• ParkinT (unregistered)

    I must say, this story is SHOCKING!!

    {someone had to say it}

  • (cs)

    Australian plugs look down in sadness at how this happened.

  • (cs) in reply to ParkinT
    ParkinT:
    I must say, this story is SHOCKING!!

    {someone had to say it}

    Yeah the guy who re-purposed that strip really SCREWED everyone.

  • Yanman (unregistered)

    His wife can PLUG me in any time!

  • (cs)
    The Article:
    From a safety perspective, the protruding metal clips establish a ground connection before the pins can even enter the socket.
    American-style three prong sockets make the ground connection first by use of one longer pin, and the two pronged variety aren't grounded so it doesn't matter.
  • Geoff (unregistered)

    You know I always see tech blogs saying how superior other nations plugs are to our NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s. Well fine possibly they are safer, but considering how many of them we use, and the density of them modern applications often require. I'd rather use ours then those bulky, expensive looking hunks of CRAP any day.

    Also unless you are aggressively stupid and or careless NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s are really not that dangerous.

  • Eskil (unregistered)

    Another advantage: Plugs can be mounted both ways, meaning the cord can point both up and down. Very practical.

    Take that, chunky British/US/Australian sockets :)

  • Bernd Müller (unregistered)

    The gui who does that deserves to get shot!

  • (cs)

    The problem with Schuko plugs is that if they have the classic NEMA long, flat horizontal shape, they're very easy to break if you accidentally hit them from above.

    Always use stubby, round Schuko plugs!

  • Martijn (unregistered)

    Try with a normal socket? This looks like a normal socket to me.

    Two different devices I ordered abroad have two different kinds of plugs with rectangular pins. I've got a convertor, but one of them keeps falling out. Not really a solid system.

  • (cs)

    These were some thin screws - the rack screws I encountered so far would have to be hammered in the socket, and even that wouldn't be easy.

  • olaf (unregistered)

    The german Schuko socket is the best in the world, almost all others look like total crap out of the 19th century!

  • (cs)

    Electrikcity is socking.

  • (cs) in reply to ender
    ender:
    These were some thin screws - the rack screws I encountered so far would have to be hammered in the socket, and even that wouldn't be easy.

    THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!

  • Mr X (unregistered)

    American plugs don't need to be as safe as European ones, they only have carry half the juice.

    British plugs are regarded as both the safest and the largest plugs around. This would be impossible in a british socket, because the live/neutral holes aren't exposed until the earth pin is inserted.

  • Thor (unregistered)

    Americans shoulnd't complain about these sockets until you have changed the American Standard toilets to be useful ;)

  • Jens (unregistered) in reply to Geoff
    Geoff:
    You know I always see tech blogs saying how superior other nations plugs are to our NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s. Well fine possibly they are safer, but considering how many of them we use, and the density of them modern applications often require. I'd rather use ours then those bulky, expensive looking hunks of CRAP any day.

    Also unless you are aggressively stupid and or careless NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s are really not that dangerous.

    Well, it is not a german system but an international standard. But the US tend to have nationalistic problems with international standards that are no former US standard, as with date formats, telephony, units... all those "US standards" are used in two to three other countries max. Like Liberia, Belize and Myanmar.

    So such a comment does not surprise me at all.

  • Sockatume (unregistered)

    I think it's a close run thing between Schuko and the hilariously overengineered UK mains plug. On one hand, the UK plug makes it nigh-impossible to unplug something by tugging on the cable, so people get conditioned to actually grip the plug and not the wire. On the other hand, the Schuko plug disappears into the wall, so well-designed USB adaptors, travel adaptors etc. sit flush with the surface.

  • (cs)

    Here, in France, our plug system is close to the German one. But we have one more thing they apaprently don't have: a child-proof system. Actually it's a kind of cover that prevents inserting a plug if both pins are not inserted at the same time. We have to use a hammer every time we plug something but he, try to put a screw in one of our "normal" plug!

  • Daverino (unregistered)

    TRWTF is not noticing the screws and burned up tape the FIRST time the power strip was checked.

  • (cs)

    Hey, Rest of the World: If you only used 120 VAC, you wouldn't have to worry so much about safety.

  • (cs)

    It's been said before, but it bears repeating:

    Engineer a better widget and nature will provide a bigger idiot.

