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Old 18th Jan 2012, 3:25 pm   #55
Brigham
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Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Co. Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,111
Default Re: Another unusual plug and some other questions

Quote:
Originally Posted by emeritus View Post
Some extracts from the 1893 GEC catalogue. The references to the capacity of the 2 pin sockets as "lights" must surely be a typo for "amps" as is used to describe the ratings of the coax sockets: amps => lamps => lights?

The exposed live centre pin is an "interesting" feature of the coax socket: at that time 110V was the greatest voltage used, and it seems that private installations often used around 50V, so this might not have been a problem.
Great to see actual advertising material from this period. The concentric type probably died out due to cost. One system of domestic wiring was concentric, and the fittings were probably initially developed to match this. With the cover in place, the centre pin is no more exposed than in an everyday lampholder.

The switched socket seemingly involves rotating the plug after insertion. Simple but effective.

I wouldn't be too sure about 'lights' being a typo. for 'amperes'. The '90s was the decade of the new incandescent light, and the race between the gas and the electric was in full swing; leading to the use of shared technical jargon between the two. (eg. 'Hollow Wire'). 'Lights' is the measure of capacity in the incandescent gas system, based on a given jet/mantle combination, and quite possibly may have carried over into the electric.

The two wooden lampholder plugs clearly show how they quickly became known at 'tops'.
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