two into three DOES GO!!!!

[ro63rto]

This is going to have you rolling about

details of a c/m mishap

On saturday MR X .XXXXX

Reported that he purchased pioneer dvd recorder , which had a European two pin plug fitted.

His wife received an electric shock when attempting to ( force ) plug it into a 3 pin socket.

I have explained that we are not able to check the boxes, but yes it should have a 3 pin plug .

He has accepted our apology and gesture of £ 50.00

He as asked that we raise the matter with Pioneer for their comments.




I can just imagine their comments. BLOODY MUPPET. What was the husband doing in the meantime, reading NUTS magazine!!!
Can't believe they gave her £50 too.

 

[kendor]

Depends where the unit was bought, if bought in this country the retailer has an obligation to sell the unit with correct plug or adaptor included.
Maybe they let it slip through and were making a donation to defuse the possible embarassment for the retailer.

 

[AdamW]

I studied alongside a lot of foreign students, some seemed to assume plugs were the same all over the world (after all, a Schuko fits most European outlets doesn't it?)

So, they would show up with electrical goods... I'll never forget walking into the kitchen to see a guy repeatedly ramming a two pin plug against the socket and looking somewhat confused. I picked up a 3-pin plug and demonstrated how you must have a 3-pin plug or the shutters won't open. He looked disappointed but understood...

Came back 5 minutes later to see he had jammed the back of a fork into the earth hole and wedged the two pins in L and N.

 

[Steve]

Why dont any shops sell adaptors with 2-pin plug and full european socket with a built in 13A fuse? The only ones i have seen are shaver adaptors and a funny-looking adaptor that came attached to the plug of our george foreman grill. They should be available commercially surely, to stop people shoving things where they aint supposed to go? Especially now lots of products come with euro plugs and many DIYers would rather just plug (shove) it in than change the plug.

We had a new freezer delivered at our shop with a euro plug, i got the delivery driver to change the plug there and then - either that or take it back, which he didnt want to do, it took him an hour to unload and unpack the thing!

 

[AdamW]

I have found some hifi equipment comes with a europlug encased in a tamper-proof UK plug. If you prise off the adaptor, you can plug it into the switched mains power output of some amps!

I thought all UK consumer appliances have to come fitted with a UK plug now? They found some years ago that people were wiring plugs incorrectly and using inappropriately rated fuses. Surely a european plug would not meet this requirement?

The 13A adaptors probably aren't sold because then some dolt would plug their shaver into one... and a shaver adaptor plug is fused at just 1A for a good reason! People have been known to try and use a hairdryer in a shaver socket with an adaptor, so it must work both ways.

 

[sparkybird]

About a year ago, when I had lots of time on my hands I used to get my hair cut for free at these hairdresser training schools. One used to take alot of foreign students and a guy from Croatia was alloted to cut my hair. Once finshed, he got out his hairdrier - two pin - rammed it in a socket and then stuck a big hairgrip in the earth hole. I shouted out "I'd rather let it dry naturally" and legged it!

SB

 

[FMC]

The thing is if its a euro 2pin then surely the power supply is only 110v and if you jam it into uk power sockets (230v) then they're gonna blow it up anyway.

 

[Steve]

The thing is if its a euro 2pin then surely the power supply is only 110v and if you jam it into uk power sockets (230v) then they're gonna blow it up anyway.

have you ever visited the continent?
europe has the same electrical supply as the UK. Years ago the voltage was harmonised to 230V at 50Hz (used to be 220v euro, 240v UK), just recently the cable colours were also harmonised.

 

[plugwash]

europlugs actually fit our sockets extremely well once the shutters are open, only thing is depending on the installation things may be rather lacking in terms of overcurrent protection.

SCHUKO plugs and CEE7/17 non-earthed high current plugs are a different matter though.

 

[FMC]

Sorry I was think of the states I'm sure they have 110v.

 

[AdamW]

I saw a picture of some sockets recently that take every type of plug I've ever seen including British 13A sockets... Well, it doesn't look like it would take those funny Israeli ones.

It was on a Lian Li aluminium desk, here is an image of the sockets.

Presumably it is non-compliant with the BS spec because it appears you don't need an earth pin to allow access to the L and N connectors, but it does fit the plug.

(By the way, the desk is made almost entirely of aluminium and is very very sexy... and expensive!)

 

[Steve]

I saw a picture of some sockets recently that take every type of plug I've ever seen including British 13A sockets... Well, it doesn't look like it would take those funny Israeli ones.

It was on a Lian Li aluminium desk, here is an image of the sockets.

Presumably it is non-compliant with the BS spec because it appears you don't need an earth pin to allow access to the L and N connectors, but it does fit the plug.

(By the way, the desk is made almost entirely of aluminium and is very very sexy... and expensive!)

would that connector take the round earthed euro plugs? Doesn't look like it! But then IT equipment (its a desk) generally dont have earthed plugs on the continent do they?

 

[AdamW]

I think it would take them: European plugs have a female earth, the socket has the male. So you wouldn't have an earth connection, but as you say most IT equipment doesn't have an earth anyway (my main tower unit is the only thing in my whole desk area that has an earth connection).

The pin spacing must be compatible if you can get a Schuko into a British socket too.

 

[Adam_151]

IT equipment usually has an earth connection, I admit some bits don't, but most stuff uses an earth even if its class 2, because the filters need an earth to work, without an earth it'll be unstable and there is a possibility of a shock from the not connected earth.

this might be worth a read: http://www.tlc-direct.co.uk/Book/7.8.1.htm

 

[plugwash]

PCs and monitors do, printers often do too. Most other stuff seems to use wall warts which don't tend to have an earth connection.