ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades A world standard plug system???

The recessed receptacles such as the Schuko and French types certainly offer protection against contact with partially inserted pins, but I have to agree with Hutch that to most of us who grew up in the Anglo-Saxon world they do lack a certain aesthetic quality.

On the polarity question, I think this is an area where general national outlooks seems to be at odds. For most portable domestic appliances, I don't see polarity as a big issue. If the switch on an electric drill or a food blender ends up in the grounded side of the circuit instead of the hot, so what? O.K., so the motor inside will still be live when the device is switched off, but anyone with enough knowledge to be poking around inside the appliance should be aware of this possibility. Although the polarity onto an ES-based table lamp is of more concern, it depends very much upon proper shrouding of the holder and lamp base. As has been discussed here before, the ES holders generally used in Europe are designed in such a way that the screw shell is normally out of reach of fingers by the time it's screwed far enough down to make contact. All that aside however, it's nice to be able to have polarized connections for some equipment, which would rule out the Schuko plug in its present form (Sorry about that Germany, Austria, Sweden, Holland, Norway....... )

The main argument in favor of the British 13A (BS1363) plug is the protection offered by the fuse for appliance cords. True in theory and in an ideal world, but just ask anyone who's lived in the U.K. how often they find a table lamp or a radio with a 13A fuse in the plug. So many people just fit a 13A fuse "because it's a 13A plug" or because they don't have a 3A fuse so they'll "change it later" -- yeah, right!

As others have pointed out though, the 13A plug and its BS546 round-pin 15A predecessor are horribly cumbersome and bulky plugs. The old 5A type was much better, and I still have a large number of these in use for test equipment for that very reason. The main drawback to the old British 5A plugs is that the 2-pin and 3-pin types aren't interchangeable -- i.e. you can't fit a 2-pin plug into a 3-pin receptacle. It's not just the shutters that get in the way, but also that the pin spacing of line and neutral is slightly different. The 5A rating is no good for 2kW+ kettles either, although I've always felt that 5A was a very conservative rating for these connectors. They'd probably carry 10A or even 15A without any problems.

I remember seeing an item back in about 1975/76 about a proposed new design for a European standard plug. It looked something like the Swiss plug pictured above, with an offset central earth connection, but the pins were flat (U.S.-style but shorter) rather than round. The receptacles were slightly recessed, and arranged vertically so that two would fit into a square box. The rating was listed as 16A. I never heard anything more about that. I think at the time the national comittees just couldn't agree on a common standard, so the idea was dropped. We haven't really progressed at all in the last 25 years, although the Schuko plug has become more widely accepted in countries that formerly had their own variations, e.g. Spain (National Electrical Motto: "We don't need no stinking ground connection anyway!").

If you look at a list of countries in which 110-120V power is still used for small appliances, then the NEMA 1-15 and 5-15 plugs are undoubtedly the most common. That includes not only heavily U.S. influenced places as you might expect, but also ex-British colonies such as Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Jamaica, etc. (No doubt that proximity to the U.S. market played a major part in influencing the continued use of 120V.)

U.K. manufacturers MK and Crabtree even make NEMA 5-15 configuration outlets on British-sized faceplates for export to some Arab countries which still have 127V power. They have added British touches though, such as including shutters and arranging them ground upward.




[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 12-20-2002).]

Hutch,
The 15A plug has the same pin configuration as the 10A plug we have here as standard.
The difference is that the Phase and
Neutral pins are slightly larger, but the real change, is the Huge Earth pin on the 15A type, this means that you can plug a 10A plug into a 15A socket-outlet, but not
vice-versa.

Maybe it sounds impolite, but I'M NEVER GONNA GIVE UP MY SCHUKO PLUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks: Just a case of tradition. I think most flat types look awful.
BTW: The swiss receptacles I remember are flat or only something like 5 mm recessed. (Don't get me down on this, when I was in switzerland the last time I was 5 years old).
I fEurope indeed would change to a flat pin arrangement like the US I'd decalre them to be completely nuts. My personal opinion is we HAVE the better system, so why should we adopt the worse one? All plug systems have their advantages (I like NEMA plugs, but I can't stand to use them every day, it'd also be giving up something of our identity, I still muffle about giving up our yellow road markings due to EU rules in 1995), but I think Schuko finds a good compromise. Furthermore it's an idiotic idea to attempt changing plugs by now, as there are zillions of appliances out there, this would only promote cheap adaptors and botched plug replacements.

[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 12-21-2002).]

Do the non-Europeans see why we have such a hard time getting our act toghether here in Europe?

Personally, I would much prefer the Swiss plug.

