Yes. Carol cable. Here is a picture. Honestly, I don't know what people are complaining about here. I have made a couple thousand feet of this cable. It is tight (I am talking about the rubber jacket here, the actual copper fits pretty easily), but it fits totally fine. Like Tim says, "buy once cry once". Just do it right the first time.
This stuff is not the most convenient to make, true. It is a lot easier with SJ or 14 ga., yes. If you are going to use it with a 20 amp circuit though (and you are, certainly), make it with the right stuff.
It fits.
It fits.
It fits.
Nils, a slightly different twist (forgive the pun) on the subject.
Blue-white Powercons have 15mm diameter capacity. That is a YES, IT FITS for 12ga SOOW. Thanks for verifying Carol cable fits.
Neutrik True1 Powercons have 12mm diameter stated capacity, measuring 13.5mm at bushing. I have not found 12ga SOOW in that smaller diameter.
It does not fit in True1 devices. (at least I have not found 12ga SOOW in a small enough diameter)
In a strict sense it's a fail either way. "Junior" hard service or potentially under rated conductors. The ampacity of conductors and wiring devices must be consistent: NEC 520, where de-rating an over-current protection device to the least rated wiring device or conductor in the circuit is not permitted. Everything must have the same rating as the service. This is important and understanding it can make you easily compliant or easily red-tagged.
This involves some "ifs". Primary among them: can you use 15 amp circuits, exclusively, for your PowerCon-connected stringers, quad boxes or equipment racks? IF so, you too can be compliant! It's a matter of having only 15 amp breakers for your PowerCon outlets. You can have 20 amp Edison or L5-20 or L5-30, breakered appropriately, but only 15 amp breakers for the PowerCons. Use 15 amp Edison outlets (bonus for GFCI outlets) in your stringer and quad boxes. Use 14 AWG SOWhateverFits to wire your PowerCons. What makes this compliant is that you can't go plug your PowerCon into a 20 amp-protected PowerCon outlet because none exist on your distro and (in most venues) you can't just plug it into the wall. It's not possible to connect your 15 amp stinger to a 20 amp circuit. But IF you need 20 amp service on your stingers, or IF you need 20 amp service to a PowerCon connected equipment rack this won't work.
If the 15 amp limitation can work for you the SO Whatever Fits means you'll have the proper rating, indoors or out. Speaking of outdoors... when working outside our "occupancy" is also covered by NEC 525, "Carnivals, Circuses, Fairs and Similar Events". It is supplemented by NEC 640, "Audio Signal Processing, Amplification, and Reproduction Equipment". Cozy winter reading, all of them. 
Cable should be a "buy once, cry once" item. Copper never goes out of style 
Seriously, if you take care of your cords and cables you'll have them a long time. You can change you mind about connectors but you'll use the same cable until you grow into a bigger rig with more elaborate power needs.
Hopefully Swaffer or Sokol will check in on this...
Thanks for chiming in, Tim. A trusted voice.
So, I (kind of) understand matching devices - We would not want a 5-20R on a 14ga cable, plugged into a 20a protected circuit. There would be the potential to plug a 20 amp device into it, with an undersized conductor for the protection level of the circuit.
If it were instead a protected 15a circuit, the 14ga wire would be protected properly, and the 5-20R protected at 5a below its rating. However, one could potentially plug in a 20a device, overloading the wire and the circuit protection. The breaker should trip, protecting the string. It would seem NEC wants to eliminate the temptation to plug in a 20a device in the first place.
More of an academic question, but it seems certain mismatches are inevitable and acceptable.Most stringers I've seen plug in with a 5-15P. Providing all devices on the stringer are 15a, we're nearly good to go. If one were to plug into a 15a circuit, all would be golden. All would match.
How would that work if the wall outlet is a 5-20R on a 20a circuit? Of course, the 5-15P is designed to work with a 5-20R, but the 15a string is not protected properly.
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As I have a bunch of 20a GFCI devices, 12ga is mandatory for the devices. Unless I can find some extra-small diameter 12ga SOOW, I'll be forced to abandon the True1 and go back to the blue/white powercon, or just hard-wire the string.
frank
