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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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31st Jan 2019, 11:07 am | #1 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
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Broken plastic earth pins
Hello all
Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to deal with broken plastic earth pins on power supplies? We have a few of these at home for powering LED lights and charging the vacuum. However we've had nearly every earth pin break. I can't afford to keep buying new power supplies every time this happens. So to keep using the power supply you need to enter bodge territory - shoving the pin into the socket or something similar. Of course if you want to use the socket for something else you have to somehow get the pin out of the wall socket. Martin
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31st Jan 2019, 11:22 am | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Why not leave the plug with broken shutter opening pin permanently plugged into a two-way adaptor thing? Tape them together if you like and just use the whole assembly as the plug.
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31st Jan 2019, 11:24 am | #3 |
Octode
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Surrey, UK.
Posts: 1,869
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Use MK wall sockets. These do not rely on the earth pin to open the shutters.
Leon. |
31st Jan 2019, 11:25 am | #4 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Royal Berkshire, UK.
Posts: 470
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
The only succesful repair I made was on a PSU which was held together by screws.
I removed the cover and the electronics, held the earth pin & lower body together, drilled a 2mm hole through the body into the centre of the earth pin. Once I was happy, I filled the hole in the earth pin with Araldite & assembled with a 2mm screw,which was about 15mm in length. Once the glue was dry, I re-assembled the rest of the PSU. 12 years later, it's still ok. Mark
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31st Jan 2019, 11:42 am | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,906
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Thanks chaps. I can't get the units open so can't do much of a repair so it looks like the adaptor route is the way to go.
The house is rented so I can't alter the sockets, but I thought all of them relied on the earth pin opening the shutters. You live and learn Why they make these things so poorly I don't understand.
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31st Jan 2019, 11:53 am | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 3,957
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Could it be a faulty socket that is causing all these breakages ? I have not had one plastic pin fail,, yet. Or could it be repeated plugging and unplugging ?
John. |
31st Jan 2019, 11:55 am | #7 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Surrey, UK.
Posts: 4,385
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Modern life.
The bean-counters know that an integrally-moulded earth pin saves a few farthings/unit over a separate brass earth pin, they also know that many people discard powered gizmos long before they actually fail for the next shiny thing so very few will complain. |
31st Jan 2019, 12:13 pm | #8 |
Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Oxford, UK
Posts: 27,784
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
I agree with John. I don't think I've ever had one of these plastic pins break, so it sounds as if either Martin has been extremely unlucky or there's something else going on.
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31st Jan 2019, 12:32 pm | #9 |
Heptode
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 719
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
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31st Jan 2019, 1:07 pm | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,482
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Electronics suppliers like Maplin, etc used to offer 'empty' screw together wall wart type enclosures with the original intention of their being something into which you could put your homebrew mains PSU project.
Those days are probably long gone, and in any case (!) if you take a PCB which was previously a snug fit inside its original enclosure and put it into a more roomy generic case it will tend to flap around a bit, potentially dangerously so. Sorry to say it, but probably the best approach is to replace it with a generic new PSU with the same output voltage, polarity, and connector. Unless the output voltage or connector are truly weird, you should be able to source replacements for little more than £5-£7. |
31st Jan 2019, 2:34 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,316
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
AFAIR, MK first used their shutter design that does not use the earth pin on their "Logic" range (the ones with square corners) that was introduced in the mid-1970's. They rely on both the L and N pins being inserted simultaneously. Later ones were modified with recesses in the sloping surfaces of the shutters to prevent the insertion of a 2 pin europlug. If you want something more robust than the current MK sockets ( which I think are still made in the UK) you might get some of the old ones at something like a car boot sale. I have seen the same type of shutter on other makes of socket: MK's patents for their design expired long ago so anyone can make them now.
Last edited by emeritus; 31st Jan 2019 at 2:40 pm. |
31st Jan 2019, 3:09 pm | #12 |
Rest in Peace
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Chard, South Somerset, UK.
Posts: 7,457
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Broken plastic earth pins: does this refer to the earth pin on a conventional U.K. 240 v. mains plug? If so, why not simply replace the plug?
I realise that that is tackling the effect rather than the cause, but your OP did not specifically refer to identifying the cause, more a question of dealing with the effect. OTOH, perhaps I've misunderstood something. Al. |
31st Jan 2019, 3:12 pm | #13 |
Octode
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Wrexham, North Wales, UK.
Posts: 1,457
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
A quick bit of input here, I have had this happen on a few power packs, usually ones containing a transformer.
A simple solution is to use an extension lead with the power supply taped into it, this has been done in the past. If the OP is plugging anything into MK sockets, that's great till the time comes to withdraw the plug/PSU, that's when plastic pins break off! Rick. A quick edit for Al, the OP is referring to PSU/ wall warts, not plugs. Last edited by Glowing Bits!; 31st Jan 2019 at 3:17 pm. Reason: Info for Al. |
31st Jan 2019, 3:14 pm | #14 |
Octode
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 1,906
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
@skywave It is the earth pin on the all in one plug/transformer. As refered to on here as a wall wart.
They have broken in two socket locations now. The latest one on the supply to the Hoover which has an internal battery. The ones we have do seem to be low quality and would probably snap if you accidentally stood on them once (which we've not done). We don't go looking for cheap goods and the Hoover (an actual Hoover) wasn't cheap.
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31st Jan 2019, 7:39 pm | #15 |
Dekatron
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
I've opened wall warts before using a vice. Squeeze the sides (carefully) above the seam until the joint cracks. A bit of a bodge of course, but if you've nothing to lose?
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31st Jan 2019, 8:05 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
I've had the plastic earth pin break off a plug moulded to a re-chargeable torch that I keep plugged in [on stand-by] for any blackouts or other domestic emergencies. The plastic safely blanks, originally sold to shutter sockets that small children might access, are ideal as a solution. I cut the earth pin, off leaving a plastic rim at the top and push that in. The "two pin" mains plug can now be inserted and withdrawn at will! The new plastic earth pin serves exactly the same purpose as the electrically redundant one that was on the plug [ie to open the socket
Dave W |
31st Jan 2019, 8:14 pm | #17 |
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
A proper use for those horrible "socket covers" at last. http://www.fatallyflawed.org.uk/
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31st Jan 2019, 8:29 pm | #18 |
Rest in Peace
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Location: Chard, South Somerset, UK.
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
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31st Jan 2019, 8:30 pm | #19 |
Heptode
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 826
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
As Bill, AC/HL says, they will often open in a vice.
The earth pins from those awful "Deathdaptors" that often come from China with equipment will usually unscrew and do the job. |
31st Jan 2019, 8:37 pm | #20 |
Dekatron
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Location: Ramsbottom (Nr Bury) Lancs or Bexhill (Nr Hastings) Sussex.
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Re: Broken plastic earth pins
Thanks Merlin. I had no idea that these daft socket covers attracted official condemnation but such was the criticism in that post, I feel like a re-cycling innovator now You can sell anything to anxious parents I suppose. Sharing concern/feelings of inadequacy with other millennials, male and female via books, articles or web-sites is a big money spinner now!
Dave W PS Addendum to post 16. The "plug" I mentioned IS built into a wall wart charger but it's the same solution re the earth pin! On the other hand, the three pin plastic mouldings that come mounted ON the plug of a new appliance to prevent scratching or damage are definitely a good idea! Last edited by dave walsh; 31st Jan 2019 at 8:50 pm. |