ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades Multi-Boxes

Dave,
After doing that little experiment, I'm convinced that our Electrical Regs are barking up the wrong tree here.
I busted open one of them Over-current devices on an imported multi-box that Brian XXXXX a local Inspector and I bought from a local Big Box store here.
Brian managed to get 56A out of the box before it exploded.
{Get 2 Radio Hams in a place like the PoCo workshops, there's bound to be something blown up!}
But all I found was a 240C Micro-temp, hardly good enough for a plastic bodied (appliance?), the spring and button was just for show.
Paul,
That could be said of a lot of Electrical products these days, cheap stuff makes more money.
But I don't think we'll be going back to Bakelite switch plates or Lead-Sheathed cables.

Just on the subject of Multi-boxes,
here's a strange little device I saw while sourcing some parts from an NZ Electrical Parts supplier:



One question though,
What type of an outlet, is the one on the bottom right hand corner?.

Looks like Italian. And the one above it is Swiss.

Thanks for that Paul.
I've never seen one of them Italian outlets before.
I've seen all the others.
I'm assuming that they use 220-240VAC in Italy?.

Yep, 220-230V although like some other European countries there might still be patches of older 127/220 systems left (possibly with only phase-to-ophase loads now).

Don't forget C-H's site:
http://www.global-electron.com/details.asp?ID=IT
http://www.global-electron.com/plugs/L.htm

That is a box used for testing electrical devices made for export. Interpower is an american company that specializes in supplying cordsets and other assorted power products (cords, plugs, sockets, etc) to american companies that are exporing electrical products to europe, africa, asia, and elsewhere.

Trumpy that's a 10Amp Italian socket.

There is also a 16Amp version with fatter pins spaced further apart.

However, recessed schuko sockets with an extra ground receptical in the centre have started to appear. These happily accept the common 3 pin italian 10amp plug and normal Schuko 16A plugs.

Many appliences sold in italy ship with grounded schuko plugs or 16amp ungrounded contour plugs neither of which will fit the old-style italian 16amp socket.

It's quite likely that the italian system will disappear in the not too distant future.

Often the Italian 16Amp socket outlets won't accept the 10A plugs.. so the Italian version of Schuko makes more sense in terms of compatability around the house.

i.e. heavy appliences use schuko and small appliances use europlug / italian grounded plugs but you can still plug a small applience into any of the sockets.




Italian Schuko socket (hard to see the earth receptical, but that is a receptical not a screw!)


Italian Plug 10Amp


16 or 10A italian socket accepts both pin diameters.


Italian 16A plug

Oh and just to confuse people : there's a 10A un-grounded plug which looks identical to the usual 2.5A europlug but has 4mm pins! This is commonly found on items like Italian hairdryers, travel irons etc and will usually mate perfectly with a schuko or french socket. But jamming it into an older European 2 pin non grounded usually isn't possible as the pins are too fat.



[This message has been edited by djk (edited 02-28-2005).]

Dave,
Thanks a lot for the pictures!.
I wondered what the plug looked like.
Am I right in saying that the plug is an un-polarised type?.
Just a little question for everyone, most manufacturers these days use the moulded-plug type cord-sets for thier appliances.
Is it still possible to buy the re-wireable types to replace the moudled type, where you are, should the wires break in the flex, where it leaves/enters the plug?.

Trumpy,

In the UK and Ireland absolutely no problem at all. Every corner shop seems to sell 13Amp BS1363 rewirable plugs.
Many hardware stores also still stock re-wireable schuko (in Ireland) and BS546 plugs. (in Ireland and the UK)

In France, it was also possible to buy plugs both 2 pin and grounded in any supermarket.

I'm not sure about the rest of Europe

Good on you for bringing up the multi-box issue Trumpy. I have done some current tests on these multi-boxes too, with the same scary results as yours. Problem is: that multi-boxes aren't a "Declared Article" under our commerce law. Even though they contain an overcurrent device. Which means that neither the manufacturer or the importer has the ability to guarantee the calibration of the overcurrent device. Circuit breakers, fuses and other current-protective devices are all "Declared Articles" whch are required to be stamped with an approval number which effectively guarantees its callibration. Its great to hear from people like you Trumpy with experience of the end result of crap products like the
4 dollar multi-box.