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TIS 166-2549(2006) Plugs and socket-outlets for household and similar purposes : plugs and socket-outlets with rated voltage not exceeding 250 V
Effective Date : March 3, 2008(revoke from being madatory standard September 20, 2008) PDF: thai/ unofficial ENG

Interesting. Last time I was in Thailand the standard outlet was a universal 2 pin like UK shaver sockets and would accept UK 2 pin 5A plugs, 2 pin CEE 7/16, and US 2pin (but not the ones with one wider pin). Occasionally a US 3 pin socket was used and more recently schuko.
Creating a new standard seems silly especially considering the amount of imported equipment there.

Looks like what is used in India

It looks rather like a BS546 plug, but with the line and neutral pins closer to CEE 7/7 layout. It looks a bit like BS546 5Amp, or the Danish 'smiley face' plug system : http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2170/2176018145_1789632d24.jpg?v=0

I don't know why Thailand wouldn't have just adopted CEE 7/7, using the French socket if polarisation was a concern. It's the de facto standard for 230V 50Hz.

I'm not a fan of having umpteen different pin layouts co-existing with multi-standard socket outlets. It invariably ends up with weird adapters.

All this will achieve is CEE 7/7 (schuko) plugs plugged in to outlets without the grounding system making contact with anything. Similar to Denmark's current situation.

Also, 110V plugs i.e. NEMA 1-15 & 5-15 etc shouldn't really be used with anything other than 110V appliances as there's always a risk that someone will accidentally connect a North American or Japanese specified appliance to a 230V circuit and end up with smoke and fireworks. I have never understood why they are used by certain countries in the Far East, including China with 220-230V gear.

The standard socket looks like this:

The TIS 166-2549 plug is created by combining CEE7's "4.8mm" & nema 5-15's "ground"

It looks very much like a UK shaver socket with a ground pin.

I have never understood why the UK standards still include that strange shaver socket outlet. Surely the obsolete BS 2-pin plug with the short-fat pins should be dropped in favour of CEE 7/16 Europlugs at this stage. I can see absolutely no advantage to requiring toothbrush and shaver manufacturers to continue fitting the old British version. It is just an absolute pain when you travel abroad and it won't fit any European outlets without a cumbersome adaptor.

Also, I do not really understand why shaver sockets, even in domestic residences, still have a 110V outlet. Seems like a complete waste of time fitting one. I'd rather have 2 x 230V outlets so that I could charge two toothbrushes simultaniously.

How many people are going to be using a 110V shaver/toothbrush !? I can understand the logic in hotels, but not in homes.

This seems to imply shavers sold in the UK don't come with the usual 3 square pin 13A fused plug like other appliances. Is this true? This would be a unique situation as everywhere else I'm aware of seems to provide a standard power point in the bathroom with whatever pin configuration is used in that country.

The only type of socket normally installed in an Irish or British bathroom is a special shaver socket, which is protected by an isolating transformer.



Shavers and toothbrushes are supplied with a plug that looks physically very similar to a 7/16 "Europlug" but with slightly shorter, slightly fatter pins that are spaced slightly closer together.

Our shaver sockets, will however, quite happily accept CEE 7/16, NEMA (2pin) and Aussi (2pin) plugs.

To use a shaver or toothbrush with a normal socket, you need an adaptor like this (2A fuse protected)



The shaver plug's been around since at least the 1930s:



It now has sleved pins, like the Europlug CEE 7/16

I've seen the UK type of isolated shaver outlet in Australia in a hotel.

Regarding the 110v outlet on them, the transformers in these outlets have poor regulation and though they give 110v or 240v with a typical shaver load on a low load they are nearer 130v or 280v. I had a rechargeable shaver rated at 220/240v overheat and crack its case due to this. Now I always switch rechargeable devices to 110/130v and use the 110v outlet.

That's about the only place you'll see them here, but even then in older rural hotels they're few and far between (not expecting many U.S tourists I guess).
The local version made by Clipsal can be seen here:
http://updates.clipsal.com/ClipsalO...mp;first=10&skip=3&contentId=567
Not sure why they bother with the earth pin on the shaver socket when the only earthed plug that will fit it is the Australasian kind...anyone with such a shaver will just plug it into the normal 240V non isolated socket.
Interesting comment re transformer regulation. I find this with many 120V stepdown transformers, as I collect U.S vintage electronic gear. 10 extra volts into a 120V appliance is a worry whereas I'd ignore it on 240V.