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Old 5th Aug 2021, 3:19 pm   #51
duncanlowe
Nonode
 
Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Stafford, Staffs. UK.
Posts: 2,529
Default Re: Mains plug restoration

Quote:
Originally Posted by G6Tanuki View Post
Thinking of shutters, I recall a particular style of mains-outlet a couple of decades back where the shuttering on the L and N sockets was by way of a sort-of nylon butterfly-device that pivoted on a spindle centred between the 2 sockets; there were small ramps moulded on the parts of the butterfly visible through the socket-holes and arranged that when you put a plug in the butterfly rotated on its spindle to allow the pins further inward access.

There was no involvement of the earth-pin in the shutter-opening.

Anyone else recall these sockets? I thought it was a rather cunning design, and would have made it a lot easier to develop an 'updated' lightweight version of the 13A plug with only two pins for use with the current profusion of double-insulated low-power devices where the need for an earth-pin to open the shutters just adds bulk and cost.
Yes, weren't they MK sockets? You could tell when you had one because the shutters were not flat, but kind of wedge shaped, and L/N were different so it would do as you describe.
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