removing that and putting an IEC type of connector on it is not an option. So what we're looking for is an adaptor that plugs into the IEC connector of the pinball machine where you can plug your soldering iron (or anything else) into..

You can buy IEC connectors and plugs online or from several stores, but there's a way to get them for free.

This type of cable was used in the past on a lot of computers. It connected the screen to the computer. Nowadays they are not used anymore and if you ask around at computer stores (or places that recycle old computers) you can often get some for free.

So just cut off one part, snap on a regular plug, and you're ready to go !

I made this small converter for myself. It's small and light enough to fit into my tool box, so I can carry it always with me if I have to go somewhere for a repair.

Now it's easy power my soldering iron from within the pinball game itself.