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

Old appliances here (irons, kettles, cookers, vacuum cleaners,...) used a special connector. It had round pins, probably the size of a British 15A plug, spaced like Schuko but at least 6mm in diameter and optional side grounding with heavy flat springs at the female connector. I really liked these things, and even though they've been completely replaced by IEC connectors they're still sold in many places. They're really solid and always rewireable, with the modern hardware store cord sets it seems as though the female connector is by far the most solid part, compared with the weak plastik Schuko plug. The entire part that inserted into the recess of the male connector was made of porcelaine.

[This message has been edited by Texas_Ranger (edited 03-04-2003).]

Ragnar: Are these still in production in Austria? There is still demand for them here, but apparently the production has ceased.

I have no idea. At the electrician's they were already hard to get 10 years ago, but about half a year ago I saw complete cord sets stocked at Baumax (big hardware store). Cheap Schuko plug, 2m 3x 1mm2 (maybe 1.5 mm2) cord and grounded appliance connector. IIRC they were quite cheap.

The type of connector described by Ranger sounds very similar to a type found on some British appliances of the 1930s/1940s/early 1950s.

These things were huge. The prongs were certainly the size of those on a 15A BS546 plug, if not larger, and the side earth contacts would come into direct contact with the metal appliance casing, which was formed around the prongs of the connector.

Some types came with a built in switch, often the type where a cylindrical bar extends through the body of the socket with a red button for "on" on one side and a black or white button for "off" on the other.

Just like the BS546 range, these things were rather conservatively rated at 15A.



[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 03-05-2003).]

Yep, exactly. The switched type was commonly used for vacuum cleaners and these nice heaters with a heating coil in the center of a parabolic metal reflector. Sometimes the bar was square instead of round, and I even saw one with a small key switch. Made the connector even bigger. I think this type of connector was used well into the 1970ies until the IEC connector came up. I remember some rather new electric kettles with that connector.
A nice point is that the side grounding was indeed connected directly to the metal casing of the appliance. So there's no problem grounding an older appliance. You just use a grounded cord.
User decides whether it is a class 0 or class 1 device.

Ooohhh...I have a BIG problem with that!!!

Metal-cased appliances are inherently dangerous if used un-grounded. Too many things can go wrong and cause a live conductor to come in contact with the metal chassis.

If you're a manufacturer selling to litigation-happy Europe (where the manufacturer is still liable even if user idiocy causes death or dismemberment), you want to make things as "safe" and idiot-proof as possible.

This should include non-defeatable earthing and polarizing.

The parabolic electric heaters are still imported into the United States....they're usually sold under the brand "Heat Dish"

[img]http://store3.yimg.com/I/the-nutrionist_1727_33993269[/img]



[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 03-06-2003).]

Differs from country to country. Some countries doesn't really care: It's the user's problem and responsibility. In other countries it's the manufacturers problem. One case to illustrate this: A washing powder manufacturer tested its new washing powder on the Dutch market. Tens of thousand consumers used it with no problems. When it was introduced in Britain and Spain they ran into problem instantly: The consumers complained of destroyed clothes. The reason turned out to be that the Dutch read the instruction (cold wash only) but the Brits and Spaniards didn't. The washing powder was withdrawn from the market.

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 03-06-2003).]

Help! Here the heat dishes disappeared in the late 60ies since fan type heaters are much more effective when trying to heat a room. Heat dishes are only good for heating up frozen fingers or toes. (I once compared the 2 heaters, same wattage, trying to heat up a room). Heat dishes only give infrared heat, whereas fan heaters give off warm air.
Well, it isn't that bad. Old class 0 devices always had a metal case and weren't grounded. Worst case were ungrounded metal hairdryers. Today only grounded cords are available, so the user decides whether to continue using the ungrounded cord or get a grounded one, converting the aplliance to class 1.
Litigation-happy Europe? The best-known USA cliché is that everybody sues companies for the most ridiculous reasons! (No label on the microwave stating that you can't dry poodles in there, no warnings printed on hot coffee cups, etc). At least in Austria lawsuits only have a chance if the appliance is inherently dangerous.

Perhaps I should have said "litigation-happy world"....

Has anyone ever run across those heaters that used special tubular light bulbs instead of nichrome wire? They're like from the turn of the century or someting....(1900s).

Ragnar,

Next time you are in New York City in the winter and REALLY want a Heat Dish, I can take you to the stores where they sell them. Although the prices I've seen are pretty excessive (especially on the internet). You can get a good fan-forced heater for half the price if you know where to shop.

I really don't think the Heat Dish is all that great for exactly the reason you said (infrared only)....I only started seeing them again in the last 8 years or so.

Before that the "electric fire" that I saw the most consisted of this rectangular tin box with a coil of nichrome wire zigzagging horizontally across a refletive tin surface and a fan in the back to blow the heat around the room. It always looked to melike a monster with glowing teeth in a dark room when I was a little kid...

Quartz heaters with fans in little plastic boxes seem to be the in-vogue thing the past few winters. I guess they're safer because there's no exposed metal to get hot.

My personal favorite is the oil-filled electric "radiator." I have one but thank God don't need to use it at all because I finally live in an apartment with PLENTY of steam heat! And since I liver right over the boiler room in the basement, with steampipes running right underneath the floor, I have nice warm floors also!!

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 03-06-2003).]

I don't think the dish-type heaters have been sold in stores here for many, many years. I still occasionally see one in a junk shop, mostly 1930s/1940s vintage.

Fan heaters are certainly good for warming up a room quickly, thanks to the circulation of air. Great for thawing out cold feet on winter days as well!