ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades FITALL plug

Here's another British item from the past, the "FITALL PLUG":



The little black lever at the bottom moves a plastic "template" to cover and uncover various retractable pins. Move it into its central position, turn the plug over so that gravity comes into play, and out pop three rectangular pins. Turn them 90 degrees to lock them into place, and you have a plug to fit a 13-amp BS1363 outlet:


Move the lever to right, and you get round pins which when screwed out to lock them will fit a 5-amp BS546 outlet:


Move to the left, and you can operate from a 15-amp BS546 outlet:


Back in the 1960s all three systems were still in widespread use, so this plug was intended for portable equipment which might be used in a variety of different locations. The alternative was to carry an assortment of adapters.


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 06-17-2003).]

Paul, is it fused?

I have a US - Rest of world transformer that looks a bit like that.

You slide a little lever and it exposes different pins that pop out.

You've got BS1363 which you have to pull out and turn 180degrees to lock

2 pin Europlug flat or recessed (pull out a kinda stalk and turn the pins until they're tight.

Aus/Nz: pull and twist into position these also double up for 220V NEMA pins for China.

Doesn't have BS546 though.

Very flimsey design it only ever draws a couple of watts though.

Yes. It takes a standard BS1362 cartridge fuse.

I remember inheriting a US-military tube tester that had a NEMA 5-15 3-pin cord cap with a "swing-away" U-ground pin. I guess that idea never really caught on.

I have to approve all maintenance calls with my new job, and assign the value of urgency with the calls for the foremen to dispatch.

We had one come in the other day. One of the schools said EVERYTHING they plugged into this plug burned up, and something was very wrong.

I called one of the guys and told him to get there poste haste.

He called me 1/2 hour later, still laughing. He did not know (and could get no one to admit to) how they ever got a 110 volt computer and printer plugged into an old 250 volt 20 amp outlet.

Just before he removed the old printer outlet and blanked it off, he 'splained to 'em that they should not attempt to twist the blades of a 110 volt cord cap to fit what ever was there.

"It won't fit!, sure it will, get a bigger hammer"

George, Most printers and monitors are quite happy running on either 120V or 240V. The computer would have been happy if the voltage selector on the power supply had been set to the higher voltage. When I lived in 240V-to-ground land, the son of a collegue of mine decided, in his curious wisdom, to see what would happen if he slid the selector to 120V. Burned up pretty quick I believe!