ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Receptacle Challenge

It's reassuring to see that the whole world has their own localized versions of ground-pin up/down neuroses.

Here you go Plugman:



Interesting!

Bill

Bill, I heard that outlet was for the intergallactic 7¨ù-phase 5¡×5.0
¡î2-Hz system.

Plugman:

This is what the Taiwanese have come up with:




Some travel adapters are also made like this. Wonpro - the ones who claim to be the originator of this socket config - actually makes the best ones of the bunch - I just say that from personal experience (not shilling).

You can fit British (both 5 amp BS546 and 13 amp BS1363), Italian, Swiss, Schuko (won't be grounded) Europlug, American, Australian and even Israeli/Middle Eastern into one of these.

This is a standard two-pin Taiwanese socket, by the way:



[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 08-18-2003).]

Why are UK plug-in transformers often made the wrong way around?

They seem to regularly be made so that the cable comes out the top and the writing on the unit itself is upsidedown.

Don't the manufacturers know that the UK plug/socket system is always mounted with the earth pin on top?

Probably not. The manufacturers seem to know pretty little about their markets.

By the way, look at this receptacle from that Argentinian manufacturer:



Módulo Tomacorriente Schuko Polarizado
Con perno central para proteccion de fichas extrañas

I've forgotten too much of my Spanish. What does it mean?

[This message has been edited by C-H (edited 08-19-2003).]

That manufacturer also has a very interesting quick-connect system. It looks good and simple.

Have a look at this page

Plugman, how do you find these places??? I regard myself as being pretty good at finding things on the net and ThinkGood and SvenNYC are masters of the art. With the addition of you, no information on the web is safe anymore...

C-H:

That would be a:

Polarized Schuko receptacle module with center "key" (or peg) for rejecting extraneous plugs.

Has anyone ever seen a Schuko plug with a hole for such a key through the middle? I wonder if this is used for receptacles in places like data centers that are connected to surge protectors and also have isolated ground.

You know, kind of like the special UK and Danish plugs with the funky pins...

By the way, these are interchangeable device series. It seems like some Latin American manufacturers are big on this.

The Mexicans manufacturers like Swichi and Iusa also make interchangeable devices -- of course they are on the NEMA standard. But essentially what you have is a metal bracket and the different modules "snap" in or are fastened with little screws.

Luminex, The Colombian branch of Legrand also does something similar during factory assembly, but I've yet to see the individual modules for sale to the public. They only sell complete plates with mounted devices.

So you can theoretically have three two-pin receptacles, two receptacles and a switch, three switches, a light switch, a receptacle and a bell-push, two switches and a two-pin receptacle, etc.

The three-pin receptacle assemblies aren't as flexible -- you can only squeeze two on a bracket.

This entire thing then gets mounted in the wall box (which is the same dimension as used in the USA). An appropriate plate is then snapped or bolted on over the assembly.

[This message has been edited by SvenNYC (edited 08-19-2003).]

Just my thought. It would make sense. I've heard somewhere that computers are shipped with Schuko plugs in Argentina/Uruguay. Perhaps it's this special version? But polarized???

A couple of UK manufacturers do modular fitting like this as well. Brackets are built for 1 up to about 6-wide modules, then you just clip in any combination you want.

Typically the 1-wide modules are switches, BS1363 fuse carriers, neon pilot lights, etc. with wider modules for sockets.