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Improvements made to UK Plug

CSNM-Carl

By CSNM-Carl
in General Chat

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mjs_mjs

mjs_mjs

Posted
Posted
looks interesting but what is the current rating on the plug... i doubt it could take a full 13A continuous and how would i fit it to my custom made cables - it doesn't look like there is room for 3 terminals of 2.5mm^2... but i like the idea of the plug folded, very neet and sensible.
torledo

torledo

Posted
Posted
I saw this about a year ago and thought something was going to come of it but still waiting

 

been waiting longer than that for the egg cooker.!!! :mad::confused:

localzuk

localzuk

Posted
Posted
Looks like a promising idea, but the main problem as I see it is they don't look hugely robust. Adding moving parts to the plug increases safety problems too, as bits will eventually get worn down etc...
FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
Posted
Looks pretty good - UK plug sockets are quite chunky and big , been Australian plugs are quite small

 

http://rsc.anu.edu.au/watoc08/images/plug.jpg

 

But the Australian plug is useless. The pins are very thin and so easy to bend. The british plug is one of the best. It is very robust.

 

I have always wondered why all the countries didn't go for the same design.

localzuk

localzuk

Posted
Posted
But the Australian plug is useless. The pins are very thin and so easy to bend. The british plug is one of the best. It is very robust.

 

I have always wondered why all the countries didn't go for the same design.

 

Its amazing that countries have just one type of plug... Back when we started with electricity there was something like 20 different plugs, with different providers running production at different voltages, different frequencies for AC, and some running DC. Be happy with what we have I say. :)

p858snake

p858snake

Posted
Posted
But the Australian plug is useless. The pins are very thin and so easy to bend. The british plug is one of the best. It is very robust.

 

I have always wondered why all the countries didn't go for the same design.

On the cheaper aussie plugs maybe, but i have never bent a pin on anything decent quality wise.
Andrew_C

Andrew_C

Posted
Posted

Simply our plugs are big as we need to house a fuse. We need to house the fuse as when Britain was rebuilding after the last war, the ring main system was introduced to save on copper.

 

We don't have just the one plug; in industry and other special cases, there are a plethora of designs. What we do have is a fairly consistent scheme, this is lacking in some other countries. USA for example where they have a variety of voltages available. A friend was in the States earlier this month setting up a manufacturing centre for his product, and the factory has transformers on trollies for stepping up or down as required.

RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
Posted
On the cheaper aussie plugs maybe, but i have never bent a pin on anything decent quality wise.

 

Bit off topic, but can you buy plugs and wire them yourself here? Everything seems pre-moulded, but Ive got a surge protector I need to put a plug on, but havent seen any plugs to buy anywhere!

FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
Posted
Bit off topic, but can you buy plugs and wire them yourself here? Everything seems pre-moulded, but Ive got a surge protector I need to put a plug on, but havent seen any plugs to buy anywhere!

 

I don't know if you have bunnings warehouse in NSW, but i went in QLD and they had some there. I had a UK strip plug, like this one, I changed the plug for the socket with an Australian one. Now i have a 4 way adapter UK > AU adapter.

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RabbieBurns

RabbieBurns

Posted
Posted
I don't know if you have bunnings warehouse in NSW, but i went in QLD and they had some there. I had a UK strip plug, like this one, I changed the plug for the socket with an Australian one. Now i have a 4 way adapter UK > AU adapter.

 

theres a bunnings on the way to work ill pop in tomorrow, cheers.

mac_shinobi

mac_shinobi

Posted
Posted
But the Australian plug is useless. The pins are very thin and so easy to bend. The british plug is one of the best. It is very robust.

 

I have always wondered why all the countries didn't go for the same design.

 

Not sure what you do with your plugs but been aussie a few times myself and ive not as yet bent or damaged an Au plug or the pins.

FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
Posted
Not sure what you do with your plugs but been aussie a few times myself and ive not as yet bent or damaged an Au plug or the pins.

 

Myself i havent. They look flimsy. I have a relative who has been there 35 years now and he has gone through many plugs.

Andrew_C

Andrew_C

Posted
Posted
Two points I've come across in the world of theatre; 1) Aussi plugs do bend if you look at them, but they do stack. No need for 4-way strips. 2) An Australian commented that you need to be licensed to change plugs there, which is why they are not so available to mere mortals. :eek:
mac_shinobi

mac_shinobi

Posted
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What I'm waiting for is 13A, 240volt power over wireless Ethernet.

 

EDIT: And a mobile that supports it, with a built in charger.

 

EDITEDIT: That isn't an iPhone.

 

I'd be more interested in the UK getting to similiar speeds that Japan and the east have using fibre optics as streaming blu ray / HD movies / Games etc to my house along with subscribing to a cloud company where you can pay a monthly fee and play any games for any platform whether it be Nintendo / Sony PS 3 etc

 

I think its onlive that I am thinking of website wise

 

OnLive: The Future of Video Games

 

Once people have got there own HD possibly 3D projectors or 3D HD TV's would be good if they did the same for cinema movies where you subscribe to it and can watch all the movies that are in the cinema in a similiar fashion.

 

Gigabit internet connection would be awesome.

p858snake

p858snake

Posted
Posted
Two points I've come across in the world of theatre; 1) Aussi plugs do bend if you look at them, but they do stack. No need for 4-way strips. 2) An Australian commented that you need to be licensed to change plugs there, which is why they are not so available to mere mortals. :eek:

They are available to us mere mortals... most hardware stores stock them (if not bunnings/cjnet are guaranteed to have them).

p858snake

p858snake

Posted
Posted
Bit off topic, but can you buy plugs and wire them yourself here? Everything seems pre-moulded, but Ive got a surge protector I need to put a plug on, but havent seen any plugs to buy anywhere!

Yes, but you technically need to be a registered electrician to carry out the work other wise your insurance and stuff is out the window.

mjs_mjs

mjs_mjs

Posted
Posted
Why would you try to get 2.5mm into a 13A plug? 1.5mm is rated for 15A!

 

My dad's 240 - 110 transformers, they all have 2.5mm^2. I would also use 2.5 if I were running a long distance (50M) to a bunch of audio amps. Mainly cos the voltage drop/sag isn't good for them. The 1.5mm^2 i use is rated to 16A.

mjs_mjs

mjs_mjs

Posted
Posted
Yes, but you technically need to be a registered electrician to carry out the work other wise your insurance and stuff is out the window.

 

The law states a 'competent person' can do some things, changing of plugs included. It doesn't void any of my insurance and I make up my own cables from scratch and do some wiring, where i am aloud to do so, in buildings.

Andrew_C

Andrew_C

Posted
Posted

Why would transformers need cable that size on the input? Output cables could need bigger cable, but the input?

 

Better bet for the long cables would be a short jumper of 1.5 to a 16A CEEform, do the long run in 2.5, then jumper back down. That way you don't have problems with cable clamps, terminals too small, and no appreciable extra volt drop.

 

The 15A figure was just the first I found, I thought 16A, but checked.

 

Re. The licensed electrician - It is different in Australia!

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