David LeadbeaterDec 6
Kadin

Should you ever be looking for information on a weird old plug or socket, or are just interested in such things, the online "Museum of Plugs and Sockets" is one of those sites that makes the Internet seem like less of a terrible mistake than usual.

https://plugsocketmuseum.nl/

The page on old British "BS 546" is unmatched, in particular: https://plugsocketmuseum.nl/OldBritish1.html

#BestOfTheWeb #OldInternet #IndieWeb #Electronics #DIY

Museum of Plugs and Sockets: home page

Annotated display of 1000 domestic electrical plugs and sockets from all over the world, including classic and obsolete types.

Dec 6 at 5:55pmWeb
Show threadKhleedrilDec 6
@kadin TIL of the Wylex clock connector.
Show threadJules she/herDec 6
@kadin a moment of silence for the much missed Carrot Museum https://web.archive.org/web/20220928195840/http://www.carrotmuseum.co.uk/
World Carrot Museum - The Encyclopedia of Carrots

Virtual Carrot museum aims to educate, inform and amuse through the collection, preservation, interpretation and exhibition of objects relating to the Carrot; history,cultivation,nutrition

@carrotmuseum
Show threadRay McCarthyDec 6

@kadin
The three pin 5A is common in churches and halls for microphones!

The 5A is also still common for lighting in Ireland, which also has used the German socket.

I think the UK & Ireland shaver sockets take the 2 pin 5A UK, 2 pin Europlug and also the US two blade. The transformer is 2K V isolated and lamination design with a thermistor limits power to less than 20W.

I've not seen the 2A for decades. Often on fireplace mantles for a mains driven clock.

Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKDec 6

@raymaccarthy @kadin

I think (hope!) BS546 plugs in church / village halls are more commonly used for a light fitting that would be controlled from a switch elsewhere or a dimmer (same as everywhere else in UK + IE) than microphones (those generally use a 3 pin XLR socket which is a lot smaller).

It is possible that the part of a church with a lectern has both (so the light to illuminate a prayer book can be switched remotely, and an XLR socket in a back box similar to those used for mains connects the microphone to the mixing desk), but randomly mixing up connectors for low level audio and 230V runs a risk of someone learning the hard way whether there is an afterlife..

Show threadRay McCarthyDec 6
@vfrmedia @kadin
No, I've removed the 5A sockets when fitting XLRs. Never seen 5A sockets in a church or hall for mains electricity.
Show threadAlex@rtnVFRmedia Suffolk UKDec 6
@raymaccarthy @kadin must be a UK / IE difference - since 1970s I've always only encountered BS546 used for lighting in such venues (often 5A or even 2A for static remotely switched lights, and 15A for fittings controlled via dimmers).
Show threadNSKEDec 7
@raymaccarthy @kadin our university halls of residence had a single 2A round pin socket per room as the sole source of power. I had a 4 gang adapter wired up to it, with a 2 amp fuse for safety naturally! It was enough to run a computer a TV and my stereo although maybe not all at once.
Show threadDec [{()}]Dec 7
@raymaccarthy @kadin
The shaver plugs/sockets aren't compatible with any other 2-pin standard, but you can buy BS1363 (plug) to shaver (socket) adapters, for charging things like toothbrushes.
Show threadRay McCarthyDec 7

@dec23k @kadin
I have a couple of shaver outlets in boxes for old vintage radios. I drilled a third hole for the earth pin of a 3 pin 5A plug, with an earth added. They need an isolation transformer for safety. The 2-pin version of the 5A plug absolutely fits the unmodified socket.

The BS1363 (plug) to shaver (socket) adapters have no isolation and are unsafe for some older electric shavers. They should only be used for chargers.

The worse adaptor is BC light socket (un-polarised) to Euro ES.

Show threadDec [{()}]Dec 8

@raymaccarthy @kadin
"Depending on the tariffs it could be attractive to plug an electric iron into a light socket. Because bayonet sockets have no earth connection it was a dangerous method of saving money."
https://plugsocketmuseum.nl/OldBritish4.html

I have 2 each of no.2 and no.3 on this page. I never used them for anything other than lighting.

Museum of Plugs and Sockets: Bayonet Cap plugs and outlets

Non-earthed BS 546 plugs and sockets

Show threadRay McCarthyDec 8

@dec23k @kadin
""Depending on the tariffs it could be attractive to plug an electric iron into a light socket."

That wasn't why it was done from 1920s to 1960s. The light sockets were used because some rooms had no sockets, or only one, or none at the location needed. So used for any kind of electrical gear. A radio was common.

In UK and Ireland the most common separate tariff was timed on a separate meter for storage radiators, not lighting.

Show threadDec [{()}]Dec 8

@raymaccarthy @kadin
I was skeptical of that quote (about the tariffs) but the second sentence was why I put it in, and probably why those devices are no longer available.

I had never heard of separate tariffs for lighting circuits anywhere, but I have definitely seen houses in Ireland with a mechanical timer on the fuse board for night-rate storage heating.

One appliance socket per room (whether you needed it or not!) was standard in new builds in Ireland well past the 1960s unfortunately.

Show threadRay McCarthyDec 8

@dec23k @kadin
Our 1984!
Clock in UK with separate meter for storage in the past.
Some people still have them.Smart meters are optional in Ireland.

I've never heard of lighting tariffs, anywhere. There are UK & Ireland unmetered tariffs. Obvious is street lighting etc. But a transmitter, mobile mast or a remote farmer's power for a light, fencer or pump can be without a meter. Cheaper to have an estimated fixed charge than send someone up a mountain to read a meter.

I'm no spring chicken.

Show threadKarl PetterssonDec 6
@kadin This is also good, about different electric light sources. I probably first noted it about 2004. https://www.lamptech.co.uk/
Welcome to the Museum of Electric Lamp Technology

Show threadbotvolutionDec 6
@kadin there was a 2A 546 in the house I used to live in, tho i never got round to sticking any metal objects in it to test if it was live
Show threadNömenlōonyDec 6
@kadin you can still buy them too! They just have to be fused appropriately.
Show threadsmolwaffleDec 7
@kadin
People who enjoy this sort of thing would probably also enjoy https://connectorbook.com/. I've used it a few times to identify connectors, both old and new, weird and fairly normal.
@deutrino
"The electronic connector book" - A book by Davide Andrea

Book about electronic connectors

Show threadrowmyboatDec 7
@kadin oh my goodness, this is amazing and I have something to submit. Just a picture unfortunately, as I forgot to tell the electricians to set thi by a aside from me until they were halfway through replacing my knob & tube.
Show threadrowmyboatDec 7
@kadin I hope this old fellow enjoys my whole house radio dual power/reception plug from ca 1922!!
Show threadTim JDec 7

@kadin It's certainly got plenty of typos . . . (Well, two obvious ones that jumped out. Which probably means there are more that didn't.)

NB that doesn't negate the other stuff. It just means I now feel I really *ought* to tell them, but don't have the energy to bother and anyway if they want it proofreading properly I'd prefer that they paid . . .