Reinventing the Great British Plug?

You need the third earth pin to open the blockers on the live and neutral, wouldn't go into the socket without it.
 
What happens when it jams? Mechanical solution to an electrical problem is a bad idea, fuses work brilliantly and circuit breakers even better, now I don't see why you would wan't this system when you could used a better tried and tested solution.

KaHn
 
AcidHell2 said:
When what jams? it's a simple device. And it has a fuse. :confused:
Click to expand...

Ah I misunderstood the diagram on the website, it looks like as the current increases the pins retract to cut the power, where as I think it is just a normal plug which can be opened and closed.

My bad :)

KAHn
 
Smit said:
Looks a bit flimsy, what if you kicked it side on by mistake, wouldn't it be dangerous to try and remove it from the socket if you had to place something between the socket and the now flat plug?
Click to expand...

That would be my main worry, how strong is it to every day wear and tear, and accidental damage.

Given that even "normal" plugs for things like mobile phone chargers have been known to break this design looks like it could be quite flimsy - it's not something i'd trust with anything that i was pulling in/out of the socket on a regular basis, and definitely not with any power tools.

Re chargers, I don't think it would work for small chargers (mobile phone etc which use the base of the plug as part of the housing for the transformer), and for larger chargers where the plug is separate to the power block I can't really see the point in it.

I like the idea, but from a practical point of view I can't see it working for most things.
 
Werewolf said:
Re chargers, I don't think it would work for small chargers (mobile phone etc), .
Click to expand...

Why not, Most sockets are away from places where you could kick or knock it. And I think it would be great for items that you need to take away. If it does break you just turn the socket of and you have no issues.

Also fuses don't get hot, so I don't see why you wouldn't use it with heavier equipment.
 
AcidHell2 said:
Also fuses don't get hot, so I don't see why you wouldn't use it with heavier equipment.
Click to expand...

So explain how a fuse works then? The internal wire fails over a certian current by heat, thats why they have the fire proof cladding on them.

KaHn
 
Don't think it will ever take off.

The British plug (BS 1363) has been desribed the world over as the safest plug design of any country (both from an electrical point of view and a user - even though it requires a large amount of force to extract compared to other designs)

I don't think that is going to change easily just for size/aesthetic reasons.

And just for the record - there are some products that have similar designed plugs already. I have a portable speaker set that came with a world multiplug cartridge system. The British plug consisted of the 3 pins on a flate plate that you slid onto the transformer unit. This alone cut the size of the actual plug in half for transporting & still allowed you to have multiple plug types. Just as ingenious ;)
 
KaHn said:
So explain how a fuse works then? The internal wire fails over a certian current by heat, thats why they have the fire proof cladding on them.

KaHn
Click to expand...

yes but the actual fuse does not get that hot, hence the cladding or in the glass tube ones being suspended.

Whens teh last time you ever saw any heat damage to the inside of a plug, which is in an enclosed tight space. The outside simply does not get hot.
 
Last edited:
KaHn said:
So explain how a fuse works then? The internal wire fails over a certian current by heat, thats why they have the fire proof cladding on them.

KaHn
Click to expand...

the wire is insulated from the oust side by a vacuum though isn;t it? that should cut most of the heat from reaching the outside.
 
internationalpowersuppl.jpg


I know it's not as fancy - but still a great design I thought.
 
Clever thinking, I like it.

Re: transformers, I presume with a pack the size of a laptop you could make this retractable inside it. Neatening the whole package up.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom