UK safety issue

Yes indeed but doesn`t the socket carry the earth pin not the plug? the plug has a female part to accept the earth and an external metal strip which is also earth. The idea is that the earth makes contact first (if the pin is present in the socket!)

Isn't that the German plug that 'Brussels' wanted us to adopt in the UK to be in line with the rest of Europe?

Ron(UK)

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Schuko

No. They wanted a plug that was different to anything else already in use in the EU.

Graham

earth

UK

earth

and

the

The design of the adaptor is a tiny brass or P-Bronze spring is supposed to engage with a recessed earth point on the German plug, a point that an earth pin can be screwed into but has to be removed to use this adaptor.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

earth

UK

earth

and

the

I had a closer look. Not a screw in earth pin but a push-in pin from a socket for earth Plug type number? TA-6P , and country ? designations D, S, Fl/Fi?,öve,N

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

I would never use serious equipment through one of these mickey mouse adaptors. I'd either change the plug, or use a proper trailing socket and plug. Quite apart from any safety issues there's reliability to consider.

Paul

earth

UK

Micky Mouse is right - flimsy plastic adaptor case that allows the German plug to move all over the place,X,Y and Z, hence no earth continuity.

-- Diverse Devices, Southampton, England electronic hints and repair briefs , schematics/manuals list on

We get lots of those plugs here. I cut them off and replace them with proper grounded ones. At one time we used a three prong plug similar to the Australian one but with the pins in the other direction (top of the pins pointing out instead of in).

About ten years ago outlets came out that took those plugs and the two narrow European ones. New ones take the old plugs and a new plug that is a combination of the the two narrow pins and a third round ground pin about the same size as the other two below them, in the middle.

Sort of (pardon the ASCII art):

old:

\ /

|

in between:

o o

|

new:

o o

o

As far as I understand all of the EU, except the UK is moving to those plugs. The current UK outlets will take the two pin version of the plug, without the saftey factors of a ground or fuse.

I assume that eventually the UK will adopt the new plug, modified to include a fuse. Either that, or a combined outlet that takes the old plugs and the new ones, and includes a fuse will become available.

Geoff.

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It`s not one of those cheap International travel adaptors from the pound shop is it?

Ron(UK)

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It`s theoretically not possible to insert a two pin plug into a standard UK 13 amp three pin socket as the live and neutral pins are protected by shutters which require the earth pin to open - OK I know you can fiddle it with a screwdriver, but that`s cheating.

I dont see why we in the UK should change, we have what is generally regarded as the best all round mains connector in the BS1363 standard UK

13 amp plug top[1] The earth pin mates first, it`s fused, the current carrying pins are shrouded, so it`s pretty fingerproof[2] and it`s easy to wire up, tho almost all new equipment comes with plugs ready fitted, and when the plugtops are supplied by decent quality manufacturers, they are conservatively rated at 13 amps.- [1] The Wylex plug was (I`m told) technically a better design but now consigned to history - tho you do still see one or two. [2] But not 100%, as I found out the other day whist trying to fiddle a mains adaptor out of a confined space in a rack, I managed to make finger contact with the live pin! I suspect that was actually a problem with the design of the powerstrip rather than the plug.

Ron(UK)

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to

rth

just replace the plug with a uk one, if it is to be used there.problem solved!

-B