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General Vintage Technology Discussions For general discussions about vintage radio and other vintage electronics etc. |
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21st Feb 2019, 3:59 pm | #21 |
Octode
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Co. Durham, UK.
Posts: 1,118
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Which is, of course, the 'wrong way round'.
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21st Feb 2019, 4:07 pm | #22 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Not so far as Bulgin was concerned....Here's a link to the photo I was referring to....which might or might not be allowed, I've include it for ID purposes only:
https://www.ebid.net/ie/for-sale/bul...-165048858.htm Lawrence. |
21st Feb 2019, 5:06 pm | #23 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,311
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Of course if having live and neutral the left/right 'wrong way round' really troubles anyone's OCD then there's an easy way to fix that .
Cheers, GJ
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21st Feb 2019, 6:51 pm | #24 |
Hexode
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Weymouth, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 422
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
We used those Bulgin connectors on a 550 Volts DC supply where I used to work, they were good never gave us any trouble. Despite what health and safety say they should be fine on a 250 VAC supply
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21st Feb 2019, 7:30 pm | #25 | |
Nonode
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 2,117
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Re: Old bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Quote:
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21st Feb 2019, 8:30 pm | #26 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,311
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Quote:
Cheers, GJ
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21st Feb 2019, 8:57 pm | #27 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Cornwall, UK.
Posts: 13,454
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
For ID only, here's another one, with earth up top the Live pin is on the right and the Neutral pin is on the left when viewed from the pin side:
https://picclick.fr/Bulgin-3-Way-Cha...037860207.html Lawrence. |
22nd Feb 2019, 12:59 am | #28 |
Pentode
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Poole, Dorset, UK.
Posts: 130
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
TOTALLY unsafe.
In 1971, the company started exporting radio paging systems to the USA. We went to the trouble of getting 110V transformers and USA mains plugs. The US product guy said ' caint use that, not UL approved. "What's wrong with it? [the Bulgin large 3 pin] It's OK in the UK".. He unscrewed the Bulgin plug, took the wires out, put them back, did up the plug and plugged the mains lead into the 110V. When the flash and bang subsided, we said 'I see what you mean' and changed to a USA UL approved wired in mains lead. Comment was made- "Yah caint make things foolproof cause fools are so damned ingenious...all our stuff runs off 24VACDC then you only got to get 1 power unit approved once" So yes, Bulgin were unsafe, even by the standards of the time. Wouldn't have passed BS 415, either. John G8JMB |
19th Jul 2019, 8:40 am | #29 |
Triode
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 24
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
These Bulgin 3 pin plugs and sockets (and the 2 pin variant) regularly appear for sale on eBay at upwards of £40 plus per set (plug and socket), someone must be using them. Back in 1997/8 they were only £1.50 each (£3 per set) in the Maplin catalogue.
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19th Jul 2019, 1:58 pm | #30 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,311
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Quote:
Cheers, GJ
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19th Jul 2019, 9:38 pm | #31 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
Posts: 5,349
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
I suppose the main market for these is the UK, otherwise, given these prices, an enterprising far eastern manufacturer would manufacture clones. AFAIR Bulgin introduced these around 1936: extract from their 1936-7 catalogue attached, where they are described as being "A new irreversible connector...", and "absolutely shock-proof". The annular ridge that serves as a finger grip was also designed to provide a safety feature by ensuring that, where connection was made by plugging in via a suitably-sized hole in the back panel, the mains had to be disconnected before the panel could be removed.
Last edited by emeritus; 19th Jul 2019 at 9:47 pm. |
20th Jul 2019, 8:57 am | #32 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,311
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Quote:
Cheers, GJ
__________________
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20th Jul 2019, 1:50 pm | #33 |
Pentode
Join Date: Oct 2016
Location: Maldon, Essex, UK.
Posts: 184
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
The photograph shows a new Bulgin PX0631 miniature socket (£4.11 including postage) plugged into a 69 year old curve tracer with CRT. There was no confusion about which is live because L and N are moulded in adjacent to the terminals.
Three core 0.5mm2 H03VV-F (2183Y) light use flexible PVC cable is readily available and with an outside diameter of about 4.8mm fits perfectly. David |
20th Jul 2019, 2:04 pm | #34 |
Octode
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Bristol, UK.
Posts: 1,659
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
"..the composite cable grips (remember them ?"
Yes, I do - on the ones I had, what you humorously call "cable grips" just consisted of a composite washer, around which you were presumably expected to loop the three inner conductors - no clamp at all for the outer sheathing of the cable. Given the insertion/retraction force needed for the plugs, a strong accidental yank on the cable would have just stripped the entire mains cable out of the plug, with bare 230V ends flailing around all over the place. I don't know if mine were typical, or if I somehow got a dodgy/incomplete batch (or just didn't understand how to use them), but I was never at all happy with them. Mike |
20th Jul 2019, 2:18 pm | #35 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,276
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
the last generation of 'large' bulgin flex socket had a proper 13a-plug-style cord grip and a 2-screw lid, though i haven't seen those for sale recently either.
Most of the older brittle bakelite ones I saw (current ones are made with bendy plastic) had a few turns of insulation tape holding the back cover on
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20th Jul 2019, 4:19 pm | #36 | ||
Triode
Join Date: Jul 2019
Location: Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, UK.
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
Quote:
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20th Jul 2019, 7:41 pm | #37 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Oxfordshire, UK.
Posts: 4,311
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
They don't go for £50. But we don't have to suspect - if you check under 'Advanced Search - Sold listings' you'll find enough that have actually sold for £25 and upwards just for the trailing socket and £30 and upwards if they have a cable and 13A plug attached.
Cheers, GJ
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20th Jul 2019, 10:09 pm | #38 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Brentwood, Essex, UK.
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Re: Old Bulgin 3 pin mains socket/plugs
And to think that, before joining this forum, I gave a work colleague a NOS plug and socket for free. I think he was going to use it to replace the IEC socket that his vintage guitar amplifier had been fitted with, so it went to a good home: I had no use for it myself at the time. He did describe them as "unobtainium".
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