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CEE 7/1 - 7/2 standard unearthed sockets / plugs (no Europlugs) |
 CEE 7… |
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| In
Europe, and elsewhere, you will find a variety of not earthed plugs
with
round pins, positioned 19 mm apart. Plugs with 4.8 mm pins may comply
with CEE 7/2 standard (see images 5 - 8). Matching standard for sockets
is CEE 7/1 (see images 1 - 3). Some round plugs with 4.0 mm pins comply with CEE 7/16, variant I standard. Genuine CEE 7/16, variant II plugs are described on the page on Europlugs. Furthermore a large variety of flat plugs with 4.0 pins exists that comply with a country specific standard, or are not standardized. Examples are show below. Note that the use of type C plugs is confusing. Strictly speaking only plugs that comply with the CEE 7/16, variant II are type C plugs, but in common practice type C is regarded as a generic name for most not earthed plugs with 19 mm spaced round pins. |
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related
galleries: classic types |
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| 1, 2 |
CEE 7/1,
not earthed 16A - 250V socket. It accepts plugs with a pin diameter up
to
4.8 mm diameter. These
non-earthed sockets are (or were) commonly used in continental European
houses, except kitchen,
bathroom and other wet
areas. Socket nos 1 and 2 have a recess that is only 4 mm deep. Socket no. 2 has safety shutters. Manufacturers: Merten, Gümmersbach, Germany (no. 1) and an unknown Chinese company (no. 2). |
| 3 | German
manufacturers Merten, Busch-Jaeger and possibly others, offer CEE 7/1
sockets with a 15 mm deep recess. In combination with a round base plug
(nos. 5 and 6) it is no longer possible to touch pins under tension of
a not fully inserted plug. Manufacturer of shown model: Busch-Jung,
Lüdenscheid, Germany. |
| 4 |
CEE
7/2 connector
plug, in the Netherlands often referred to as contra-plug. Slots accept
both 4.0 and 4.8 mm pins. Manufacturer: Danish company H. Morgensen A/S, from 1990 part of LK El-Artikler A/S. |
| 5 |
CEE 7/2
round plug, rated at 16A - 250V, with top (left) or side (right cord
entry. Pins have a diameter of
4.8 mm. The large, round base has two safety aspects. Touching pins under tension is hardly possible if the recess is sufficiently deep, as in socket no. 3 and connector no. 4. Moreover, these plugs do not fit in earthed Schuko socket (see image no. 17). Both plugs have been made by Martin Kaiser, Hochstadt am Main, Germany. |
| 6 | Danish
not earthed plug, rated at 16A - 250V. Pin diameter is 4.8 mm.
Compatible with Schuko and French CEE 7/5 sockets, but not with Swiss
10A sockets, because plugs have 4.8 mm pins and no hexagonal sides.
Manufacturer: Lauritz Knudsen. Note that specifications of older Danish 2-pin plugs were different; see page on Danish standard. |
| 7 |
Italian
plug not earthed plug. Pins have a diameter of 4.0 mm which restricts
rating to 10A. Compatible with Schuko and French CEE 7/5 sockets, but
not with Swiss sockets. Manufacturer: OVA* {WeO} * OVA is an abbreviation of Ohm, Volta and Ampère, names that are given to fundamental units in electricity. The name was chosen by Giulio Bargellini when he started an electro-technical company in 1963 in Bologna, Italy. |
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8 Connector plug that accepts not earthed plugs with 4.0 and 4.8 mm pins. Rating: 16A - 250V. An unusual feature of the connector is the hole halfway between the line and neutral contacts. This hole offers the possibility to insert an earthed Swiss or Italian 10A plug. However the hole is empty, which means that there is no earth contact. The connector has Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian and Finnish certification marks, but no Swiss and Italian marks. Manufacturer: ABL in Lauf, near Nürnberg, Bayern. Dating: ca. 2010. |
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| 9 | 2-pin,
6A - 250V plug. Part of the French Legrand Arteor series. Because of
the cord side entry the plug has been designed for fully flat sockets.
Plug does not fit in recessed socket no. 3 and connector plugs nos 4
and 8. |
| 10 | 2-pin, 10A plug from the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Pin dimensions and spacing are almost identical to Europlugs, but the plug housing is 5 mm thicker than a genuine Europlug and insulated shafts are missing. |
| 11 | 2-pin, 10A plug from
Peru. The wiring procedure of this plug is unconventional and does not
meet IEC standards. {PO} |
| 12 | 10A connector plug, bought in Romania, but made in Japan. It has no European certification marks, because it does not comply with EU criteria. Among others a recessed pin entry fails (compulsory according to CEE 7/16 standard). |
| 13 | Older
type of 3-way multi-plug for unearthed plugs with 4.0 mm pins. This
type was very popular in the 1970s-90s, because it was compatible with
both earthed (Schuko) and unearthed sockets. No longer produced, but
still in use. |
| 14 | 3-Way
multi-plug for unearthed plugs with 4.0 mm pins. Fits only in
non-earthed sockets as no. 1. |
| 15 | Unearthed five-way multi-plug rated at 6A-250V, bought in Romania. Slots have a diameter of 4.9 mm, but plugs with 4.8 mm pins can only be inserted in some of the positions, because of variable internal tolerances. |
| 16 | Multi-plug for 4.0 mm round pin and US/Japanese type flat blade plugs. The indicated rating of 10A-220V is difficult to believe. The two round pins can be rotated over 180 degrees. The plug may look like a dolls house toy, but in 2002 it was in use in Vietnam. Unknown origin (China ?); a logo shows two elephants. |
| Safety
issue about use of unearthed plugs in Schuko sockets In some European countries, notably the Netherlands, only two types of unearthed plug are allowed to use in Schuko sockets: either 2.5A CEE 7/16 Europlugs, or 16A CEE 7/17 hybrid plugs. When such plugs are used it is clearly visible that there is no contact with the Schuko earth clips. Other types of unearthed 10-16A plugs could give the wrong impression that there is a functional protective earth contact solely by being plugged into a Schuko socket. |
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| 17 | CEE 7/2
plugs with 4.8 mm pins, rated at 16A, have - deliberately - a large,
round base (∅ 36
mm), see also plug no. 5. The cavity of Schuko sockets is not
fully
round. Parts of the wall are broader (indicated by green arrows; see
also image no. 19). These structures makes it impossible
to insert an unearthed plug with a 36 mm round base plate. |
| 18, 19 | Plugs exist that don't have safety measure noted above.
The base plate of this plug has a shape comparable to Schuko plugs, but
it has no earth contacts. As image no. 19 shows this unearthed plug
fits in a
Schuko socket (green arrows: notches; brown arrows: earth clips). A
rating is not indicated, but the 4.8 mm pins suggest that it can be
used for currents up to16A. {WM} |
| 20 | The grey plug [a] is a small size (∅ 32 mm), unearthed, 2-pin plug that fits in a Schuko socket [b]. The image withthe screw cap detached [d] rshows a simple type of cord grip. Having a cord grip makes sense because toremove this mini-plug from a Schuko socket you have pull the cord. The 1960s plug, rated at 6A-250V, was made in Japan and was used for 220V illumination of student microscopes used at Dutch universities. Brand name: Okusun [c]. |
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Classic 2-pin plugs
and sockets A large variety of plugs have been designed before CEE standards became effective. The museum has models from the 1900s to '70s; most of German origin. Click here for examples. |
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