Tiny adaptor

[hannahs radios]

My socket is mains connected it part of a board with lots of different sockets on unfortunately there is nothing written on it at all so no clue to its intended purpose

[Graham G3ZVT]

When I was a teenager I made a distribution board for my darkroom equipment using miniature Bulgin connectors.

I was pleased with it at the time, but in retrospect they were a poor choice as they required soldering on to the leads, and there was little strain relief and no clamp.

Four-way BS1363 bars just weren't on the radar.

[hannahs radios]

I found out today that the mystery socket on my board is in fact a 2 amp 2 pin socket. I never knew such a beast existed, but that's what it is so mystery solved yay!

[emeritus]

Although 2 pin mains sockets were not allowed for new installations after circa 1950, my local Woolworths was still selling 2 pin 2A plugs and surface mounting sockets, as well as 2 pin flex extenders to the same gauge, until the regs changed to prohibit single insulated flex in the early 1970's. As the pin diameter was 1/8" I used to use the sockets for speaker extensions as they could be used with ordinary wander plugs.

[vidjoman]

Originally Posted by emeritus

As the pin diameter was 1/8" I used to use the sockets for speaker extensions as they could be used with ordinary wander plugs.

My father in law's job was with the Air Ministry and a colleague of his, who was responsible for writing some British Standards manuals, used these 2 pin 2 amp sockets in his lounge to minimize visible wiring to his speakers. He also has some of the sockets with centrally switched mains on them which powered table lamps. Yes you know what's coming next. He plugged his speakers into the mains sockets, wondered why they didn't work and turned on the light switch to examine them and there was a rather large bang as the speaker cones flew across the room.

[Tractorfan]

Hi,
I ended up bringing a large box of round pin plugs & sockets to France when we moved here. I've started using the 2 amp ones for speakers, for which they are ideal (they could be wired for stereo too!)
Cheers, Pete.

[Brigham]

The adaptor with the turned-down pin will most likely have had a red sleeve over the thin part, which has been subsequently mislaid by some curious small boy who always takes things to bits.

[hannahs radios]

Tractor fan in your first photo there is a white adapter that looks like mine although I think it looks like yours is 5 amp rather than 2 also in the second photo the Brown adaptors look like one ive got in my workshop its 1x 15 amp and 2 x 5 amp outlets they are clang ones Rather than MK? Thanks for posting those pictures

[Restoration73]

Well into the 1980s there was always a heavy demand for 3 pin 2A plugs in October - we
only stocked the MK type. They were then in use in the local Polytechnic (now University)
halls of residence, I assume this device was used to prevent the use of kettles, fires etc.

[KeithsTV]

The hall of residence I lived in at university was built in the 1940s and each room had a 5A and 2A socket on different circuits. The standard adaptor used by most students was a board with a number of 13A sockets and a 5A plug. There was no ring main and the 5A sockets for three rooms were wired to a single fuse. In one incident when someone blew a fuse the occupant of another room on the same circuit just transferred his record player to the 2A circuit having been prepared with an alternative adaptor board with a 2A plug.

Keith

[ColinB]

Haha, my university halls were more modern in the mid 2000s, with lots of 13A sockets, but all of them controlled by one 10A MCB(!)

At least the oiks could reset them (self included) when they tripped, as they were on the trunking about 20 cm away

[Tractorfan]

Originally Posted by hannahs radios

Tractor fan in your first photo there is a white adapter that looks like mine although I think it looks like yours is 5 amp rather than 2 also in the second photo the Brown adaptors look like one ive got in my workshop its 1x 15 amp and 2 x 5 amp outlets they are clang ones Rather than MK? Thanks for posting those pictures

Hi,
The white adaptor is 2 amps, and there is another brown one just behind it. The brown one is also on the left of the second photo. They are 'Clang'. I have a couple of MK 2 amp adaptors too, somewhere in those photos.
Cheers, Pete.

[hannahs radios]

Maybe all these universitys thought that trying to sort out the electrics for their record players etc. taught students how to be resourceful. Thanks Tractorfan I can see that white adaptor is a 2 amp job, I can see how tiny it is now I've looked at the picture again.

Talking of plugs in uni rooms reminds me years ago I visited the accommodation block at a government research establishment each room had one 5 amp socket for the TV and radio and other small appliances but to boil a kettle they had to go in the corridor to use a 15 amp socket I seem to remember there was a limit of 2 kettles per floor at one time, must have been interesting in the morning when everyone wants tea!

[Herald1360]

I suspect the real reason for the 2A outlets in halls of residence was to prevent students from using too much "free" electricity. Rooms could be a bit chilly in the early hours and a fan heater or the like would have been the obvious solution.........

I made up the usual 2A plug to four 13A sockets adaptor for my son's noise system.

Back in the '70s, I was more fortunate- the hall I was in had proper 13A outlets and a kettle and toaster were standard fare on the coffee tables.