PAT testing plugs with 1/2 insulated earth pin

[PyROm]

Our laptops are currently being PAT tested by an outside company and weve had 2 fail so far because the earth pin has a plastic shield at the top of it (half insulated). These are official HP and Compaq mains leads, I was wondering if anyone else had come accross this?

 

Thanks

Robin

[Chris_]

Our laptops are currently being PAT tested by an outside company and weve had 2 fail so far because the earth pin has a plastic shield at the top of it (half insulated). These are official HP and Compaq mains leads, I was wondering if anyone else had come accross this?

 

Thanks

Robin

 

Can you post a picture of the plug please?

 

Thanks

[HaleStorm]

If the earth pin is shielded that means it does not conform to BS1363 which makes it as i understand, not legal for use in the country....the only way you would get away with it is if its a figure8 cable and therefore does not require the earthpin

[CyberNerd]

The bottom two pins have to be half shielded. It doesn't matter about the top pin.

Check it has BS1363 though

[PyROm]

Photo attached. As in photo its a rounded 3 pin laptop connector.

[PyROm]

It has moulded into it BS-1363/ALP-60L.

Just found it odd that a UK plug would be made that wasnt legal, and used by HP.

[Oaktech]

this sounds like a chinese-not-understanding-ism

 

"So, these two lower pins need a plastic shield so people don't zap themselves whilst puting the plug in... Ok, then lets put one on the other pin too, you can't be too safe."

[CyberNerd]

It has moulded into it BS-1363/ALP-60L.

Just found it odd that a UK plug would be made that wasnt legal, and used by HP.

 

Its fine. The PAT test company are at fault.

Some moulded plugs have entirely plastic earth pins.

[Oaktech]

Photo attached. As in photo its a rounded 3 pin laptop connector.[ATTACH=CONFIG]14442[/ATTACH]

 

As a former pat tester with 5 years experience, i wouldn't have batted an eyelid at that.

[sidewinder]

First plug I checked on my desk has the same on the earth pin, and our stuff was all PAT tested not long ago (and didnt fail)

[steveg]

Have a look here BS 1363 Plugs and Sockets

 

Picture on the second row of pictures down shows why they should be failed and replaced. Not sure if its an official part of the regulations, but that picture alone is enough to convince me!

 

Steve

[Andrew_C]

Its fine. The PAT test company are at fault.

Some moulded plugs have entirely plastic earth pins.

Errr yess... but those would only ever be used on a Class 2 appliance.

 

I'm sure I've never seen one of the plugs in question!

[HaleStorm]

As that lead clearly has an Earth then there should be no form of plastic shielding on the earth pin as earth grips in wall-plugs are close to the base of the pin when its inserted....if the plastic is in the contact point...how is it earthing? answer: it is not an is dangerous

[Chris_]

Errr yess... but those would only ever be used on a Class 2 appliance.

 

I'm sure I've never seen one of the plugs in question!

 

I've never seen one of those plugs either.

 

The only dodgy type I've seen is one of these, half insulated earth pin and no fuse! Needless to say it found its way to the bin pretty quickly.

 

http://www.bs1363.org.uk/assets/images/autogen/Illegal-plug-2n.jpg

[Andrew_C]

Maybe my post wasn't too clear. Fully insulated earth pin, on Class 2 appliance or Telefunken cable = fine. Any of these 1/2 sleeved abominations ≠ fine.

[FN-GM]

Just found it odd that a UK plug would be made that wasnt legal.

 

It isnt unique to the UK, for example Singapore uses the same type. So it maybe legal in other countries.

[twin--turbo]

BIN.

 

I used to pat test, I had not noticed some of these until a Product recall came in from Stone.

 

BIN, Bin, BIN.

 

Rob

[timbo343]

Apparently, the reason why they have put insulation over the pins is because you can fit a penny in the middle of all three pins, plug them into the mains and short everything out. Just thought i'd add that.

[HaleStorm]

Apparently, the reason why they have put insulation over the pins is because you can fit a penny in the middle of all three pins, plug them into the mains and short everything out. Just thought i'd add that.

 

Very true, but the main reason is to stop finger tips catching the live and neutral pins when plugging and unplugging.

[Achandler]

In the UK we earth everything, yet in most of Europe they earth nothing! So as much as earthing things can be good if they do go wrong, clearly not everything need earthling all the time, as have an obsession with earthing electrics, even your lights need earthing nowadays.

 

Yet in Germany (probably a more modern country then here) you don't need to earth anything. Clearly the issue is important but we earth do to much and have to many regulations or maybe we are just clumsy compared to Germans

[twin--turbo]

In the UK we earth everything, yet in most of Europe they earth nothing! So as much as earthing things can be good if they do go wrong, clearly not everything need earthling all the time, as have an obsession with earthing electrics, even your lights need earthing nowadays.

 

Yet in Germany (probably a more modern country then here) you don't need to earth anything. Clearly the issue is important but we earth do to much and have to many regulations or maybe we are just clumsy compared to Germans

 

 

So you would be happy if a live conductor came into contact with the casing of your appliacne, and that once you touched the casing you would be the path to earth for 240v with unlimited (well as much as the cables all the way back to the Generator in the power station) Amps as you can suck?

 

Or a misshap throws the RCD/main breaker in your house and all power goes off?

 

We are just taking more precautions against the danger.

 

Rob

[Achandler]

I can cope with flicking an RCD switch...

 

I am stating we are taking to many precautions, if very few countries see this as a problem then it probably isn't a real problem. I drive a car everyday, I have more chance of dying doing that they some random appliance killing me. Avoiding real dangers is worth it, wasting time and money avoiding the tiny dangers is not. I worry about being electrocuted by my appliances about as much as I do an asteroid hitting the earth.

[HaleStorm]

Having been on the receiving end of a 240v belt, i think as many precautions as possible are a good idea. Doing the 240V Waltz is not something I ever want to do again, luckily there was someone there who was quick thinking and rugby tackled me off the thing that was jolting me. Earthing properly and having all the in-line protection is a good thing in my eyes

[Andrew_C]

In the UK we earth everything, yet in most of Europe they earth nothing!

So what is this connector for then? They DO have unearthed connectors for those things that don't need an earth, something we don't do.

 

 

You really are talking dangerous BS here.

 

Wiki-

To bridge the differences between German and French standards, the CEE 7/7 plug was developed. It is polarised to prevent the live and neutral connections from being reversed when used with a French CEE 7/5 outlet, but allows polarity reversal when inserted into a German CEE 7/4 socket. The plug is rated at 16 A.

It has grounding clips on both sides to connect with the CEE 7/4 socket and a female contact to accept the grounding pin of the CEE 7/5 socket. It is used in almost all European countries. Currently, appliances are sold with non-rewireable CEE 7/7 plugs attached. This means that the plugs are now identical between countries like France and Germany, but the sockets are different.

 

Edited June 28, 2012 by Andrew_C
Additional info

[Achandler]

Go visit European houses, go look at the plug sockets. Whether Wikipedia claims they definitely do or not isn't reality. Maybe they ignore the rules, I can't prove it either way, but I have family who live there in a new build with none earthing sockets.

 

Heck they put real candles and light them on the Christmas trees, sure it may be a fire hazard but they still do it. In the UK you would get a torrent of abuse for that to.

 

 

Edit: Sometimes you have to except that what people say happens and what happens are not the same... Like all those people that never speed, like those people who only ever go up a ladder after being "trained" to.

Edited June 28, 2012 by Achandler