ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Obtaining French plugs

Many thanks for the links. I e-mailed InterPower for prices on their product #88010920 (combo French/Schuko). They run about £2 (U.S. $3) each from the U.K. branch (gets expensive very quickly for a couple of dozen!).

I'm not impressed with some of the international adapter kits I've seen on sale, especially the ones sold here for connecting British-plugged appliances to other wall outlets. By the time you have the adapter and an oversized BS1363 plug hanging on the end of it, it must put a lot of strain on the contacts.

Sven, I found the drawing of the your adapter on Wonpro's homepage. (If I read it right, the earth pin is 9.5 mm offset.)

This is indeed a plug I have never seen before. I wonder which country uses it.

Here's an odd one I found on the Wonpro site (look at WA20):


I knew about the spade-shaped ground pin on Danish plugs, but I thought that the line & neutral were the usual round pins like the standard "Euro" plug.

Don't think I've ever seen this variation before. Does anyone know anything about it?


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 11-13-2002).]

Pauluk: This is the Danish "Data" plug. It is intended for use with dedicated computer circuits and similar uses. Typically circuits with filters or backup power, as far as I know.

It is designed to be incompatible with the ordinary plugs to force you to use the right socket/circuit. It therefore seems rather odd to make an adapter for it.

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 11-13-2002).]

Thanks C-H. Is this an accepted Danish standard adhered to by all manufacturers?

I ask because we have similar connectors in the U.K. for such use, except each manufacturer has adopted its own variation, e.g. the MK "data" power plug has an earth pin shaped like a fat "T" while Crabtree changed the earth pin to a round type with a flat on one side.

>Thanks C-H. Is this an accepted Danish
>standard adhered to by all manufacturers?

As far as I know, there is only one manufacturer of sockets in Denmark. (LK) But, yes, it seems to be an official standard. Several cord-set manufacturers offer cord-sets with this plug.

Just to show the difference between the different Danish sockets:

Normal:



Computer:



[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 11-24-2002).]

Shades of a regular question in America, but do you know the usual orientation of these receptacles in Denmark? Ground down or ground up?

Seeing these switch-receptacle combos I'd guess ground down.

I just came back from a few days in Copenhagen, Denmark. Most Danish sockets look like the ones pictured above. The switch is for the socket. The idea is that you insert the plug and then turn it on with the switch, just like in the UK. This way you don't run the risk of touching live pins. (Danish grounded plugs are not sleeved)

As you can see, there are no markings for on and off. Therefore this switch fills no practical purpose. If there is more than one switch, one is for the lights and one for the socket.

On ungrounded sockets there are four holes instead of three. Logically it takes two plugs. The Danish grounded plug won't fit these sockets, but this doesn't matter; the Schuko plug is commonly used for grounded appliances. It fits all Danish sockets, but is grounded in none. (I found three grounded plugs in the hotel: Minibar, shoe polisher and toaster, all with Schuko plugs) I also saw it used outdoors. I failed to find a Danish grounded plug... OTOH, I wasn't there to look at plugs; I was there to look at sculpture.