Ah!, Yes) Those round reversible ones.. Amazing to think of what was allowed once upon a time. I apparently stuck a nail file behind one when I was about three!, threw me across the room .. haven't been quite the same since;)...
One thing I was taught was to ensure the live lead was the shortest, and the earth the longest, so that protection was maintained if the lead was forcibly pulled out of the plug. Although the picture of the plug showed it wired as described, there is never a mention of so wiring a plug these days.
The three pin ones had lids fixed with a screw - so rather safer. But the whole idea of the round one was to be able to change a plug without tools
- people often did that in the days of many different sockets.
The dome-shaped cover, which clamped the 'split pins' on to the wires, had, ISTR, a very coarse thread and would unscrew quite easily leaving very exposed terminals not holding the wires firmly at all.
The advantage of the Clix plug was that you didn't need a screwdriver to fit it... :-)
Still, we lived to tell the tale.
People just took more care using electrical stuff in those days. Nowadays, sadly, it has to be idiot-proof.
ISTR that the MK Safetyplug, (the one with captive washers on the clamp nuts, IMHO the best ever 13A plug by far) (are they still the same design as some 30 years ago?), took account of this to a slight extent. The wires were supposed to be prepared to the same length, which gave the correct pull-out sequence as you describe.
I also liked the wedge type cable clamp in these plugs, very effective with all but the very thinnest of flexes.
The GPO supplied a suppressor variant of the Safetyplug - the lid was replaced by one containing a delta-network of condensers, springs making contact with the three terminals. If you were lucky there was already an MK plug fitted to the appliance so all that was necessary was to replace the lid - a few moments' job!
If closed firmly, the 'Clix' in the cover prevented it from unscrewing easily.
It was a good plug, but certainly *didn't* give the correct pull out sequence when wired with equal length wires. It was also more fiddly to fit the cables round the terminal posts than to fit in the hole in other brands.
It was good, but try fitting a 2.5mm^2 flex into it. However, removing one side of the wedge was effective.
Was the GPO (as against the PO) extant when MK safetyplugs were first used?
They also both have the old recommendations for 3-A fuses even for normal lengths of flex on low-powered appliances, with the latter possibly suggesting.a PAT fail for 13-A fuses fitted to plugs of harmonised equipment that would be adequately protected by a 16-A MCB on the Continent.
Cue Andrew Gabriel to debunk this old myth yet again, please?
They date back to at least the early '70s.
The 'Clix' in the cover were _supposed to_ prevent it from unscrewing easily but this wasn't always the case. If it wasn't screwed up really tightly the wires under the head of the pin could sometimes get squashed a bit more after repeated use and the whole thing could become slack.
The message from Mike Clarke contains these words:
All true -- but I always felt that the Clix plugs had a lot to be said for them. Properly done up tightly they DID hold the conductors tightly and had reasonable strain relief. Can't say I ever had one that had been properly done up in the first place come loose on me, but I dare say that could happen to one that had been unscrewed many hundreds of times. The "split pin" design also ensured good contact in the socket.
Oh, I don't know. I always announce "Big blue flash time!" as I turn the power back on after any electrical work.
... and against. Like the cover could be removed by hand without tools while still plugged in to a live socket.
Though, to be fair, that was a common feature of quite a few plugs and bayonet cap connectors at the time - even more of a risk with the BC connectors which needed to be twisted to unplug.
I just can't think what Clix plugs were. Anyone point out a picture somewhere (none when I looked to google images).
The message from Rod contains these words:
Well, I'm NOT going to climb up into a loft where I know there are two still in position in a lighting circuit -- long story and circuit isn't currently in use. But the ceiling is 35' above the floor and it's a long climb to get above it.
The Clix plug being referred to was a 5 amp two pin plug in which the pins were like large brass split pins. Push them back through the base and you could put the bare ends of the wire through the loop at the top of the split pin. Push the split pin back into the base and the wire was firmly gripped as the pin locked gently into position.
The base was circular and threaded around the cirfumference. The back of the plug, through which the cable entered, screwed on to the base and as it got tight gave distinct clicks as it clocked in position.
The cable grip worked in the same sort of way as a typical pendant lampholder does.
The whole thing was, I always felt, rather better made than most plugs. And while nothing is idiot-proof, it seemed to be rather more so than most.
Rod...
A bit like this...
It's possible to undo the cap while the thing is plugged in and live, with no tools needed!
I am not He-Man but I always seem able to tighten 5a lighting circuit
4way JBs so tight the brass screw jumps threads, anyone else have this problem.
Right - yes - makes sense. I have seen them (probably seen most things like this one time or another) but didn't recognise by name, nor by description. Thanks.
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