UK power plugs come with plastic covers... why? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:08:47 am
content: Something that's been bugging me...Here in the UK, whenever you buy an electrical appliance, it comes fitted with a standard 3 pin mains plug.For some reason, though, the pins of that plug are always fitted with a little plastic cover, which has to be removed before the plug can be used.This little cover has to rank as one of the most - if not actually the most - useless items ever made. It goes straight in the bin every time a new device is unpacked, and as far as I can see, serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever.So, why do they exist at all?They must surely derive from some obscure technical standard, which requires something that sounded like a good idea once. Or perhaps they're a consequence of a legal case, where someone once did something stupid, managed to hurt themselves, and the industry decided that this was the cheapest way to avoid future lawsuits from other idiots.I feel that, professionally, I ought to know this. It's likely that one day I'll make and sell a product that's mains powered, and I'll need to source a supply of mains plugs or cables. Should I specify the plastic cover, knowing full well it'll end up straight in the bin the moment the product is unpacked? And what do I risk if I say 'no', I'm not prepared to send more crap to landfill for nothing?

author: VK5RC
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:20:28 am
content: Mostly happens here in Australia as well , NFI !

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:23:42 am
content: Get them on NZ/AU plugs too commonly enough.I would guess at a couple reasonsPrevent any capacitors which might be charged from giving the customer a zap.Prevent pins from oxidising/getting covered in something.Prevent static discharge to the pins.Prevent pins causing damage to other things during shipping.

author: fourtytwo42
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:26:34 am
content: Its to stop poor little EU citizens human rights being damaged by possibly scratching themselves on sharp edges! or maybe to prevent said sharp edges scratching items surface when unpacking ?

author: martinator
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:34:58 am
content: I use them as a mould to make little ice lollies for my Action man. He loves them.

author: jpanhalt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:44:42 am
content: It is a way to force users to read the instructions before use.In the US, those covered plugs won't actually fit an outlet. People perplexed by that then read the instructions. For the same reason, it is important to save and replace them if the item is ever unplugged.Actually, it seems they are to protect the prongs on the plug from being bent during manufacture and handling. Or to protect the device from scratching by a rattling cord during shipping.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:54:32 am
content: I've read that the primarily function is to prevent the plugs from scratching the finished surfaces of the product during packing and shipment.I don't see them on US plugs very often...but then US plugs don't have large prongs sticking out at right angles to the cord.

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 10:05:15 am
content: I keep and re-use them to"Prevent pins from oxidising/getting covered in something."They work great and... FREE !

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 10:12:11 am
content: Quote from: fourtytwo42 on June 18, 2017, 09:26:34 amI don't think this is due to any EU regulations. I have never seen protective caps on mains plugs in any other EU country -- this must be a UK thing?(Come to think of it, I have never seen fuses inside mains plugs in any other country either...)

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 11:29:41 am
content: it's to stop the equipment getting scratched in the packaging,it's not needed if you have smooth round pins on the plug - but u.k. plugs are rectangular pins.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 12:00:03 pm
content: German plugs don't have a cover, so its probably for the sharp edgesReminds me of this sign:

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 01:04:49 pm
content: And in the US too ...

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 01:05:44 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on June 18, 2017, 01:04:49 pmEven the shipping covers on your plugs are cheap and nasty!

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 01:24:03 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on June 18, 2017, 09:44:42 amNot always.Even a simple examination is too much for some.I once sold a bookshelf stereo system to an older lady - who rang up the store a couple of hours later to say that the plug wouldn't fit her power point. Without any other information, it took me a second or two to figure it out and instruct her to remove the cover.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 01:41:14 pm
content: So, really just packaging material? No "it's a requirement of EN-66666:97 section 3.17.8.2 paragraph k"?I don't know if I'm more relieved or disappointed.Relieved, that there's no nonsensical legal requirement to protect the bottom 0.001% of the public from being able to hurt themselves in some particularly obscure and idiotic way.Disappointed that so much plastic ends up being thrown away where it'll sit forever in landfill (or oceans, or wherever), when a little bit of folded cardboard would have achieved the same effect.

author: Hensingler
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 01:47:02 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on June 18, 2017, 09:08:47 amTo prevent the sharp edges of the pins damaging whatever else is packed with the lead. I keep covers on the plugs of mains leads in my laptop and portable scope carry bags.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 02:02:40 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on June 18, 2017, 01:41:14 pmQuite a lot of white goods will indeed use a piece of the cardboard (or styronightmare) packaging instead.

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 02:05:17 pm
content: So that when the delivery driver kicks the box the plug doesn't damage the driver's shoes.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 02:39:12 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on June 18, 2017, 01:41:14 pmWell it would make itmarginallyless painful to stand on in bare feet.

author: kalel
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 03:22:41 pm
content: It's metal, so perhaps additional protection against corrosion and such is not a bad thing.If there's anything that clicks or breaks when you take it off the first time, it might be a way to see if the item was used or not, but I assume you can just take them off and return with no difference in appearance, so probably not (haven't seen them though).

