Maker Pro
Maker Pro

UK safety issue

N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
I've a Peavey 5150 , 2003 USA made, for repair.
This is an export model for 240V/220V areas, no 110V option.
The mains lead has a German? integral plug( 2 round pins and a removed earth
pin but an exposed earthing point) on the lead with a German? socket to UK
plug adaptor.
This adaptor is presumably used on other equipment for this purpose.
Despite BS kite mark etc it is a very vague connection between the earth
point of the German plug and the UK earth pin. In this one there is no earth
bonding as it is so easy to dislodge the plug relative to the adaptor and
losing earth bond.
Adaptor is SCP3 made by PowerConnections , Harlow, England.
Needs totally removing German plug and adaptor and fixing a UK plug on the
lead.
 
R

Ron(UK)

Jan 1, 1970
0
N said:
I've a Peavey 5150 , 2003 USA made, for repair.
This is an export model for 240V/220V areas, no 110V option.
The mains lead has a German? integral plug( 2 round pins and a removed earth
pin but an exposed earthing point) on the lead with a German? socket to UK
plug adaptor.
This adaptor is presumably used on other equipment for this purpose.
Despite BS kite mark etc it is a very vague connection between the earth
point of the German plug and the UK earth pin. In this one there is no earth
bonding as it is so easy to dislodge the plug relative to the adaptor and
losing earth bond.
Adaptor is SCP3 made by PowerConnections , Harlow, England.
Needs totally removing German plug and adaptor and fixing a UK plug on the
lead.

Yes indeed but doesn`t the socket carry the earth pin not the plug? the
plug has a female part to accept the earth and an external metal strip
which is also earth. The idea is that the earth makes contact first (if
the pin is present in the socket!)

Isn't that the German plug that 'Brussels' wanted us to adopt in the UK
to be in line with the rest of Europe?

Ron(UK)
 
E

Eeyore

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ron(UK) said:
Isn't that the German plug
Schuko


that 'Brussels' wanted us to adopt in the UK
to be in line with the rest of Europe?

No. They wanted a plug that was different to anything else already in use in the
EU.

Graham
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ron(UK) said:
Yes indeed but doesn`t the socket carry the earth pin not the plug? the
plug has a female part to accept the earth and an external metal strip
which is also earth. The idea is that the earth makes contact first (if
the pin is present in the socket!)

Isn't that the German plug that 'Brussels' wanted us to adopt in the UK
to be in line with the rest of Europe?

Ron(UK)

--
Lune Valley Audio
Public Address Systems
Hire Sales Maintenance
www.lunevalleyaudio.com

The design of the adaptor is a tiny brass or P-Bronze spring is supposed to
engage with a recessed earth point on the German plug, a point that an earth
pin can be screwed into but has to be removed to use this adaptor.
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
Ron(UK) said:
Yes indeed but doesn`t the socket carry the earth pin not the plug? the
plug has a female part to accept the earth and an external metal strip
which is also earth. The idea is that the earth makes contact first (if
the pin is present in the socket!)

Isn't that the German plug that 'Brussels' wanted us to adopt in the UK
to be in line with the rest of Europe?

Ron(UK)

--
Lune Valley Audio
Public Address Systems
Hire Sales Maintenance
www.lunevalleyaudio.com

I had a closer look. Not a screw in earth pin but a push-in pin from a
socket for earth
Plug type number? TA-6P , and country ? designations
D, S, Fl/Fi?,öve,N
 
P

Paul Sherwin

Jan 1, 1970
0
I've a Peavey 5150 , 2003 USA made, for repair.
This is an export model for 240V/220V areas, no 110V option.
The mains lead has a German? integral plug( 2 round pins and a removed earth
pin but an exposed earthing point) on the lead with a German? socket to UK
plug adaptor.

I would never use serious equipment through one of these mickey mouse
adaptors. I'd either change the plug, or use a proper trailing socket and
plug. Quite apart from any safety issues there's reliability to consider.

Paul
 
N

N Cook

Jan 1, 1970
0
Sherwin said:
I would never use serious equipment through one of these mickey mouse
adaptors. I'd either change the plug, or use a proper trailing socket and
plug. Quite apart from any safety issues there's reliability to consider.

Paul

Micky Mouse is right - flimsy plastic adaptor case that allows the German
plug to move all over the place,X,Y and Z, hence no earth continuity.
 
R

Ron(UK)

Jan 1, 1970
0
N said:
Micky Mouse is right - flimsy plastic adaptor case that allows the German
plug to move all over the place,X,Y and Z, hence no earth continuity.

It`s not one of those cheap International travel adaptors from the pound
shop is it?

Ron(UK)
 
R

Ron(UK)

Jan 1, 1970
0
Geoffrey said:
We get lots of those plugs here. I cut them off and replace them with
proper grounded ones. At one time we used a three prong plug similar
to the Australian one but with the pins in the other direction
(top of the pins pointing out instead of in).

About ten years ago outlets came out that took those plugs and the
two narrow European ones. New ones take the old plugs and a new plug
that is a combination of the the two narrow pins and a third round
ground pin about the same size as the other two below them, in the middle.

Sort of (pardon the ASCII art):

old:

\ /

|

in between:


o o

|

new:

o o

o

As far as I understand all of the EU, except the UK is moving to those
plugs. The current UK outlets will take the two pin version of the
plug, without the saftey factors of a ground or fuse.


It`s theoretically not possible to insert a two pin plug into a standard
UK 13 amp three pin socket as the live and neutral pins are protected by
shutters which require the earth pin to open - OK I know you can fiddle
it with a screwdriver, but that`s cheating.
I assume that eventually the UK will adopt the new plug, modified to
include a fuse. Either that, or a combined outlet that takes the old
plugs and the new ones, and includes a fuse will become available.

I dont see why we in the UK should change, we have what is generally
regarded as the best all round mains connector in the BS1363 standard UK
13 amp plug top[1] The earth pin mates first, it`s fused, the current
carrying pins are shrouded, so it`s pretty fingerproof[2] and it`s easy
to wire up, tho almost all new equipment comes with plugs ready fitted,
and when the plugtops are supplied by decent quality manufacturers, they
are conservatively rated at 13 amps.-

[1] The Wylex plug was (I`m told) technically a better design but now
consigned to history - tho you do still see one or two.

[2] But not 100%, as I found out the other day whist trying to fiddle a
mains adaptor out of a confined space in a rack, I managed to make
finger contact with the live pin! I suspect that was actually a problem
with the design of the powerstrip rather than the plug.

Ron(UK)
 
D

Derek Geldard

Jan 1, 1970
0
The design of the adaptor is a tiny brass or P-Bronze spring is supposed to
engage with a recessed earth point on the German plug, a point that an earth
pin can be screwed into but has to be removed to use this adaptor.
 
B

b

Jan 1, 1970
0
I had a closer look. Not a screw in earth pin but a push-in pin from a
socket for earth
Plug type number? TA-6P , and country ? designations
D, S, Fl/Fi?,öve,N

just replace the plug with a uk one, if it is to be used there.problem
solved!
-B
 
Top