I'll second that question. I didn't realize that the Aus/NZ plug only came into use in the 1950s. Come to think of it, I'm sure I've read about references to it dating to the 1940s, but I could be mistaken. I'm trying to guess what they might have used in the past, considering the stronger British influence back then. Was BS546 ever used down under?
The UK and Ireland are in a quite unique position. Our old domestic wiring systems being so over-complicated that they were impractical (at least 3 different incompatable plugs etc etc) so they were generally replaced from the 1950s onwards.
That's very true. Looking around my immediate neighborhood, there are places built here from the 1930s onward, but you'll have a hard time finding any wiring which pre-dates the 1950s. By that time, people weren't satisfied with the "one socket per room" (if you're lucky) installations of the 1930s and ripped the whole lot out to start again with BS1363.
Older Victorian houses in the towns around here sometimes still have older wiring in service, but generally only on the lighting circuits. The circuits feeding sockets will generally have been completely rewired with BS1363 fittings which clearly date from the 1950s/1960s.
Old 2-pin VDE, Dutch, Belgian, French etc ungrounded sockets happily accept schuko / french grounded plugs! ! Danish outlets, with their different grounding sollution, have also got this problem even WITH grounded outlets!
That's one thing which I think is clearly wrong with European connectors. Now, I know that in the U.S. people will sometimes cut off a ground pin to fit a plug into an old NEMA 1-15 outlet, but at least that takes some deliberate action on the part of the somewhat-foolish user. A Schuko plug which just fits straight into an ungrounded outlet is rather different.
A completely new system has been proposed for Europe before: There was the three flat-pin plug design rated 16A which was proposed sometime in the mid 1970s. Nothing ever came of it.
(the British sollution's a total disaster for small appliences. you end up with giant power strips under your computer for no good reason.. it's safe but it's not very slick!)
For sure! That's one reason why I've kept 5-amp BS546 on a lot of my bench equipment. It's far less bulky and neater.
The ideal time for a change like this would have been in the early 1960s.. it's a BIT late to do much now!
There's a joke here in Britain. It's said that we go through three stages of any problem:
1. Deny that there's any problem at all, and say that we don't need to do anything.
2. Recognize that something might need to be done, but say we don't want to rush into anything with haste and we'd better just keep an eye on the situation for a while.
3. Say: Well, maybe we should have done something about it, but it's too late now anyway!
![[Linked Image]](https://www.electrical-contractor.net/ubb/biggrin.gif)
[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 07-19-2004).]
