ECN Forum Forums Photo Discussion Forums Photos for General Discussion Where Was This Photo Taken?

It looks like someone took several handfuls of electrical equipment and threw it against the wall and it stuck like that...

Mike (mamills)

In Argentina there are not american products. Toogle switches are not used anymore since 1970. Most electric products are from spain or european countries (manufactured or designed). It is incredible that we are still using toggle switches, wood structured houses in tornado zones and cables nailed to studs without conduits.

Welcome, Junior, to ECN ... and thanks for the info.

As for tornadoes ... until the day a tornado hit the ultra-modern concrete Catholic Church in Plainfield, Illinois (1990?), I was not aware of any structure, of any design, surviving a direct hit by a tornado.

I am curious .... what's wrong with toggle switches? I've traveled a fair amount ... and while the appearance varied, the 'rocker' motion, or 'toggle' switch seemed almost universal. Even the 'Decora" styles have the same operating method. What type of switch are you suggesting be used?

The meter on the right hand side can't be working, no neutral attached.
A 1 Ø meter requires at least 3 wires to work. Phase in , Phase out and neutral.

Pretty messy and dangerous wiring though, could be south America ?

I think what he's referring to is the fact that the traditional toggle like this is still widely used in North America:



Here in Britain, rocker switches have completely replaced traditional toggles in all but "retro" applications:



Most other European countries seem to be the same, with rockers being the norm now and traditional toggles being very rare for new installs.

Thank you, Paul. I just considered both switches you pictured as the same type, with only styling differences.

Now, plungers and push buttons ... those are truly different switch types!

My guess: you only see the line side wires, the load side is drilled straight through the wall behind the terminal cover.

The US "silent" toggle never really made its way to Europe. The old toggles had a solid chunk of porcelaine or bakelite moving inside whereas the modern switches only have a small brass plates requiring far less operation force. That's why people feel such a big difference between the old toggle switches and the modern "flat" rockers and are so surprised the old look is still so common in the US.

I Just got back from a euro trip. It was interesting to see that altough electricty is pretty generic, it was intersting to see how diifferent it is addressed once you cross a border.

Man, just cross the States. Local regions can vary so much. But definately when you leave your part fo the world.

We had near-equivalents in Britain. The old tumbler switches typical of the 1940s had the handle operate the sprung tumbler mechanism, so they had a quick make/break action making them suitable for AC or DC and they operated with a clunk.

Versions with a similar outward appearance but having a shorter travel on the handle which just operated the contacts directly appeared as AC-only models, and many would operate very quietly.

The standard single-gang (same size plate as the British rocker switch above) toggle switches which would become standard in the 1950s/60s varied a little. Some would operate almost silently by just pressing the handle up or down. Others would go with a noticeable click, but they were still non-sprung AC-only switches, and could be made to operate silently if you grasped the dolly and moved it slowly.

These traditional toggles pretty much fell out of favor by the late 1970s, the rocker style above becoming standard.