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Other Vintage Household Electrical or Electromechanical Items For discussions about other vintage (over 25 years old) electrical and electromechanical household items. See the sticky thread for details. |
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20th Feb 2021, 4:55 pm | #1 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Waterford, Republic of Ireland
Posts: 259
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GEC BC lampholder adapter
Just saw this on the shelf in our local hardware store. It’s an old world sort of place, it was priced in pence which have been gone since the Euro came to Ireland 20 years ago! It’s a lot older than that though I’d say. It’s got adjustable spacing. It says G.E.C. made in England. Age anyone?
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20th Feb 2021, 5:34 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
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Re: GEC BC lampholder adapter
I trust it is no longer on the shelf in the hardware store, but now safely in your possession at a suitable exchange rate. It certainly is a great deal older than twenty years, dating back to the use of round pin plugs and sockets. These were being phased out in the UK by the 1950s, though I don't know the timeline in the Republic of Ireland.
I also have one among my bakelite bits. The adjustable pins are so that it could be plugged into either a two-pin socket or a three-pin one (which had wider spacing). Presumably for use in the latter, it either needs to be one without shutters operated by the earth pin or some jiggery-pokery is needed such as inserting a screwdriver into said earth pin-hole.
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Mending is better than Ending (cf Brave New World by Aldous Huxley) |
20th Feb 2021, 6:53 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,346
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Re: GEC BC lampholder adapter
At the time it was made there would have been few sockets with shutters.
I still have a couple of 2 pin to BC adaptors although not by GEC. One has adjustable pins, the other was originally identical except for a plastic plate which prevented the pins from being moved from the 2 pin position. I remember removing it so it could be used directly in our unshuttered 3 pin 5A sockets (we didn't have any 2 pin sockets), otherwise it could only have been used via one of our 2 way adaptors, where one of its two sockets had both 3 pin and 2 pin 5A sockets. |
20th Feb 2021, 7:33 pm | #4 |
Octode
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Willand, Devon, UK.
Posts: 1,023
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Re: GEC BC lampholder adapter
I also have one of these, I assume its main purpose is to allow appliances with a BC plug fitted to be connected to a wall socket rather than plugging in a bulb. The design is a bit odd.
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20th Feb 2021, 9:08 pm | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,786
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Re: GEC BC lampholder adapter
Hi, I have a couple of these in my collection. I seem to recall that they may have originally been supplied with some electric Singer sewing machines.
Andrew |
20th Feb 2021, 9:54 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,346
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Re: GEC BC lampholder adapter
It's probably an inter-war design. My 1911 GEC catalogue lists 2 pin to BC adaptors, but the pin spacing is fixed and the adaptors also have a pair of 2 pin sockets at their sides to allow connection of two 2-pin plugs and one BC adaptor (or lamp) to a 2 pin socket.
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