What's this old plug?

[toptec]

1961 bungalow.... being rewired. This is one of the existing plugs we removed

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It has a 5amp fuse.

Just a matter of discussion between me and my electrician

 

[breezer]

its an old fashioned socket

 

[toptec]

Why square and round pin?

 

[JohnD]

never seen one before, but before the wonderful ring final circuit and fused plug were introduced, people used to have radial circuits and unfused round-pin plugs.

It looks to me like that sockety thing was designed to be put on a ring and the round-pin sockets fused down to 5A so the householder, on having their house rewired, could continue to use old appliances with 5A round-pin pugs on them. this might have been lamps, wireless set, sewing machine.

Although it seems sensible now to change the plugs on all your appliances when your house is rewired, people were much poorer in the 1960's, and might have (1) worried about the cost of plugs (2) borrowed their mum's sewing machine etc which had round-pin plugs.

 

[breezer]

round are 5 amp for plugging in lights (well they are now) years ago i guess it would have been for plugging in the wireless (as it was called then)

 

[tim west]

round are 5 amp for plugging in lights (well they are now) years ago i guess it would have been for plugging in the wireless (as it was called then)

And I thought WiFi was a new thing
At the beeb they had some "chinese" plugs and sockets so called as the live and neutral pins were at 45 degrees like the stereotype of a chinamans eyes these were used to stop certain equipment being plugged into the wrong supplies.

 

[toptec]

I found my wife trying to plug in the 2 pin electric toothbrush charger into the round pin holes!!

 

[tim west]

She'd come to no harm if the toothbrush charger is mains rated as being two pinned its highly likely its double insulated and doesn't need the earth connection.

 

[RF Lighting]

It would have worked.

 

[breezer]

tim tooth brush plug pins are wider and further apart

 

[dullSpark]

Really? I thought BS 546 5amp 2pin became the standard shaving outlet normally now fused with a 1amp BS 646 fuse.

 

[breezer]

I have just had a closer look at the pic, i may be in error, its hard to tell with nothing for perspective.

does not the earth pin on the round set look like it might be as used in 15a plugs

 

[RF Lighting]

The pins are the same diameter as on a 5 amp plug, but on a shaver / toothbrush charger the pins are slightly closer together. Not much, but enough so they are not compatible.


5 amp socket:

A shaver charger:

 

[tim west]

RF does your hire company advertise as RFL? as it's very close to RML Richard Martin Lighting. doesnt cause problems does it? do you cover London Studios? what sort of lighting gear do you supply?

 

[Spark123]

Don't you need an earth pin to open the shutter too rob?

does not the earth pin on the round set look like it might be as used in 15a plugs

Comparing it to the 13A socket, the earth pin on a 15A round pin socket is a bit larger.