ECN Forum Forums General Topics of the Trade Non-US Electrical Systems & Trades BS546 plugs & outlets

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3188&item=5962484107&rd=1
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=3188&item=5962484125&rd=1

I found these on Ebay & thought it may interest some of the English members of ECN who are also collectors of old fittings. I have no idea where these would of been used here in Australia.

I would suspect that they're a much more than 30 years old.

Interesting that the pins appear to be sheathed though.



[This message has been edited by djk (edited 03-11-2005).]

I recognize those 15A outlets very well, as when I was a kid in the early 1970s you could still see plenty in service in places such as village and church halls.

They're typical 1940s style, although as this was back in the days when designs weren't altered every five minutes it's a little hard to be more precise. They mey have made these into the early 1950s, but these look as though they don't have shutters.

Shortly after the introduction of the BS1363 shuttered socket (late 1940s), manufacturers tended to add shutters to their BS546 versions as well.

By the way, the switches on these are the quick-make-&-break type making them suitable for both AC and DC use.


[This message has been edited by pauluk (edited 03-12-2005).]

Oddly enough,
We did get a variation on the round pin theme here in NZ.
It was called the 5A Clock plug.
I'm still searching for a decent picture of one and I think that HPM still has a plug/socket arrangement like this.
The socket was recessed into the wall (to fit behind a clock) and the plug fitted into the recessed socket.
They were 3-pin, but most clocks of the era were only fed with 2-core Tru-rip.

You can still buy the dedicated "clock connector" here, which has been around for many years:



The front plug section has three very small flat blades which fit the outlet, and contains a cartridge fuse to BS646. They're ceramic-bodied fuses similar to the BS1362 fuse which is found in the 13A plug, but considerably smaller and available only in sizes from 1 through 5 amps.

Paul, plenty of them around here too although arn't they an MK unique design to no particular BS number?

I believe you're right -- Thinking about it I don't remember seeing any of this type other than MK.

Looks like the current versions have gone over to BS1362 fuses instead of the old BS646 type though:

MK - Clock connectors

According to MK's website it's fitted with a 2Amp Bs1362 fuse. I always thought that 3Amp was as low as those fuses went.

Mike, here are pictures of Australian clock plugs and power-points. From Clipsal's website:

[img]http://alfred.clipsal.com/scripts/apeweb.dll?GetImage&CatNo=408/3&Large=1[/img]
wall socket

[img]http://alfred.clipsal.com/scripts/apeweb.dll?GetImage&CatNo=409/3&Large=1[/img]
plug

There is also a 4-pin version of the socket -- probably for master/slave clock systems?

See here:
[img]http://alfred.clipsal.com/scripts/apeweb.dll?GetImage&CatNo=408/4&Large=1[/img]

They look like one or more of the old-style European national phone plug / socket systems!