6-way switchable mains adapter needed, advice.

Just be careful about the spacing of the sockets especially if you are using wall wart power adapters. Some of the compact type extensions cannot take 8 plugs as the strain relieve on the cable covers some of the sockets. Over wide wall warts can mean adjacent sockets cannot be used. Perhaps you need more than 8 ways is some sockets cannot be used.

I have a Brennenstuhl extension feeding TV, set top boxes, routers etc. BUT none of the plug adapters (wall warts) are not too wide.

The sockets ere switched, but NOT individually switched

Brennenstuhl made in Germany

Click on the product to get the individual product page Then click on the photo of the product to get an isolated photo Then click again on the extension and you will get another image of the socket arrangement

Or double click on the extension within the photo of the product.

TLC stock some of their products

They used to be around because I have one that I have been using for years. It has 8 sockets that are two banks of 4 sockets, each with a switch, staggered slightly so that each Live pin on one side is opposite the Earth pin on the opposite socket, and all the Earth pins are towards the centre.

Whether you can use all eight depends on the configuration of any wall warts you plug in. The ones with the Earth pin near the top edge are OK, but the ones where there is the other configuration, with the Live and Neutral near the bottom edge, blocks the use of the opposite socket. Because of that, I can only use 7 of the 8 sockets. Unfortunately the Wall Wart that prevents a socket from being used powers my router, so I can't avoid using it.

I don't know who made it - I can't see a name on it anywhere. A quick internet search found this one which is a bit longer than my one but similarly configured.

Jim

Used one of these for a few years:

Perhaps Ok with the linked examples but also consider wall warts covering the switches making them inaccessible or worse, knocking them into a undefined mid switch position.

CPC have a wide range of (their own?) Pro-Elec mains blocks. After quite some looking a while ago, and with criteria similar to yours, I ended up with some of their individually switchable 6-way blocks. The ones I chose have the sockets as two 'banks', each of three, but many other forms are available. As mentioned, be aware that the width and for of many mains adapter PSUs these days make it inevitable that one will block off another socket.

I looked at the Brennenstuhl range - I like the 'offset' arrangement - but didn't like the somewhat thermoplastic material they seemed to be made out of. I am quite sure they are not **made** in Germany, despite what they say.

I don't say the Pro-Elec ones are great, or any better, but they are worth a look.

HTH, J^n

Some years ago I bought several mains blocks from CPC, not sure if they were Pro-Elec. I don't recall why, but I took the cover off one of them.

I found that two or three of the screws connecting parts of it together were loose! On checking, a couple more of the blocks had similar loose screws.

Now I always check, although some use spot welds instead.

Yeah, probably worth doing. I did something similar (though not with these Pro-elec ones) with a cheap 'wifi-switchable' block a while ago and was pretty horrified with the innards.

For top quality use Olson, a bit spendy for home use, but search for used ones on eBay ...

Thanks, looks interesting, and available in-store at their new Brighton store too.

I am sure Russ Andrew’s will have something suitably exorbitant to suit your needs.

Have you seen the price of the ones on the Olson website ?, Ouch.

Probably easier to buy three Mk double sockets and three surface- mount back boxes and make my own.

LOL!

I see Amazon is selling NEW VINYL disks - £45!

No wonder people Believe in Renewable Energy..

When I were a lad living in a brown paper bag I did just that. 6 surface mounted sockets all mounted on a bit of wood I painted blue...I had that for years. Never let me down

I have a Lidl one (6-way, each socket switched). It's been fine for several years now.

I cant remember where mine came from. Currys maybe? Screwfix?

The ones that are dodgy are dodgy because the internal contacts probably won't take high current. They are fine for low current though.

I have a few of those, salvaged from skips. The nice thing is they have a proper 32A tail to them, even if it does terminate in a 13A plug. The datacentre versions have proper 32A commando plugs on them. Very solid steel case, they're designed to be run at full load for long periods.

The search term to look for is 'power delivery unit' or PDU. They're often thrown out when datacentres are refurbished so are cheap/free used.

Theo

Off topic. The majority of (6 gang) extension sockets have the lead on the right. Couldn't find one with the lead on the left which would be easier for cable routing. Turning it upside down doesn't work as various 240v transformer/adaptors need to be accommodated.

I found the same when looking for an extension lead. My solution was to glue some mini trunking to the lower side of the body of the extension. This just made the whole assembly, which is attached to a wall, much neater.