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 03:36:25 pm
content: QuoteNope, nothing. A good idea though.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 03:45:49 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on June 18, 2017, 01:04:49 pmI think the US version is meant to protect those flimsy plugs from breaking during shipment.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 04:33:36 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on June 18, 2017, 03:45:49 pmOh our design ismuchbetter, providing for precise fitment to the human hand, and the ability to yank out from the outlet by a quick pull on the cord.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 04:48:19 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on June 18, 2017, 04:33:36 pmSarcasm aside, the one thing I really like about UK outlets is that nearly all of them have switches at the outlet. That's a rare thing in the US.

author: P90
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 09:26:12 pm
content: Quote from: Monkeh on June 18, 2017, 01:05:44 pmno shit! you should see how shitty and flimsy the rest if the electrical system is... crappy flimsy outlet mounting ears, shitty circuit breakers that are barely clicked in place, etc...

author: Electro Detective
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 10:38:40 pm
content: Quote from: RGB255_0_0 on June 18, 2017, 02:05:17 pmYou have these beepers in the UK too?Who gets sued if the driver's shoes get damaged?The customer, postal service, importer, manufacturer ?Or that just happens in the US ?

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 10:45:32 pm
content: Quote from: Nusa on June 18, 2017, 04:48:19 pmI can honestly say I have never seen - nor have I ever heard of - a general purpose mains outlet in Australia thatdoesn'thave a switch with it.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 10:49:35 pm
content: Quote from: P90 on June 18, 2017, 09:26:12 pmYea but I've never witnessed a live house fire for any reason in my whole life. I know there are electrical fires (natural gas too) but they can't bethatwidespread. There was a house in the hood here that caught fire (I didn't see the flames) but it was due to a meth lab LOL.

author: P90
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 11:29:16 pm
content: Quote from: xrunner on June 18, 2017, 10:49:35 pmI've seen receptacles burned, but it envolved crappy aluminum wire. that's a whole different can of worms. Loose outlets are way too common, and they builders keep using the cheapest devices they can get!

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2017, 11:53:15 pm
content: Quote from: jpanhalt on June 18, 2017, 09:44:42 amHave you seen a UK 13A plug? These aren't your pantywaister NEMA 5 plugs. I could hammer on a 13A plug with a 4lb lump hammer and, sure, all the plastic bits would be a mess, but the pins would still be fine. Just sitting there smiling at me saying, "You'll need a 14lb sledgie if you want to even make a dent in me". To give you an idea, the exposed part of the earth pin is 5/16"x5/32"x7/8" of solid brass. A little bit of HDPE is not going to make the slightest bit of difference to the mechanical robustness of that. The fundamental mechanical design is so overbuilt and under-engineered that even the shittiest, cheapest import from you-know-where is still neigh on indestructible.In the case of the UK plugs the covers actually make more sense as protection from the plug for everything else.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 12:01:04 am
content: Quote from: Cerebus on June 18, 2017, 11:53:15 pmI have a couple.Compared to the standard Australian plug, they look and feel almost industrial! They are a great example of overdesign, IMHO, but since they have been adopted, they are pretty impressive - unless you needed a low profile plug for some specific situation (... or do they have a version for that?)

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 12:26:15 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on June 19, 2017, 12:01:04 amNo. So if you've got a slim bag it's easy to get a modern laptop and its power supply in, but the prongs of the mains plug are trying to puncture their way through the sides of the bag. I've seen one attempt at folding prongs but it wasn't very successful.And as someone else noted, everybody's done it sometime, they hurt like buggery if you stand on an upturned one in bare feet - makes standing on Lego feel like light relief. At the time it hurts slightly less than an errant upturned 14 pin DIL package, but the pain lasts longer and the bruising is worse.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 12:58:29 am
content: Quote from: Cerebus on June 19, 2017, 12:26:15 amI have briefly used two versions of a UK plug that fold up for slim storage with things like notebooks. Both worked fine, and they seemed reasonably robust. However, they were priced too high to achieve volume sales.Samsung make UK plug format USB power supplies, for some of their phones, where the earth pin pushes down for storage. Those make a pretty slim gadget for travel purposes.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 01:08:29 am
content: Sorry if I wasn't clear....Collapsible pins is not what I meant. By "Low profile" I mean a plug which has minimal protrusion from the wall when plugged in, which allows anything in front to be placed closer to the wall.One situation I have is a filing cabinet which is in front of a power point I need to use. If I don't have the filing cabinet as close to the wall as possible, the gap can be big enough formorethings to fall down the back.

author: Cerebus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 01:35:49 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on June 19, 2017, 01:08:29 amYou can get someslightlylower profile, but how far this can go is limited by the necessity of leaving room for the fuse and fuse holder.Quote from: Brumby on June 19, 2017, 01:08:29 amI've got quite adept at trimming bits of wooden batten to just the right size to block off gaps like that.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 01:47:22 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on June 19, 2017, 01:08:29 amThe plugs in many parts of the world have the cable coming out of the back, so they stick out a long way. The UK plugs always have the cable coming out of the bottom, so they never protrude very far. You appear to be Australian. A UK plug doesn't protrude much farther than an Australian plug with a side entry cable arrangement, and massively less than an Australian plug with rear cable entry.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 02:29:34 am
content: Yes, the side entry plugs are the contenders for this challenge.But even then, there are a range of protrusion heights. I have a couple that are close to 25mm and a few in the 15-20mm range.One I have is on a power board and it is under 15mm. I'd measure the actual height, but it's somewhat inaccessible.Brilliant plug. I wish I had more of them.Edit: Only problem is, it's a moulded plug. I wouldn't expect a DIY unit at that thickness, but a plug with 2m of cable attached is plenty useful.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2017, 02:50:23 am
content: Quote from: coppice on June 19, 2017, 12:58:29 amActually, they do that purely to reduce the size of the shipping box. A few others do similar, one case in particular I can think of they do it so the box will go through a typical slot in a door. They also use spring loaded folding feet on that for the same reason.