UK Plugs and Sockets Regulations

[ban-all-sheds]

[RANT]
Just received a couple of USB hubs I ordered from a UK company (OK - it's multinational, but they have a physical UK presence and it was a .co.uk website).

They came with wallwarts for 2-pin continental sockets.

As far as I can see from reading the Plugs and Sockets Regulations this is perfectly lawful.
[/RANT]

 

[Monkeh]

Not even the decency to include an adapter?

Don't use them any more.

 

[JohnW2]

Not even the decency to include an adapter?

Even when they do, they're usually 'orribly wobbly things, out of which the plug is always falling!

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Monkeh]

The handful I have are ok. But I typically avoid warts in general. Nearly everything I have which needs one runs off a somewhat modified PSU instead.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Not even the decency to include an adapter?

Don't use them any more.

I'd reject these under sales of goods rights if I could find an alternative - they are wall/under-shelf mounted hubs - I'm heartily sick of all the makers whose goal is to make them as small as possible so that you end up with them lying around on a cluttered desk, pulled hither and yon by cables which weigh more than they do - I wanted something off the desk and firmly fixed so I could plug/unplug without having to hold it with the other hand and without risking it being dragged over.

There are mega (relatively) expensive robust industrial ones, but these are the only ones I've found which ticked my boxes.

 

[Monkeh]

Well, cut the plugs off those silly wallwarts and just wire them into your PC. 5VDC is 5VDC.

I've got a little square one stuck to my monitor base, works nicely.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Even when they do, they're usually 'orribly wobbly things, out of which the plug is always falling!

A concern of mine when what's plugged in is a wallwart, not just a plug.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Well, cut the plugs off those silly wallwarts and just wire them into your PC. 5VDC is 5VDC.

Could do.

A lot of faffing about though, as the cables wouldn't be long enough.

Might just fix a couple of schuko sockets in a patress to the wall.

 

[Monkeh]

Well, cut the plugs off those silly wallwarts and just wire them into your PC. 5VDC is 5VDC.

Could do.

A lot of faffing about though, as the cables wouldn't be long enough.

Might just fix a couple of schuko sockets in a patress to the wall.

Eh, just extend it with a bit of flex. Take me about five minutes to rig something up.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

And how do you join the cables?

 

[Monkeh]

And how do you join the cables?

Surely you've got a small junction box or a chocbox handy?

 

[ban-all-sheds]

That's tacky, and therefore unacceptable.

 

[Monkeh]

That's tacky, and therefore unacceptable.

.. Tacky. How would you suggest joining the cables?

Or would you go buy a few meters of finest dirt cheap speaker cable and some chinese plugs and make your own, with equal levels of tack?

Personally I think using some silly chinese wall wart PSUs when you have a perfectly good and almost certainly greatly underutilised PSU in your PC is very tacky.

 

[JohnW2]

And how do you join the cables?

Surely you've got a small junction box or a chocbox handy?

Or just fold back conductors in opposite directions, solder and heatshrink - much tidier - BAS, I can't believe you're asking how to join two little bits of 5V flex

Kind Regards, John.

 

[Monkeh]

And how do you join the cables?

Surely you've got a small junction box or a chocbox handy?

Or just fold back conductors in opposite directions, solder and heatshrink - much tidier - BAS, I can't believe you're asking how to join two little bits of 5V flex

Kind Regards, John.

Ah, but there's the faff. Also looks a little silly joining what's basically 0.25mm² speaker wire with 1mm² flex like that.