Old 13A plugs

Doing a continuity test on the fuse without undoing the plug? Well, that's the hole...dunno about the groove.

It was always just as easy to run an earth wire in the usual way.

Should be a 5A fuse for a 5A socket.

if you mean under the fuse, to see its rating easily. Not the world's most useful feature, but it cost nothing.

NT

useful feature, but it cost nothing.

I'm not convinced. However I illuminate it, all I see is black, and the fuse is white.

Compare with one that does work in that way:-

And we still haven't addressed the groove.

Is that coffee or blood?

I just did a DIY DNA test.

I'm not the father.

It is for a bit of string that also went through a hole in the 5-A plug that came with it.

The hole was to see the colour of the fuse in days of yoree. They used to be colour coded. Brown was 13a. Yellow was 10a, Red was 5a, black was 1a. I think. It was a while ago.

The hole to the earth pin was to attach an earth wire to old radio sets.

My Grandad still has plugs, sockets, etc just like those, if not older and browner. Wont change. Refuses. Wouldn't be so bad if they were properly wired, but oh no. No respect for the strain relief, or insulation.

Still, I believe he has made his will.....

useful feature, but it cost nothing.

A wild guess, so forgive me if it seems ludicrous. Does it act as explosion release or, simply as a indicator of the fuse blowing?

I think the biggest innovation in plugs was the sheathed pins. However you would need a very badly fitting plug to actually be able to touch the unsheathed ones, yet whenever anyone does a safety check they always change out the plugs. Not being able to see the pic, I cannot tell about your groove, sorry. Not sure the use of that earth slot either, as its pretty useless as a way of connecting or disconnecting things in the ones I have. The worst plugs in my view were the ones that used self tapping screws to hole the two halves together, usually just one and then in about ten years you are just screwing it in t and tick, the plug falls in half.. Oh dear.

Brian

It's easy enough to touch the pins if your fingers go round the edge as you insert it.

Well the previous generation survived ok before H&S bullshit.

Why not simply have the wire going in the bottom along with the power lead?

I still have a few five amp ones but not many. The worst electrical wiring I've ever seen is in various Spanish places. this was in the 80s, they seem to love two pin Europlug pinned things, but the actual sockets are not shuttered and the plugs appear to have screw in pins, unsheethed and with the wires somehow trapped in as you do up the one screw that holds the top on. the effect then is for hairy bits of the wire to poke out under the top and burn little holes in the flesh when you grasp them. I do hope things have improved since then...

Brian

Well you probably still have children's fingers, which is probably why they did it. Normally though the pins are away from the contacts by the time you can get a finger in.

Brian

Graham. presented the following explanation :

The fuses were colour coded, you could see the colour through the 'window'.

Come to think of it I don't think I've done it since I was about 11. What about women?

They were good for blowing the ring main in an office or someone else's house though. Shove a paperclip round the pins, next time they turn it on....