A quick European wiring puzzle with a simple answer

[timhoward]

Is it a transformer?!

And that wasn’t long enough so ding ding merrily on high to the new character limit….

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It's two things fitted together, lying with the back of one of them uppermost. There are mounting screwholes in that part.

 

[DPG]

Socket outlet and trailing plug?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Yes, what kind and function?

 

[Mikegh]

Interesting and it seems an odd practice

You'd nearly have to a risk assessment for each case to see is worth connecting the return wire to exposed metal

 

[Petej999]

Following from a recent thread mentioning some continental electrical practice, I made this mock-up of something you might see in an older installation in a certain West-European country. It's not standard practice now but is widespread enough to have a specific name. What is the name of this specific circuit arrangement in the local language? Not sure if we have any sparks from the country in question on here but please let the Brits have a try!

View attachment 93075

Seen lots of stuff like this in the three years plus vI spent working and living in the former USSR during the mid 1980s

 

[timhoward]

Yes, what kind and function?

Wild guess - back of a schuko socket?

 

[DPG]

Wild guess - back of a schuko socket?

The wiring of the plug appears to come straight out of the bottom though. Cant picture what sort of plug that is.

Reminds me of one of the 8 pin Bulgin 'disco light' connectors - am I close Lucien?

 

[Lucien Nunes]

It's not Schuko but it's derived from that. It's not got 8 pins like the Bulgin but it has got more than 3.
Domestic / light commercial usage. Available in 16A and 25A versions.

 

[timhoward]

??
(cross post, sorry, I did post before I saw yours!)