Federal unpolarized electrical adapter with ground lead
date: label: date made
content: ca 1960
name: label: maker
content: Federal Telephone and Radio Co.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Federal unpolarized electrical adapter with ground lead and spade terminal, ca. 1960. An adapter to connect a 3-prong plug into a two-prong outlet. Molded on front: "F / 15A. 125V.", printed on ground lead: "A.W.M. - 105oC - T.F.W. - C.S.A. - Easte". Stamped on prongs: "UL". Bakelite housing with cardboard cover on male side. 3.5" lead.
label: Description (Brief)
content: - Electrical adapters for lamps and appliances came into use in the 1880s during the early adoption of electricity for home and commercial use. Aside from their physical attributes, adapters embody a large body of literature relating to the development and adoption of electrical standards, so we document these ubiquitous yet important devices in Electricity. This particular unit shows two features of interest. First, the unit has a short grounding wire, called a “pig-tail” that connects to the center screw on an outlet plate. This design was later changed in order to allow for a more secure means of connection. Second, the unit is unpolarized, both the prongs and slots are of the same width, allowing a similar cord to be inserted without regard to the electrical circuit. Electrical circuits are designed and wired such that one wire is “hot” (carrying the current in from the source) while the other wire is “neutral” (carrying the current away to ground). Which plug of a cord connected to which circuit wire was of little matter when most appliances could operate without regard to current flow. But as more devices required a specific electrical flow the need for “polarization” became more important. During the latter 20th century production and sale of unpolarized devices ceased in favor of polarized devices in which one prong is wider than the other, forcing users to plug the device in the correct way. This unit dates from just prior to the phase out of unpolarized adapters.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Electricity
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2021.0040.12
label: catalog number
content: 2021.0040.12
label: accession number
content: 2021.0040
objectType: label: Object Name
content: electrical adapter
physicalDescription: label: Measurements
content: overall: 1 1/2 in x 1 1/4 in; 3.81 cm x 3.175 cm