Which country this plug socket from ?

[pc1966]

Due to my own travel and also professional rental hire I have stocks of pretty much anything to anything when it comes to adaptors but they're all made by me, not those silly tourist adaptors you get at duty free. Schuko <> 13A by the box load, Swiss, old Italian, Israeli, North American, Australian, Chinese.....

My own travels are generally more limited, so mostly I have a 4-way 13A block with a Schuko plug from a sacrificed IEC lead (no chickens, this time) but for south Italy have another adaptor for the odd in-line sort of plug they often have.

 

[pc1966]

lets see the world just have one type of socket...Like the "c" type for phones etc

It has been discussed at great length on many occasions. Closest that ever happened was the 10A IEC "kettle" style plug and socket, but even that is not as common these days (not kettles, for sure...).

The big issue is the huge legacy of installed equipment. Basically nobody now can afford to change, as then you have installations with old sockets, and equipment with old plugs, and that persists for decades. Even in the 80s I would see the occasional house with at least on 5A/15A socket in use, and that was 35 years after 13A introduced, and also long after most of the VIR cable of that day should have been replaced.

Not happening for mains. For phones with 5 year max life maybe!

 

[pc1966]

Very important as anything non-UK lacks fusing in the plug for the cable, so expects something like 16A at the CU.

Running one of a 13A FCU is another option if retro-fitting.

 

[Avo Mk8]

Have my doubts.... struggling to get any info tbh !

The Legrand ones mentioned by Rockingit have IEC 60884-1 on them, which is internationally recognised for those types of socket. So it is a legitimate product. IEC 60884-1:2022 | IEC Webstore - https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/34175
I don't know what if any reg stops you from installing them in the UK, if the circuit for each is fused and cabled at 16A or under?

https://assets.legrand.com/pim/NP-FT-GT/F02869EN-00%20%20MULTISTD%20%20SWITCHED%20SOCKETS.pdf

Google "multistandard sockets" if you want to find them!

 

[Rockingit]

I don't know what if any reg stops you from installing them in the UK, if the circuit for each is fused and cabled at 16A or under?

The issue is around shutters - the regs stipulate that socket outlets in DOMESTIC must be shuttered. Commercial (ie hotels where these things are normally found!) it's not an issue.

 

[Rockingit]

<= This

Very important as anything non-UK lacks fusing in the plug for the cable, so expects something like 16A at the CU.

Interesting to remember though that Schuko is actually a 20A rated combination!

 

[pc1966]

Interesting to remember though that Schuko is actually a 20A rated combination!

Yes, I know they put sets of them on 20A but it always struck me as a bit high for the ~1mm flex used. But again, UK perspective is historically different from EU and no doubt it is acceptably safe.