Any ideas?

[RF Lighting]

I had a phone call from a colleague today.

He was stripping out some wiring in a domestic property ready for some rewiring work when he found an odd socket.

From his description over the phone it sounded to me like a socket with built in surge protection, but something didn't quite add up.

I've just received a photo on email, and it becomes more curious.

Any thoughts?

 

[Steve]

Some kind of homemade RF control unit? Though with all the ring cables to the socket terminals I dont see how it'd work.

EDIT

I notice a little thing with a hole in the bottom of the faceplate . . . Perhaps a thermostat, or something SENDING a signal from this location?

 

[safesinbad]

could it be a home made RCD??? lokks dodgy

 

[Spark123]

Looks like something MI5 would do
Is there a hole in the front for the camera?

 

[RF Lighting]

No the front looks entirely normal.

There is a small hole drilled in the bottom edge

Maybe this could be the work of MFI?

 

[Spark123]

Maybe in the earth terminal? 2 black wires go that way

 

[Steve]

Maybe in the earth terminal? 2 black wires go that way

That was my idea. Knew I should have kept mi gob shut on msn.

 

[sonicm1etn]

Hiya all,

first post so in with a good un

Looks like a transmitter / receiver of some sorts, if you look at the L & N they go to what looks like a bridge rectifier and voltage dropper, then the lower board has a coil around a blueish former, this is the RF board.


Weather or not it is a TX or RX I can't tell....defiantly strange!!

Regards
Dan

 

[ban-all-sheds]

could it be a home made RCD???

No.

No the front looks entirely normal.

What do those thin black wires go to?

There is a small hole drilled in the bottom edge

What is it that's mounted behind that hole?

Any chance of a circuit diagram?

 

[Guitarguy]

is that little silver bit at the bottom with the hole through the faceplate a small condensor microphone, the type used in tape recorders etc? Maybe its some sort of device used for listening in on people

 

[Steve]

Power it up and use a scanner to find its frequency The possibilities are endless!

 

[londonboy]

I agree guitar guy.
Bottom hole looks like microphone.
The rest looks like transmitting bits.

 

[RF Lighting]

Hmmm.

No circuit diagrams or anything like that. It was stumbled upon by accident by all accounts.

I will try and get the offending item off him and have a play with it.

At the moment you know as much about it as I do.

 

[bernardgreen]

It looks very much like a bug, microphone behind the hole.

The silver wire on the pale blue plastic looks like a coil the size of which suggests that it could be wireless transmitter in the VHF band, might be possible to hear it on a FM radio.

 

[londonboy]

Imagine IR testing that installation, you'd be tearing your hair out at the L to N reading!!