15 amp Round pin plugs

[Bod]

As per the title, when did these go out of normal use?
I have a metal bodied drill with rubber covered flex, fitted with a 15a round pin plug, and was wondering when it may have been last used.
No I do not intend to try plugging it in!!

Bod

 

[n0legs]

Still made and used.
Theatres and studios, if I recall correctly.

 

[RogerS]

As per the title, when did these go out of normal use?
I have a metal bodied drill with rubber covered flex, fitted with a 15a round pin plug, and was wondering when it may have been last used.
No I do not intend to try plugging it in!!

Bod

It depends what you mean by 'normal' use as they are still in use today. For example, theatre lighting rigs.

 

[jpt]

1947 they were introduced but it took decades to change them all and even now I know of one house that still uses the old round pin plugs.

john

 

[bugbear]

Still made and used.
Theatres and studios, if I recall correctly.

The conductors and contacts are nice and big - 13 Amp fittings look like toys
by comparison, despite being rated only 2 amps lower.

BugBear

 

[MIGNAL]

I've been meaning to change the cloth covered wire and the ceramic switches in the cellar for near on 35 years! Still working of course.
I'll do it next week, promise.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Still in widespread use, on the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere in the former Empire. AIUI, we only introduced the ring main system to save on copper (in short supply) after the war. The ring main mandates a fuse in the plug top, as the ring is rated at 30A (way too much). The fuse protects the flex to the appliance.

In a 15A system you are supposed to fuse correctly at the distribution board. 15A fuses are much better connectors, as there is a far greater contact area and no fuse, so they don't heat up in use. Lots of house fires have started with overheating 13A plugs or overheating fuses in 3-way adapters, etc.

And as mentioned, 15A are still common in theatrical installations, as there can be any number of extensions to get to a particular light on a particular barrel, and having only one fuse means you're not left wondering which one blew.

 

[Racers]

I have a couple of 16A Commandos supplying my HiFi mains blocks, all wired with 2.5mm stranded cable.

Pete

 

[bugbear]

I have a couple of 16A Commandos supplying my HiFi mains blocks, all wired with 2.5mm stranded cable.

Pete

But is it all on a separate spur... ?

BugBear

 

[pcb1962]

Still in widespread use, on the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere in the former Empire. AIUI, we only introduced the ring main system to save on copper (in short supply) after the war. The ring main mandates a fuse in the plug top, as the ring is rated at 30A (way too much). The fuse protects the flex to the appliance.

In a 15A system you are supposed to fuse correctly at the distribution board. 15A fuses are much better connectors, as there is a far greater contact area and no fuse, so they don't heat up in use. Lots of house fires have started with overheating 13A plugs or overheating fuses in 3-way adapters, etc.

And as mentioned, 15A are still common in theatrical installations, as there can be any number of extensions to get to a particular light on a particular barrel, and having only one fuse means you're not left wondering which one blew.

These days they come in both fused and the traditional unfused varieties http://www.rapidonline.com/cables-connectors/mk-643whi-round-pin-mains-plug-15a-fused-white-23-0332

 

[Eric The Viking]

Still in widespread use, on the Indian subcontinent and elsewhere in the former Empire. AIUI, we only introduced the ring main system to save on copper (in short supply) after the war. The ring main mandates a fuse in the plug top, as the ring is rated at 30A (way too much). The fuse protects the flex to the appliance.

In a 15A system you are supposed to fuse correctly at the distribution board. 15A plugs are much better connectors, as there is a far greater contact area and no fuse, so they don't heat up in use. Lots of house fires have started with overheating 13A plugs or overheating fuses in 3-way adapters, etc.

And as mentioned, 15A are still common in theatrical installations, as there can be any number of extensions to get to a particular light on a particular barrel, and having only one fuse means you're not left wondering which one blew.

These days they come in both fused and the traditional unfused varieties http://www.rapidonline.com/cables-connectors/mk-643whi-round-pin-mains-plug-15a-fused-white-23-0332

Interesting. There have been many horrible variants down the years There was a round-pin 13A version that had a fuse that was one of the pins - it screwed into the plug top, and easily became loose, leaving the end of the fuse stuck in the live hole of the socket*.

There were a number of other candidates for the 13A ring main application too. My all-time favourite is Walsall "B" Gauge. In the BBC it was used to stop cleaners using certain power circuits for Hoovers, similarly in hospitals and even the London Underground.


*My first full-time employer had a few of these - I've seen the loose-fuse-in-the-socket thing for real.

 

[graduate_owner]

Wow - £13 plus VAT for a plug!! Even the 3 phase ones are cheaper then that.

K

 

[Racers]

I have a couple of 16A Commandos supplying my HiFi mains blocks, all wired with 2.5mm stranded cable.

Pete

But is it all on a separate spur... ?

BugBear

Well two spurs, one for the Power amps, one for pre amp, CD, tuner, phono pre amp.

:wink:

Pete

 

[bugbear]

Well two spurs, one for the Power amps, one for pre amp, CD, tuner, phono pre amp.

:wink:

Pete

Please tell me you don't have a concrete elliptical horn built into the end of your house, and into a basement...

BugBear

 

[Eric The Viking]

Well two spurs, one for the Power amps, one for pre amp, CD, tuner, phono pre amp.

:wink:

Pete

Please tell me you don't have a concrete elliptical horn built into the end of your house, and into a basement...

BugBear

Traditionally you need two fireplaces for that

E. (who draws the line at having two Quad 303s - one-per-channel)

 

[Racers]

Well two spurs, one for the Power amps, one for pre amp, CD, tuner, phono pre amp.

:wink:

Pete

Please tell me you don't have a concrete elliptical horn built into the end of your house, and into a basement...

BugBear

Traditionally you need two fireplaces for that

E. (who draws the line at having two Quad 303s - one-per-channel)

No, Shahinain Arcs http://shahinianacoustics.com/Arc.htm.

Pete

 

[n0legs]

There was a guy once from Whitebrook (nice bit of the world) a proper audiophile, who paid to have his service cable changed right back to the HV pole with one of his choosing. He claimed our standard cable caused to much "noise" in his system :shock:

 

[Eric The Viking]

Do you think he kept his chisels under pyramids too?

Shame about that awful rubbish cable used in most studios down the years...

(you made me smile!)

E.