ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Yikes! Dangerous equipment for sale!

The only time I ever had problems with wall warts here was when i tried to hook up my stereo system It's a component system and has far more plugs than I have sockets available, so I resorted to an ancient ungrounded 3way adaptor. Probably it's never been too awfully solid, but now it's slightly worn, and getting the wall wart of the record player to work can be a bit tricky. Al the other Euro plugs (but just plugs, not wall warts) work well with that thing.
Heck, talk about stupid furniture. I got 4 wall sockets, but I can only use one, because the darn ikea stereo rack covers up all the others. I was bright enough to plug a 5way power strip into one of the four before moving the rack to it's definite location, but all others are useless...that's why people use scary extension cords and adaptors.

MK have had that type of shutter in use for quite a while and because MK fittings get used quite a lot here in Ireland you'll see plenty of them around.

The old schuko outlets here were unshuttered (dating back to the 1930s in some cases) but the odd BS546 outlet that's survived would be almost always MK and almost always switched and shuttered although i have seen some very old 5A ones of an unknown brand that were unshuttered. I've never seen an old BS546 2-pin socket here.

If any system needed shutters it's BS546 15A a child could definitely insert a finger and touch a live part without the need for any tools.

Hutch said:
You can only get 3 pin re-wireable plug tops here in NZ and Australia, I have no idea why this is so.
But I think it may have something to do with polarisation of appliances that don't have an Earth conductor (ie: Double Insulated), like you said, two pin plugs only come as the pre-moulded type, but there is nothing to stop a person from buying a 3 pin plug and using the Phase and Neutral terminals only.

Trumpy,

You are basically saying that Joe Public has to fit an earthing plug regardless. Class 1 versus class 2.

As I can see, it doesn't stop him messing up the polarisation though.

Hutch,
Yes that is correct, either ways, you have to have an earth pin on our rewireable plugs.
Sure, this will not prevent the consumer from transposing the polarity of the plug wires, but nothing short of banning people that don't know what they are doing, from fitting plugs to cords, will prevent this!.

Reminds me of the discussion whether you could fit Schuko plugs to Class 2 appliances. There aren't any rewireable Euro plugs, only some crimp-on types, and no rewireable contour plugs at all, so most people just fit a Schuko plug. However, some experts from Germany said that's illegal because that plug has exposed screws and hence isn't fully double-insulated. Besides they said someone might go and take the 2conductor-cord with the Schuko plug and fit it to a class 1 appliance. So they suggested using plugs with halves that snap together and remove the grounding contacts. Would be equivalent to cutting off the earth pin of a US or AS/NZ plug.

Keeps getting better and better!



From the very same web site. 230V open inside a PC case.

And what's to stop somebody taking that 2-wire cord with the ground-less Schuko plug and fitting it to a class I appliance?

This sounds like the typical bureaucratic "solution." Identify a problem that doesn't really exist and then come up with a response that achieves nothing!

It just confuses people more and encourages kludges because they can't find proper spares and so they have to "make do".

Would be simpler for the end user to keep in mind: If the flex has two conductors, it needs a two-pin plug. If it's got three conductors it needs a grounded plug (three pins or two pins plus grounding clips).

Idiots are idiots and no amount of bureaucratic statements, resolutions and mandates are going to prevent such people from injuring themselves.

I know I would be extremely irritated by the fact that I would have to jump through hoops and bounce from store to store to look for the proper replacement for the damaged Europlug on my TV, table lamp or other light duty appliance without having to affix a clunky, heavy Schuko plug.

As far as the fear of someone connecting a crimp-on Europlug to a three-conductor flex, I really can't see how anyone would be able to do that. The conductors are thicker, and so is the insulation. You wouldn't be able to make it all fit and close the plug. I've tried it...it won't work with the plugs I've used.

It does work with the type of crimp-on Euro plugs that are available here. i once made up a 5m Euro extension cord using round 2x1mm2 flex which is actually thicker than 3x0.75.
It doesn't seem to be much of an irritation to most people. They just fit Schuko plugs to anything, and it isn't a problem for me either. it's only a problem for some of the weird pros running around at de.sci.ing.elektrotechnik. There are some serious bureaucrats there. Their minds are sometimes worse than the old cliche of Jewish trade practice.