Hutch:

Yes, I think you are right about the reasons for the lack of polarization in Europe. We should keep in mind that the design isn't an 230V design but rather a 110V, 130V or 220V design. It was introduced back when there were both AC/DC and a variety of nominal voltages and the electrical system was still intended for ligthing.

Good luck in trying to change the North American voltages! I think it would be hard enough to make Americans install 240V sockets.

The ES holders and polarization has been adressed. The need for polarization arises from a serious design flaw of North American ES holders, not from the Edison socket in itself. I'm not impressed by bayonet cap lamps. You need them for cars, but I really can't see any point with them in other cases. Edison bulbs are just as good. (Not always though: Swedish porcelain lampholders usually come apart when you unscrew the bulb and expose the live parts. They have always had this design flaw. It doesn't make them cheaper, just dangerous. Another of life's mysteries...)

Swiss plugs are nice (And if I ever come to Switzerland I'll definitely buy some plugs, receptacles etc as a souvenir), but Schuko is what I've known since I know what electricity is, and I'm really tough about giving up old habits.
There have been people saying they're proud to be EUROPEANS, they want to give up their nationality for a european citizenship. Personally I'm happy to live in a united europe, but most of all I'm Austrian! I love my country, with all it's downsides (I also have a german passport, but I never felt like a German). I say: Unite Europe in all important points, but leave the countries their own peculiarities as far as possible.

Jeepers Tex! - I never thought of electric sockets representing some symbol of national pride or in the case of the Schuko – super-national pride. Sorry if I caused offense I guess I better appologise in advance in case I’ve wounded Gallic pride by commenting on their earthing pins!

Trumpy, When was the current plug system introduced into New Zealand and Australia and what preceded it?

Any major change of standards is bound to cause problems. Ranger raises a valid point about adapters and plug changes.

When the U.K. introduced the fused 13A plug, it didn't become an instant replacement. Some houses were still wired with the older round-pin outlets for some years, and of course existing wiring often stayed in use for decades. Adapters proliferated -- I still have a big box full of the critters, which change from/to almost every allowable permutation. Many people would take an appliance with a 3-wire cord and if they needed to connect to an existing ungrounded outlet they'd just chop off the green wire and fit a 2-prong plug.

Trying to obtain a common standard right across Europe is a huge undertaking. Trying to get the national committees to agree to such a common standard is probably even harder. I don't pretend to have a solution.

Curious that Austria gave up yellow markings on the roads. I seem to recall seeing some other country in Europe which also used (or still uses?) yellow -- Is it Liechtenstein, or maybe Switzerland? Drive on the new highways in Ireland, and you see a white center line with a yellow line marking each edge/shoulder -- The exact opposite to American roads!

As C-H has said, perhaps those of you outside Europe see the problem in this region of the world. Most of us in our individual countries have no quarrel with each other, or with anything which helps with free trade and movement. But we don't want to see all our individual national characteristics (and quirks!) eroded in the name of getting a fully "harmonized Europe" where everything is the same everywhere.

Anyone for a common European language???

This is why rest of Europe wants a plug that is compatible with the present ungrounded euro-plug. It would reduce the number of adapters dramtically. Problem is that Britain wants everybody to change to a brand new design.


I think the solution is to create a standard that (ECN #1 perhaps?) they simply have to accept. Don't ask - just do it!



Nor would I, but I fail to see how one can take national pride in something as mundane as a plug. It's not like traditions or languages. (Try changing the traditions of European countries and the capital punishment will rapidly be reintroduced! )

>Anyone for a common European language???

You're using it. English is the world wide standard for communication between people with different mother-tongues. There can never be a common European mother-tongue, only a common administrative language.


The RJ-11 is already world-wide standard. Local plugs have been reduced to adapters.

AFAIK in Switzerland the cebra crossings are yellow, everything else is white.
The old Austrian markings used to be all yellow, except for the outer edge marking, which always was a solid white line (on the old highways it was paved with white stones instead of being painted, so the rattling made everyone inadvertently going near the emergency lane aware of this fact). In 1995 they switched to all white except for construction marking (used to be yellow as well) which now are an awful orange. Real downside of the white markings is that the yellow paint was much sturdier. The yellow markings were visible for sometimes decades, whereas the white ones get grey after 1 day and blend up perfectly with the asphalt after max. 1 year. There are many places where the yellow has been painted over white and now gets yellow again, as the white paint completely disappears. Some roads with the original markings are left, and it still looks like new!

C-H said

Quote
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I think the solution is to create a standard that (ECN #1 perhaps?) they simply have to accept. Don't ask - just do it!
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So …

Here it is then – ECN#1 …





Leaps in to bomb shelter and slams door shut! …


[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 12-24-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Hutch (edited 03-24-2003).]