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Classic British round pin earthed plugs and sockets |
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| Most classic round pin plugs with
protective earth, in the museum collection, meet the BS 546 standard
effective at the time of plug production. Furthermore a BS 1778 socket
is shown, and non-BS material made by Niphan and Clang. Material of BS 546 precursors is shown on a separate page. |
Related
galleries: classic 2-pin plugs, BS 372 classic plugs and sockets used in South Africa |
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| 1, 2 |
BS
546 15A CLIX plug. No tools are necessary
to attach wires to
the
pins of Clix plugs. Press the copper pins firmly down to fix the wires
(see image No. 2). The top part of the Bakelite housing keeps the pins
in position (as long as the screw that fix the two parts of the housing
is securely tightened !). {JM} |
| 3, 4 | 15A
BS 546 plug with a 5A BS 646 cartridge fuse. A cavity, indicated by the
green arrow,
offers space for a spare fuse. This 15A plugs have a 5A fuse, rather than 15A, because a 15A fuse would offer no more protection than the main fuse on the distribution board. Brand name: MK Electric. {JM} |
| 5 | Bakelite BS 546 5A socket with switch. The
socket does not have safety shutters. The device was recovered from the
demolition of barracks at RAF Upper Heyford, Oxfordshire, England. The
base was closed in 1994. Manufacturer: Temco, which was a brand of the
Telephone Manufacturing Company, London (TMC). The electrical
accessories branch, was sold in the early 1950s to
Ward & Goldstone. {DH} |
| 6 | Bakelite BS 546 5A plug, made by General Electric Corporation (G.E.C.). Late 1940s - early 1950s. {JM} |
| 7 | Classic
2A BS 546 plug. {WN} |
 Scale of images 8 and 9 differs. The
(outer) diameter of the 5A socket is 46 mm (1.8"), whereas
the 15A socket has a diameter of 79 mm (3.1"). |
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| 8 note |
Classic
BS 546 5A socket and plug, made in England by Crabtree. L and N
pins have insulating sleeves. The plug has a cord side exit (see image
a) and an earth pin inspection
hole on the opposite side (green arrow in image b). The earth pin has and uncommon constriction, see green arrow in image c. It could be that the constriction serves to secure the plug in an interlocking socket (see No. 19). However, the earth contact (image e) of this socket does not have a locking mechanism. Dating: 1960s or '70s. {DF} Do not insert the plug in a modern socket with shutters that are opened by the earth pin*. The plug will be trapped by the shutter extension that pushes aside the L and N contact shutters. You have to dismantle the socket completely to free the earth pin. * see for example image No. 2 on the first BS 546 page. |
| 9 | Bakelite
BS 546 15A socket made in England by General Electric Company (GEC).
The porcelain socket basal part has a protective enamel coating
('vitreous china'). The position of line and neutral contacts is
secured
by brass straps (green arrow). When inserting a plug, the larger earth
contact makes contact first. {PC} Socket has the 'magnet-type' GEC logo (right, top). It has also a Kitemark, issued by the British Standard Institution, the certifying agency. The image right-bottom shows two Kitemarks. Left image: mark found on the 15A socket. Image right shows a newer version. It is unknown when the mark has been restyled. |
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| 10 | Top: 5A BS 546, 2-way
multi-plug. Bottom: inside of the same plug showing the copper strips
and connectors.
This is an example of a multi-plug in which both outlets have the same,
correct orientation of line and neutral slots. Be aware that
occasionally you may find more simple devices whereby the two outlets
are mirror images of each other and only one of both has the correct
L-N orientation. See for example image no. 5 at the page on French plugs and sockets. {DF} |
| 11 | BS
546 5A 3-way multi-plug. Although a bit more complicated than no. 9,
also this model has a correct polarization for each of the tree
outlets. Brand name: Loblite (made in England). {JM} |
| 12 | 5A BS 546, 2-way multi-plug, with two 5A BS 546 outlets, one 5A 2-pin (BS 373 Part 1) outlet and an outlet for a US-type flat blade plug. Manufacturer: unknown compay that had a logo with flag and characters T and K. {JM} |
| 13 - 15 | 15A
BS 546 multi-plug with various types of outlets. Right (image no. 13):
15A BS 546. Left (no. 14): 5A BS 546 with or without earth, 5A BS 372
Part 1 (2-pin) and US-type flat blade. Top (no.15): 15A BS 546 with
earth and 5A BS546 without earth. Manufacturer: company that used a logo with initials F.H. (details unknown). {MSt} |
| note |
Multi-plug nos. 9, 10/11 and 13/15 are made of Bakelite. None of the plugs is fused |
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| 16 | Bakelite
5A plug made by General Electric Company, according to British Standard
Gauge (B.S.G.), which is identical to BS 546. Power pins have colour
marks for line (red) and neutral (black). From 2006 wiring colours
according to international standard IEC 60446* have to be used in the
UK. The shown plug dates probably back to the
1950s**. {DF} * brown (line), blue (neutral) and green/yellow striped (earth). ** in the 1950s GEC mostly used a logo shown on image nos. 1 and 22. It has replaced the older magnet-type logo. However, it is very well possible that in the 1950s products still have been made using old Bakelite moulds. |
| 17 - 18 |
5A
BS 546 socket with a black painted brass plate and steatite body. The
name SIMPLEX, BAS192 and BRITISH MAKE are indicated on the body.
