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Show dictionary · Power & Electrical

Camlock (Cam-Lock)

Also: cam · feeder connector

Camlock (cam-lock, after the camming action of its locking pin) is the single-pole connector standard of show power feeder: each conductor gets its own insulated connector, color-coded by function (green ground, white neutral, black/red/blue phases), rated at hundreds of amps per pole.

In practice

Single-pole feeder is the point: five fat cables are manageable where one five-conductor monster is not, and runs assemble like garden hose. The discipline is procedural, not mechanical: ground first, neutral second, phases last, reverse to disconnect, on a dead switch, by qualified hands.

The common entertainment sizes are Series 16 (mini-cam) and the full-size E1016/1015 family on 2/0 and 4/0 feeder; reversed-gender ground/neutral schemes on some rigs make crossed connections physically impossible. The full color code and connection order live on the cam-lock chart linked here.

How you’ll hear it

"Run cams to the company switch: grounds and neutrals landed first, phases on my word."

Related resources

Part of the eventools.io Show Dictionary, a free glossary of live event production terminology.