  • Web dude (unregistered)

    UK 13A plugs are better, just saying.

  • Mr X (unregistered) in reply to frits

    Yes, but then it would we wouldn't be able to make a proper cup of tea. Have you tried a 120VAC kettle?

  • Zog (unregistered) in reply to frits

    120VAC....remember children it is AMPS that kill...remind me again how many fires are caused in US houses because of the amount of electrons travelling down a wire....?

    But seriously, if you think this is bad you haven't seen half the things that have been done with electric sockets - not that I've ever had to rewrite an Italian hotel socket to accept a plug that is standard in the rest of the EU....cough!

  • Chelloveck (unregistered) in reply to Geoff
    Geoff:
    Also unless you are aggressively stupid and or careless NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s are really not that dangerous.

    I'm told that the difference between the US 120V tickle and the European 220V ouch! makes the additional safety measures worthwhile.

  • Nagesh (unregistered)

    This is how powar distrubution typical go in Hyderabad:

    [image]
    Don't be a H8R.

    I undertake project in java, if you need help with homework, contact me.

  • (cs)

    The British system is indeed the safest - when it comes to electricity, at least. The British plugs have a natural tendency to lie on their backs with the pins up, and stepping on them is not pleasant, I can tell you from personal experience.

    By the way, this is coming from a Dutchman (the Dutch use Schuko) who moved to Malta (where they use the British system). Once you get over the huge size of the plugs, it's actually a very decent system.

    Now we just have to wait for IEC 60906-1 to be adopted Europe-wide. For one thing, it would entail changing the electrical wiring in all buildings in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus.

  • MrPotes (unregistered)

    As someone else said, this would never happen with a British plug, which have been proved in a totally balanced, unbiased review to be the most awesome plugs in the world: http://crave.cnet.co.uk/gadgets/plug-versus-plug-49303764/

  • Chelloveck (unregistered) in reply to Mr X
    Mr X:
    Yes, but then it would we wouldn't be able to make a proper cup of tea. Have you tried a 120VAC kettle?

    Once it gets to 212 F (100 C for you foreigners), pumping more energy into the kettle isn't going to do a lot of good. Unless of course proper tea requires the rapid reduction of liquid via evaporation.

    Besides, proper tea is chilled and has ice cubes floating in it. Everyone knows that.

  • geoffrey (unregistered)

    My favourite AC plug is the Australian AS/3112, a good solid plug that inserts nicely into an embracing socket. The United Kingdom BS/1363 is a close second.

    US plugs have always disappointed me for their lack of stability - even the newer 3 prong type, can't remember the name, are susceptible to needless wobble (3 prongs is a necessity, 2 prong plugs are simply unacceptable these days). Worst of all however are the French standard CEE plugs. Appalling.

  • (cs) in reply to Chelloveck
    Chelloveck:
    Besides, proper tea is chilled and has ice cubes floating in it. Everyone knows that.
    Supersaturation with sugar helps, too.
  • brodie (unregistered) in reply to Sockatume
    Sockatume:
    I think it's a close run thing between Schuko and the hilariously overengineered UK mains plug.

    Have you seen a South African plug??

  • Cesar (unregistered)

    To sum up ladies and gentleman: Today we saw another proof of the old saying: "If you develop an idiot proof system nature develops better idiots"

    BTW:

    Con for the German plugs:

    -Usually they stick so good in their sockets that tripping over a cable hurts you, your plug and your socket ;)

  • Mr X (unregistered) in reply to Chelloveck
    Chelloveck:
    Mr X:
    Yes, but then it would we wouldn't be able to make a proper cup of tea. Have you tried a 120VAC kettle?

    Once it gets to 212 F (100 C for you foreigners), pumping more energy into the kettle isn't going to do a lot of good. Unless of course proper tea requires the rapid reduction of liquid via evaporation.

    Besides, proper tea is chilled and has ice cubes floating in it. Everyone knows that.

    But at 120VAC, it takes forever to get there. And don't try to tell an Englishman how to make proper tea. Or beer. Or how to play cricket.

  • JP (unregistered)

    A fried of mine managed also accidentally something similar with a Schuko power outlet strip laying on the floor:

    He dropped RCA/Cinch cable with male plug exactly over it so that the male plug hit exactly the the hole. Of course it was the powered one (230V) of the two and attached to the RCA/Chinch cable was a Hi-fi that got a little bit grilled by that accident...

