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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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9th Jul 2021, 2:28 pm | #1 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 232
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How rare are these plugs?
Hi all,
A few months ago, I received this MK 2 amp fused plug from Peter Sanders (can't remember his forum handle) and was wondering how rare it actually is. I've never seen a fused 2 amp one before, but have seen a 5 amp fused one. I also received a rubberised 5 amp one from Peter which is also made by mk, could this be rare and from the days before duraplug existed? Tom Last edited by Cobaltblue; 9th Jul 2021 at 2:37 pm. Reason: Edited title |
9th Jul 2021, 7:04 pm | #2 |
Guest
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
What a lovely item, spare fuse too. I have some modern 5 amp sockets for the living room lighting, nice and dinky. Great for side lighting. and controlled from a three gang switch on the wall, one for the ceiling light the other two do a few 5A sockets near the skirting.
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9th Jul 2021, 8:55 pm | #3 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: North Somerset, UK.
Posts: 2,130
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
That exact design may be old or rare, but broadly similar products were made until recently and may still be made.
The plugs are rated at 5 amps and the fuses are commonly 1 amp, 2 amps, 3 amps, and 5 amps. I fitted loads of these in about 1999, for fluorescent lights in a department store. |
9th Jul 2021, 9:03 pm | #4 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,005
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
How lovely!
Are the fuses the little ones as often fitted in the old clock-sockets? [BS646?] |
9th Jul 2021, 9:07 pm | #5 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 232
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
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9th Jul 2021, 11:14 pm | #6 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 135
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
I've got one of those cute little plugs I don't actually use it but I will find a job for it
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9th Jul 2021, 11:15 pm | #7 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 18,723
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Quote:
There were 15A 5A and 2A round-pin plugs and sockets. These are 2A plugs, and are significantly smaller than the 5A ones.
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9th Jul 2021, 11:46 pm | #8 | |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 498
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Quote:
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10th Jul 2021, 1:01 am | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,273
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
you can still buy unfused 2A round pin plugs, MK still make them in a more modern shape, cat.no. 502 WHI.
Their 5A and 15A versions are still square like yours. They're sometimes used as a more robust 12V connector for caravans and boats Cat. No. 641 WHI and 643 WHI respectively. If you mean are they rare due to fusing, I admit I've never heard of one, as those type of systems are designed for fused circuits.
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10th Jul 2021, 2:22 am | #10 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Warminster, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 682
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
I wouldn’t say they are rare. I think MK are the only company that made them. Most people wouldn’t pay the extra money to have the fuse so you will see mostly plugs without fuses.
I used to use them quite a lot In the old days for TV amplifiers in loft spaces. As they were 2A the socket was wired on the lighting circuit and the fuse protected the amplifier. My logic was if the amp developed a fault it wouldn’t put the lightning circuit off. Often protected by a rewirable fuse in the old days.i believe I still have a few in their original box somewhere. Although mine are white . Also the white ones didn’t come with a spare fuse ,just the space for one.Andy
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10th Jul 2021, 9:05 am | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
A search of eBay found a seller with three of these (in white) available (plus one sold) - not cheap though at over £20 a pop including postage. I quote this merely as an example that they are available.
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10th Jul 2021, 12:00 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Surbiton, SW London, UK.
Posts: 2,801
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Some equipment used a recessed chassis mount 2A socket for ancillary items.
we used to have a massive demand for the MK plugs every October. The reason was they were used in the local university halls of residence. |
10th Jul 2021, 12:26 pm | #13 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Warminster, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 682
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Interesting about the university’s . About 20 years ago . At a radio rally I bought loads of 4 way 13a socket strips. They had 2A fused plugs on the end . So-called from universities.
They were no money and I only wanted them for the 2Amp plugs. Andy
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10th Jul 2021, 2:55 pm | #14 |
Hexode
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: London, UK.
Posts: 498
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
No it didn't, nor was that its purpose. Fuses are to protect the cable. If an amplifier developed a fault that caused it to draw 2 amps it would be dissipating 480 watts at 240v and the fuse would not blow. I wouldn't want a 480watt heater screwed to my rafters! Luckily aerial amplifiers are internally protected.
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11th Jul 2021, 1:07 pm | #15 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 693
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Lucky you didn't go to our College. In the Halls of Residence there were two 2A sockets located next to each other in each room. Presumably for your bedside light and maybe a radio.
For the Engineering students who moved in with larger Hi-Fi set ups, a four-way 13A strip would often be made with two 2A plugs fitted to it in a scary Y-lead configuration. No local requirement to have your incoming devices looked at, let alone PAT tested in the early 90s. The more caring students would add a sign reminding the cleaners not to unplug either 2A plug. It's a bit off-topic, as it was any 2A plug you could get hold of, so not the fused ones. Regular 2, 5 and 15A plugs (of dubious brands) were on the shelves of our local discount store along with 'Grelco' branded unshuttered adapters. SR |
14th Jul 2021, 9:06 pm | #16 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Leominster, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 16,536
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Quote:
I always suspected it was a ploy to keep the amount of free leccy available to students strictly limited!
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14th Jul 2021, 10:29 pm | #17 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,345
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
In the STC Submarine Cables lab at Woolwich where I worked one summer as a student, the benches were wired only with multiple 3 pin 2A sockets. The test gear, regardless of wattage, all had the corresponding 3 pin 2A plugs. My Edwardian GEC catalogue says that its range of mains plugs (2 pin versions of the later 3 pin BS ones) would safely handle many times their nominal rating. When you consider that the round pins of the 2A plug are about the same size as the rectangular pins of the 10A-rated IEC "condition hot" kettle connector, this seems a reasonable assertion.
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14th Jul 2021, 11:49 pm | #18 |
Pentode
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 135
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
I remember going with my dad to see a friend of his who lived in the accommodation block at a large government research establishment. Each room had a 5 amp socket for a TV radio and lamp to make tea the kettle had to plugged into a 15 amp socket in the hallway. All this in a place which did electrical and electronic research
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15th Jul 2021, 9:13 am | #19 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: St. Frajou, l'Isle en Dodon, Haute Garonne, France.(Previously: Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, UK.)
Posts: 3,184
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Hi,
I Have some fused round pin plugs too. 1 2amp, 1 15amp, and a few 5amp ones of more recent manufacture. They were used a lot in the hospital I used to work at where 13 amp sockets were only in newer departments. I also have a couple of MK rubber clad 5amp plugs and newer PVC clad ones. The 'pin side' was still Bakelite. Cheers,
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15th Jul 2021, 9:27 am | #20 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: West Cumbria (CA13), UK
Posts: 6,130
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Re: How rare are these plugs?
Inspired by this thread, I recently acquired a (white) 5A version of the plug. Comparing with the original image, it appears that the bodies of the two plugs don't differ greatly in size. The width and height of the 5A one are each 1¾".
Incidentally, a spare fuse fits in the cavity top left of my picture, but I couldn't hold it in place while placing the plug on my scanner.
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