Where do I find this plug?

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What ho one and all,

I am after one of these. Have been searching with Mr google but don't even know what kind of plug it is.
Grateful for any pointers.

Thanks and toodle pip.

MainsPlug (Medium).jpg
 
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It is a free socket, not a plug. It was made by Bulgin. Try someone like Farnell or RS.
 
is it a power connector for a radio or other appliance?
 
I am fairly certain that is a PX0430/SE Try a google on that part number.

EDIT Not quite, the PX0430/SE has female index, the one in the picture has a male index.
 
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Plug / socket; I assumed it is called a plug, but what do i know? Thanks for correcting me.

It's a power connector on an old studio flash pack. The existing socket is just fine but I have a plan and a second would be useful.

Just found and bookmarked the PX0430/SE. How vital is the male index? If I used this female indexed socket, would it matter?

May be this is an additional dumb question, I could replace the old plug with a standard Bulgin PX0579/63 or similar. What are the chances of this one fitting in the same hole size as the PX0430?
 
Last edited:
EDIT Not quite, the PX0430/SE has female index, the one in the picture has a male index.
Indeed - I suspect that the OP's one is probably very 'obsolete'. If I recall correctly, the index on those 3A connectors changed gender very many moons (decades) ago.

Kind Regards, John
 
Just found and bookmarked the PX0430/SE. How vital is the male index? If I used this female indexed socket, would it matter?
If the other dimensions were the same, then a PX0430/SE would probably 'fit' OK. However, to do that would probably be potentially dangerous - it looks as if the three 'pin receptacles' are 120° apart and all the same size. If that were the case, it would be possible to plug it in 'incorrectly', which potentially very dangerous consequences.

Kind Regards, John
 
I shudder to think about the number in OP that I threw away. I'll have a look but I imagine I only have the later female indent sockets.

They used to be fitted to 4ft fluo fitting in telephone apparatus rooms.
 
Thanks for the replies. As I say, it is an old studio flash unit, basically, filled with capacitors. Not used in many year and when I came to use it recently the insulation on the cables from the flash heads had given up. have replaced one and reformed the capacitors and it appears to be working as it should. I guess if the caps where old and dried out, it would not charge or would not hold its charge.

But it probably has a high trigger voltage which modern digital cameras so not like. My plan is to buy a wireless trigger to protect the camera (and nothing for anyone to trip over!) There is one the fits into the power cable but uses the newer plugs / socket. So I thought, find another one of these and make a short cable that the wireless trigger can plug into.n Of course, the trigger has another cable that plugs into the sync socket.
 
You may be able to change the gender of an available female gender free socket by shaping up a wedge piece and gluing it into the female slot or alternatively you could make the female gender fixed plug into a male so that the more modern female sockets key locate correctly
 
You may be able to change the gender of an available female gender free socket by shaping up a wedge piece and gluing it into the female slot or alternatively you could make the female gender fixed plug into a male so that the more modern female sockets key locate correctly
I think the pins may be different too
 
It is a free socket, not a plug. It was made by Bulgin. Try someone like Farnell or RS.
You actually need a minimum of three terms to describe such an article
a) is it chassis mounted (Fixed) or cable mounted (Free)
b) does it have pins (Male) or sockets (Female)
c) does it get inserted into something, (Male/Plug) or does it envelope something (Female/Socket)

So a fuller description for the article would be "Free - Female - Plug"

By way of example, the standard UK 13A plug is a "Free - Male - Plug" and its corresponding wall-mounted socket is "Fixed - Female - Socket"

Yes, it's all very confusing, and even more so when you start looking at military style connectors which not only have special castellation keying features but may also have pins and sockets within the same device.
 
You actually need a minimum of three terms to describe such an article
a) is it chassis mounted (Fixed) or cable mounted (Free)
b) does it have pins (Male) or sockets (Female)
c) does it get inserted into something, (Male/Plug) or does it envelope something (Female/Socket)

So a fuller description for the article would be "Free - Female - Plug"

By way of example, the standard UK 13A plug is a "Free - Male - Plug" and its corresponding wall-mounted socket is "Fixed - Female - Socket"

Yes, it's all very confusing, and even more so when you start looking at military style connectors which not only have special castellation keying features but may also have pins and sockets within the same device.
Well I was taught that a plug, just like 'male' has pins and a socket has holes, just like a 'female' and have found no confusion with that.

There are exceptions of course, some connectors have both pins and holes and the ubiquitous DC power connector in all of it's incarnations seems to have no gender assigned and seems to always be called a plug regardless.

What I do find confussing is the regular use of the term 'Plug socket' which seems to be in common use by tradespersons a term which I insist removed from any documentation, especially contracts and certificates.

I also find other terms creeping in, originally from the ignorant [NO insult intended] but gets adopted all. As an example BS4343 always used to be plugs and sockets but now they seem to be plugs [free male], couplers [free female], sockets [panel mounted at right angle or slight angle], outlets [surface mounted approx 30' to the surface] and inlets [surface mounted approx 30' to the surface].
 

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