  • (cs) in reply to Geoff
    Geoff:
    (snip)

    Also unless you are aggressively stupid and or careless NEMA1-15 and NEMA5-15s are really not that dangerous.

    I would guess that about 95% of the National Electrical Code is there due to someone being aggressively stupid.

  • Bob (unregistered)

    I love the idea that USAians are "normal"! We're all doomed.

  • (cs)

    I found a Canadian penny on a power bar at j0rb once, sharing a distinctive black mark with the power bar beneath it. The penny had been partially melted and bent on one side. No telling how long it sat there unnoticed before I found it.

  • hartmut (unregistered)

    The real great thing about Schuko is the circle/square design ... you only need one kind of pattress for power outlets, light switches, network outlets, phone outlets, antenna outlets ... you can easily exchange devices later, reusing the same pattresses, etc. and can easily align outlet slots horizontally or vertically. You can even change the orientation of single outlets or switches from vertical to horizontal or vice versa within a minute if the need arises ... or you can even put in a full featured small PC if you have to ;) http://www.mahner.org/posts/computer-aus-der-dose/

  • Steve (unregistered)

    Shall be sticking with BS1363, not that I have much choice. 13 Amp at 230v. And a fuse in every appliance. Its the future ;)

  • Buddy (unregistered) in reply to olaf
    olaf:
    The german Schuko socket is the best in the world, almost all others look like total crap out of the 19th century!

    I like the BS 1363 used in UK and former and current territories. These plugs are monsters, you have have to smack them in with the palm of your hand. I remember laying on the floor kicking one in with my heel. Definitely no doubt that there will be positive contact. Great for Singapore where you can get creepy crawlies living in the holes.

  • (cs) in reply to Bob
    I love the idea that USAians are "normal"! We're all doomed.

    He called the plug "normal". And it was said in jest, mocking the very comment you just made.

  • tdittmar (unregistered) in reply to gobes
    gobes:
    Here, in France, our plug system is close to the German one. But we have one more thing they apaprently don't have: a child-proof system.

    There are child-proof systems here, too. They are like little plates you can insert into the outlet. They consist of two "layers". By default, the outlets are covered, the upper "layer" can be twisted by inserting the plug and rotating it 90° clockwise.

    [image]
  • (cs) in reply to frits
    frits:
    The Article:
    From a safety perspective, the protruding metal clips establish a ground connection before the pins can even enter the socket.
    American-style three prong sockets make the ground connection first by use of one longer pin, and the two pronged variety aren't grounded so it doesn't matter.
    Of course that's wrong. One of the two prongs is a grounded conductor, of course (the Neutral). I suggest some lecture of National Electrical Code. It's freely available -- in the U.S., laws must be freely available (as repeatedly upheld by courts IIRC), and the nice folks at bulk resource have collected the codes for us. You can get last 4 NEC editions or so from there.

    Compare that to Europe, where many directives (those have force of law) include by reference standards that can be had if you have mucho $10k to spend (I kid you not). That's one seriously fucked up thing about European laws, IMHO.

  • Iceman (unregistered)

    Actually most new european plug sockets have child-resistant shutters. In this case it would have prevented the screw from falling in.

  • Nederlander (unregistered) in reply to frits
    frits:
    Hey, Rest of the World: If you only used 120 VAC, you wouldn't have to worry so much about safety.

    Half the voltage means double the current to deliver the same amount of power. And we all know that current kills.

  • José (unregistered) in reply to Flygon
    Flygon:
    Australian plugs look down in sadness at how this happened.

    Haha, very clever

  • Hans (unregistered) in reply to olaf

    BS. While Schuko sets a very good standard, they are far from beeing the best in the world. The Swiss Ones have all the same features as Schuko, are in addition polarity-proof and much more compact. Clearly the Swiss win.

    And I say that as a german who is proud of Schuko.

  • (cs) in reply to Thor
    Thor:
    Americans shoulnd't complain about these sockets until you have changed the American Standard toilets to be useful ;)
    What the hell are you talking about? 1. American Standard is a brand, not a standard. 2. Plumbing isn't electricity. 3. American Standard toilets, like most when new water usage regs were put in place before the tech was ready, stunk in the 1990s. They can literally flush a bucket of marbles now. Really, that's one of their tests.

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