round pin sockets

[Fred]

Hi,

I've read here about people using round pin sockets on a 6A radial for table lamps, rather like hotels do (why do hotels never have lights on the ceiling BTW?)

I thought I would try this myself. I have noticed that whilst 2A plugs and sockets would be sufficient, they seem harder to find than the 5A equivalents. The 2A versions also look quite tiny, so the 5A looks "prettier" IMHO.

So far so good but I have run into a problem that I wanted to temporarily move some furniture whilst I redecorate and all the lamps have round pin plugs in a room with standard mains sockets. Is there such a thing as a plug in adaptor? I have not found one but I suppose there is little demand for such a thing or possibly they are illegal to prevent people using old round pin plugs in modern sockets?

I wondered about making an adaptor from a trailing socket but I can only find trailing 15A sockets (what are 15a round pin sockets used for?). Does a 5A round pin trailing socket exist?

Google shows lots of false positives: adaptors to convert foreign round pin plugs to UK ones and there are some round 3 pin sockets for garden use (for Black and Decker mowers/strimmers/etc?)

Can anyone help or will I just have to replace the plugs?

TIA

[fred]

In article , Fred writes

I don't know if this is what you want (no pic) but the description is right:

the other hand, changing the plugs is a 2min job.

[Tim W]

Fred wibbled on Saturday 16 January 2010 22:17

I used to have one. It was triangular, two 13A sockets on the bottom side and one 3 ping 5A roundpin pin up top. It was fused (as most adapters are), only IIRC I *think* the fuse applied to the 5A bit alone and was thusly 5A - but I can't be absolutely sure.

I wonder if this will take a 3 ping 5A plug?

looks like it might, but it may be designed for 15A round pin, I can't tell (the latter is used in South Africa and other places - not sure if anyone uses the 5A).

The other alternative is to make some using 5A flex socket, 13A plug (fused at 5A obviously) and a bit of 6A flex.

Here you go:

's not danger of them going out of fashion as they are rather popular with the stage lighting community.

[Frank Erskine]

So that the handyman doesn't have to carry a stepladder about to change bulbs.

Don't forget that sockets for domestic use must be shuttered, so older type ones probably wouldn't suffice.

2A sockets are fine. I used some for table lamps in the bar of a theatre - mainly to stop people casually 'borrowing' the lamps to use as stage props!

[Grimly Curmudgeon]

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Fred saying something like:

They used to be plentiful. Have a look on ebay under collectible old shit or something. I got some of those light-bayonet to two-pin adapters that way.

[Andy Dingley]

Probably not - and deliberately so, for good reason.

AIUI, Round pin plugs (of modern vintage) don't have fuses. I have just looked in Tricker's Wiring Regs in Brief, but as usual I can't find it. However AFAIR, there's a requirement that they're only used on circuits that are suitably fused radials. A ring main wouldn't be acceptable (as that relies on a plug top fuse, which in this case might not be there) and even for a cabled adapter there's no guarantee that it won't be fuse at 13A.

[[citation needed]], but caveat sparkie

[John Whitworth]

Looks like the 5A socket is in use in India.

[Malcolm]

15A round and previously 5A round are used in stage lighting installations. Gogle for Stage Lighting - my local supplier AJS in Ringwood may be able to help. The sockets will be singles but adaptors are available (like the 13A adaptors) If you can't find anything I may be able to help - to e-mail me substitute ntlworld for spam and insert _ between m and race

Malcolm

Malcolm

[Andrew Gabriel]

The 2A sockets can be used on circuits fused at up to 10A. (Can't remember the value for 5A sockets.)

Since most extension leads must be fused at less than 13A to meet regs due to CSA and length and earth fault impedance, (and this is almost always ignored) that's really no different. Extension leads are a nightmere if you start worrying about regs - they're one of a class of things that no one would be allowed to invent today had they not already existed and their use was so widespread.

[tim....]

Because there's a style guru in the hotel ratings industry who thinks that having 6 poxy silly little lights in strategic positions around the room is the best. (and no, I'm not joking)

tim

[Fred]

which concerned me. There's no photo on that page which doesn't help. IIRC I looked at the manufacturer's web site and it is the kind of socket that used to be (still is?) used by Black and Decker garden accessories: three pins but in a straight line rather than the triangular arrangement I need.

[Fred]

find 15A versions on my own. White would be better for domestic use though.

[Fred]

Why would that be a problem? Health & safety? Banging the wallpaper with the ladder?

[Fred]

I looked on ebay but "round pin adaptors" brings up a lot of listings for travel adaptors rather than what I needed. Also, as someone else said, I was hoping for a new, safe, version, rather than a dangerous old one.

I remember those bayonet plugs though never actually used any. What are they used for?

[NT]

Just get some 5A sockets from the likes of screwfix, tcl, your local elec wholesaler etc, fit them in pattress boxes, attach a lead and bob's your mother's uncle.

Round pin adaptors were once widepsread, but its been many years since I've seen one for sale.

If you do decide to get some old ones, check for basic safety, I've seen the occasional one thats quite suicidal.

adaptor has live tubes so close to the outer edge (about 3mm iirc) that if you unplug the adaptor without switching the socket off first you'll likely fry.

NT

[Fred]

[Fred]

Thanks very much.

[Fred]

Thanks. That makes sense but OTOH an extension socket would be connected to a plug; if there is a 5A (or less) fuse in the plug it is connected to, then everything would be ok.

Of course, if the other end of the lead was another round pin plug that would not be fused and your point would remain valid. I wonder why they don't make the round pin plugs fused? Perhaps it is because they are used in theatres and they don't want to have to get ladders out in the middle of the performance to replace blown fuses?

[Rod]

For what seems similar functionality, we simply set up some remote control sockets. If we wanted, we could have a wall switch that operates as a remote.

They are not 100% pretty - but we do not see 3 out of the four of them anyway. And we don't have a problem moving them to another location should we wish.

Am I missing some advantage you gain from 2A or 5A sockets?

[Jules]

Hmm, not sure - I imagine there are some pretty substantial girders in the ceiling space (although ditto vertically in the corners). Maybe it's just easier to run power around in the wall space than it is to the ceilings?

cheers

Jules