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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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Old 25th Oct 2015, 12:34 pm   #221
matthewhouse
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

MK made a 13A socket for conduit boxes but it was never switched, I have only ever seen them in one installation. There were many lights connected to 30A lighting circuits, the 13A sockets allowed each light to have its own fuse.

A photo (not mine) can be see here Mk only make 5A and 2A conduit box sockets now.

There would be very little room for a switch with a 13A plug. It would probably end up being a lever sticking out the side of the plate.

The position of the conduit lugs seems to vary by manufacturer, and sometimes by batch.
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Old 25th Oct 2015, 1:38 pm   #222
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

I posted a picture of the socket in post #100. The position of the lugs in your picture would allow it to be mounted with the earth pin at the top.
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Old 25th Oct 2015, 2:59 pm   #223
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

So you did! How on earth did I miss that?
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Old 25th Oct 2015, 3:50 pm   #224
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Quote:
Originally Posted by winston_1 View Post
They are plugs. Plug tops are the covers that are screwed on.
AFAIK Plug top is 'trade language' Wall sockets are 'plugs', so to avoid confusion, the appliance connector is known as a 'plug top'.

Or am I out of date...?

Martin
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Old 25th Oct 2015, 4:05 pm   #225
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

An old chestnut. Taken literally a "plug top" may be said to be the top of a plug, or cover.
Taken colloquially, we all know what is meant.
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Old 26th Oct 2015, 12:22 am   #226
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Quote:
Originally Posted by winston_1 View Post
And brown. Many organisations put their own logo on the back including the BBC. I had a brown one with BBC on once. I may still have it on a lead somewhere.
I did not know about brown. If you find it please post a picture.

Al
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Old 26th Oct 2015, 6:13 pm   #227
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Around1963/64 we wired in steel conduit a very large quality wooden building as an office/ computer block. Following the drawings provided, we installed a lot of 13 amp sockets outlets with the earth pin horizontal, plugs were coloured RED. The building was to house a new computer system. The non standard sockets with the horizontal pins outlets were for 240 DC or so we were told. The computer was to replace a Hollerith punch card system, and the DC system was commissioned the computer supplier.Ted
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Old 26th Oct 2015, 11:09 pm   #228
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

There is also a version of the '13A plug' with all 3 pins rotated 90 degrees from the normal positions -- earth horizontal and L+N vertical. The ones I have seen have a fuse in series with each power pin, and were used for centre-tapped 110V AC (55-0-55V) for power tools as an alternative to the BS4343 connector (or whatever it is called now).
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Old 26th Oct 2015, 11:25 pm   #229
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Smile Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Hi,
Yep! got one of those too! The plug is to BS5733 and marked 'Sainsbury's' and contains a gadget within the cover for suppressing spikes, I think (a VDR?).
Walsall & Britmac made a variety of different variations on a theme of the 13 amp plug and socket, including round earth pins and neutral and/or live pins at a 45 degree angle, etc.
Cheers, Pete.
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 1:40 am   #230
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

The power engineering lab Cardiff uni used Walsall gauge plugs and sockets of #118 for the public 240V DC mains that was still extant in Cardiff until about 1970. Formerly used by cranes etc.in the Cardiff docks, by 1969 its only remaining customers were the university and the Cardiff trolleybuses. I have seen the sockets on London Underground stations.
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 3:33 pm   #231
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

I must say that I have enjoyed reading this thread and thought I'd add a few photos of ones from my collection.
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 3:36 pm   #232
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

A couple more photos, including two white versions of BHS plug mentioned earlier
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 3:37 pm   #233
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Wow, some rarities there!
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 3:43 pm   #234
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

And finally, an unusual New Day plug with one nylon plastic screw to hold it all together. I have seen 5amp and 2amp versions of this one too - exactly the same design, but just scaled down appropriately.
I don't know much about this brand or if they made any other styles of plug, so would be interested if anyone else has any information.
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 5:13 pm   #235
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

That is seriously rare I should think. Cunning design too with that nylon unscrew also doing strain relief duty.

Suffers from early Duraplug syndrome though
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Old 27th Oct 2015, 5:19 pm   #236
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

On the left a Ñew day, centre WG with switch and neon, right a Walsall with neon and box. The switch on the WG doesn't have a very nice action
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Old 28th Oct 2015, 10:49 am   #237
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Smile Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Hi,
Re: post 120, you could mix'n'match the tops and bodies for an even wider range! My Dad had an extension lead with a red & black W&G or Volex plug on it.
I well remember those 'Rock' plugs in photo no.3. Liked them very much.
Here in France there is a range of extension 'multiprises' which are transparent, including the flex and plug.
Very early MK Safetyplugs had the traditional fibre cord grip with screws before the plastic 'press in' type which must make them even rarer.
Cheers, Pete.
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Old 29th Oct 2015, 9:22 pm   #238
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

I remember a MK 13A plug with a built-in switch - the plug body was a bit more-protruding than the usual 1960s MK 'square' bakelite 13A plug and the switch "toggle" emerged from the casing above the earth pin and actually used the extended earth pin as the pivot for the toggle.

The 3KW electric fire in the lounge of my parents' house had one of these fitted - it was easier to flick the toggle than physically pull the plug out to turn the fire off [the single-sockets in the house - GEC-branded - were all unswitched, as was universal in the 1950s].
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Old 29th Oct 2015, 9:27 pm   #239
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tractorfan View Post
Yep! got one of those too! The plug is to BS5733 and marked 'Sainsbury's' and contains a gadget within the cover for suppressing spikes, I think (a VDR?).
I wonder if this was a Sainsbury's-special intended for use on dedicated circuits powering cash-registers or early point-of-sale terminals or similar? The spike-limiter would sort-of hint at a 'computer' kind of application.

I really doubt they were ever sold to the public. Perhaps tagging them Sainsbury's prevented stupid, light-fingered employees 'liberating' them in the hope that they could use them at home?
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Old 29th Oct 2015, 9:53 pm   #240
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Default Re: 13A Plugs old and not so old

Didn't the MK switched plug mentioned in post 127 also have a little plastic pointer on the cover screw which could be fitted (as the screw was being tightened) into one of 3 positions in the plug body to indicate the fuse to be fitted. Of course you lost the indication once you removed the screw to change the fuse, but I guess it told you what to go and buy before you removed the cover. Just had to get it back in the right place afterwads.

On yet another 13A plug, somewhere I have one with a very large body containing a simmerstat (!). I think it dates from the 1960s, it's a real hot wire and bimetalic strip simmerstat. Used as a control for plate warmers, etc.
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