ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades New requirements for AS/NZ plugs

Greetings from Berkeley, California

After reading this, I checked the two blade plugs on my appliances. They are all solid metal, not folded, with the exception of a grounded to ungrounded adaptor.

The two blade plug also has a flared bottom, making it hard to get at the blades while removing it from the receptacle. From personal experience I think this works well.

In my local area, I see the many different plug configurations from other countries, and I have found this forum to very helpful in understanding how and why things are done differently.

I hope I can add to it as well.

Gene


[This message has been edited by GeneSF (edited 09-25-2003).]

Hi Gene, and welcome to ECM.

The individual countries in Europe, each smaller than many American states, certainly led to a wide variety of plugs and wiring arrangements over the years.

As you might have gathered from some other posts here, there is a gradual move toward a common European system in many respects, and on the plug issue Schuko seems to be becoming the de facto standard across the Continent.

It is still opposed by the British IEE on two main grounds: (a) It is not polarized, and (b) in its basic form it is incompatible with our peculiar ring circuit, which the IEE seems unwilling to abandon.

I think the IEE will eventually buckle at least on the ring circuit idea if not on the actually plug/socket arrangements.

Look at how quickly the Ceeform plug/sockets sytem replaced various national standards in industrial and 3-phase situations.

Thanks for the welcome, Paul

While I like my NEMA plugs, I'd feel better with the layers of safety that a BS1363 or Shuko system would give me in 230V wiring.

So if the Shuko system is not polarized, is this much of a safety hazard?

Gene--

[This message has been edited by GeneSF (edited 09-25-2003).]

Gidday there Gene,
Welcome to ECN!.
C-H,
The wrting has been on the wall for our plugs, for some time and I am suprised that we have had un-insulated pins for so long.
I read an article recently and I'll post a link to it, if I can find it.
Unfortunately, this measure probably won't save a lot of lives here, accidents happen here because of broken sockets and the like.

People seem to have quite differing views on this.

There are one or two cases where polarization is desirable, so it would be nice to see a system which can accept non-reversible plugs where needed, but for most portable appliances, it really doesn't matter.

My fellow Brits may have a different point of view on this!

Most modern appliances sold in Europe have double-pole switching, so polarization is hardly an issue. Concerning table lamps you're simply advised to pull the plug before changing the bulb. Also our light sockets are built to ensure the bulb loses contact to both terminals after only a fraction of a turn. The screwshell itself isn't connected to the terminals like it is in US sockets. So all countries who _have_ Schuko consider polarization pretty useless. Even French and Swiss, whose sockets are polarized if grounded plugs are used don't really care about how the receptacle is wired. I think the french ones don't even have markings on them, so it's your choice where to put hot and neutral. I once heard the weird theory that horizontally mounted receptacles should have the hot on top, 'cause in case of a flood the hot would be flooded last...

A bit OT, but: People are selling quite strange stuff here. I recently got an old external MO drive the original owner purchased right here in Austria. On the back it had 2 NEMA 5-15 outlets. Never seen anything like that before! Power input was standard IEC computer connector.

All of the corded power tools we bought in the past few years, are polarised solid prongs.

Trumpy, pleased to meet you. I will go over the past topics to become better aquainted with everyone.

Prior to grounded outlets becomming common in US homes, most tube radios had the L wire to the switch and the N to a metal chassis.

If the plug was not polarized and especially if a knob was broken, exposing a metal piece, anyone could get a nasty bite. It happened to me trying out a vintage radio in a thrift store.

Now with better design, such as recessed screws and plastic enclosures, it seems it is not the problem it once was.

I have a collection of several outlets, British, Schuko, AU/NZ, and Japanese. IMO if they are properly constructed, installed, and used, getting shocked should be a hard trick

I'm not certain anyone's scheme should be universal, each country came a long way in getting their own regions on the same page
regarding standard voltage, frequency plug configurations and safety. It's far easier fitting imported equipment with the proper plug than to ask any nation to rip-up and rewire everything.

Gene--

[This message has been edited by GeneSF (edited 09-26-2003).]

[This message has been edited by GeneSF (edited 09-26-2003).]

With regard to T-R's commenta, here's what the typical ES lampholder from Europe is like:

The screwsheel will only become to connected to one side of the supply once the bulb is screwed down into the holder and makes contact at the bottom.


As most British bedside lamps use the double-contact bayonet fitting, polarity on these holders is completely irrelevant:



Where there's an integral switch, obviously there's a possibility of it ending up in the neutral with an unpolarized plug. I really don't see this as a big problem either. Millions of these lamps were in use in the days when reversible plugs were commonplace here.

Arguments that somebody might poke around in the lamp socket without unplugging it first don't make much sense to me. Even if the switch is on the hot side, that same person could just as easily stick his finger in the socket with the switch on.


Gene,
Have you read this thread ? (Mention of live-chassis radios on page 2).

This was indeed a problem where somebody fitted incorrect screws or other mountings to a live chassis set without realizing the dangers. They might have used it in their own house for years with the chassis connected to the neutral and never noticed anything wrong, but if that same set was then moved and reconnected the other way round it would sit there ready to bite some unsuspecting person who happened to touch the wrong screw head.


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 09-27-2003).]