Simplex could be linked to the Simplex Electric Co Ltd of Birmingham.
They have made among others switch and fuse gear, but it is not clear
whether they also have made sockets (source). Dating: probably 1950s. {DF} |
| 19 | Flat
top pattern standard gauge* 3-pin plug with slotted earth pin for
G.E.C. horizontal pattern interlocking switch-socket outlet.
Description is given in a 1951 General Electric Company handbook. The
plug can be secured in an interlocking socket (not in the collection)
that has a bar that fit in the notch in the earth pin (green
arrow). {WN} * BS 546 plug rating: 5A-250V |
| 20 - 22 | BS
1778:1951 die-cast trailing socket rated at
15A-250V.
BS 1778:1951 describes three pin plugs, socket outlets and connectors
for theatre and stage use for circuits up to 250 Volt. It is likely
that the standard in particular refers to (in 1951) die-cast housings
and related safety issues. BS 564 15A plugs fit in this socket.Brand name:
Strand Electric. The trailing socket was used back in the 1970's to extend stage lighting circuits over the roof of the theatre in the Broadbent Building which was once part of Middlesex Polytechnic. Read more about the history of the building in the note below. {DF} |
| additional info |
Broadbent Building is a part of the
Electric Quarter, Ponders End,
Enfield Council, North London. College buildings in this area are no
longer used by Middlesex University. The Electric Quarter plans enable
the conversion of the Grade II Listed Broadbent Building into
affordable workspace, capturing the essence of Enfield's industrial
heritage, most notably that of Joseph Swan, who lived locally on
Ponders End High Street and pioneered the invention of the electric
light bulb, which informs the name of the Quarter. For more information
about Joseph Swan, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Swan |
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| 22 - 25 |
Niphan socket, model no. 662 that possibly
dates back to 1960s. A
range of
comparable connectors are still produced by LPA- Niphan Systems, UK. These robust connectors are designed for "hostile environments with fire, chemical, or similar risk". For example: building, underground, offshore and military equipment, Various models exist with 2 to 11 poles with or without earth. The shown two pole + earth model has no indication about rating, but the inner diameter of contacts (3.7 - 4.7 mm) suggests a modest amperage and/or voltage. |
| 26, 27 | Three-phase
socket made by Clang Ltd. in Cricklewood. Probably a licensed copy of
the 4-pin Walsall Gauge device, originally made by Walsall Conduits Ltd
in West Bromwich. Image 27, taken from a Buck and Hickman catalog*, shows a 15A Walsall B-gauge plug and socket. A similar, smaller 5A Walsall A-gauge version existed too. Two 5A versions were offered: 3-pin single phase and 4-pin three phase. Rating is not indicated on the Clang socket, but it will be a 5A three phase model. {DF} * Buck & Hickman Ltd, Tools and Supplies, Whitechapel Road, London; catalog page 925 (1953). {LN} Walsall A- and B-type sockets have been installed in many workshops, but its popularity is now surpassed by IEC 60309. |
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| 28 - 31 | 15A
BS 546 weathertight (IP66) metal clad socket and plug, made by Lewden
Electrical Industries. Image 31 shows that the rim of socket contacts
have a small part that is slightly curved inwards. It helps to press a
plug pin firmly to the contact tube. Socket and plug have labels with the notice: NOT FOR DOMESTIC USE Lewden is still producing similar zinc die-cast BS 546 15A-230V IP66 sockets and plugs. The model shown here has been produced in the 1950s - '70s. {DF} |
