You may not like it but this is what the perfect mains plug looks like /j

    • NotJohnSmith@feddit.uk
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      17 hours ago

      I think while the British plug is good, there’s lots of great design globally.

      Arguably time to adopt all of them for a global standard that rocks

      • Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de
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        16 hours ago

        Well yes, but also no. I think the plug designs should be unified, but based on the network’s power and frequency. We all know that with truly unified plugs things would blow up constantly because people plug 115V devices in 230V outlets, or are pissy on social media due to 230V 50hz not being the same as 230V 60hz. “But the plug is the same!!” (angry electronic fizzling in the background)

        • piccolo@sh.itjust.works
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          14 hours ago

          I mean. That should be a given for different voltages. But for frequency… most things can be made to adapt to either or. Japan for example uses both depending on the region.

          • vzqq@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            12 hours ago

            Even voltages, most things these days are just SMPSs driving low voltage electronics. They DGAF about the voltage, they just adjust the duty cycle until the output is at 5V.

            • Natanox@discuss.tchncs.de
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              4 hours ago

              If you attach those huge transformers or motors with a common wall plug I’m certain you’d quickly face different problems, like a cozy fire for example.

  • ExtremeDullard@piefed.social
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    20 hours ago

    It is a very good design from an electrical and safety point of view.

    Sadly it’s also larger than a lot of appliances it provides power to in 2025.

  • Hildegarde@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    19 hours ago

    Also internally, there is extra slack on the lead connecting to the earth pin. So if you pull too hard on the cable, the live wire will break before the ground wire.

  • sweetgemberry@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    20 hours ago

    The live and neutral ports commonly lack the shutter and the fuse is not always present. A lot of devices not designed for UK sockets or for whatever other reason also feature a plastic earth prong which serves only to release the shutters to allow a connection. And if the earth is not present or is broken then the plug will sit loose in the socket. Another “feature” of these plugs is that they lay flat on a surface and hurt to step on.

    Otherwise they serve their purpose really well.

    • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
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      20 hours ago

      The Swiss standard, which is basically Europlug with a staggered earth pin, seems a step up from Schuko. You can fit three of them in the space of one Schuko socket.

      There’s a newer standard which is meant to be international, and which is like a slightly smaller version of the Swiss plug, but only Brazil has fully adopted it (IIRC, South Africa is in the process of moving to it)

      • Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de
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        19 hours ago

        Not sure about the step up thing.
        I see several tradeoffs being made to gain a size benefit, which is lost again the moment you realize you can’t have reversable angled plugs any more…

        • Damage@feddit.it
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          17 hours ago

          And that is why Italian plugs are the best of all, compact, robust, reversible and safe. 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹

  • AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space
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    20 hours ago

    It’s great in a world of electrical appliances which need to be earthed for safety, but the mandatory earth pin and extra-chunky dimensions take up much more space than required for unearthed devices (such as most modern electronics). There should be a Europlug-style 2-pin variant.

    • RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz
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      11 hours ago

      Schuko lacks the fuse but other safety features are there and it’s much simpler, a bit smaller and can be plugged in in two ways. I’d go with schuko for the win

      • Gladaed@feddit.org
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        9 hours ago

        The most important bit: SchuKo are recessed, hence they hold up the plug itself instead of having it dangle. Also this prevents funny business with the prongs.

  • 56!@slrpnk.net
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    18 hours ago

    Uhh… is this drax propaganda? Seems like this “meme” was made by the UK’s single largest carbon emitter…

    (more info (pdf))

  • rbn@sopuli.xyz
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    20 hours ago

    From all I read so far, the UK plugs are indeed superior to EU and most other plugs. Still I feel like I’d miss the option to plug things upside down.

    • purplemonkeymad@programming.dev
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      19 hours ago

      Live and neutral are typically not interchangeable. fuses should be on the live cables so that over current is stopped on the way in. Plugging in the wrong way means that a blown fuse might stop current, but the device could still be at live voltages and be dangerous.

      • fullsquare@awful.systems
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        18 hours ago

        that’s why you put fuses in central fuse box, not in the plug. appliances should be designed in such a way that it shouldn’t be a problem. nobody else does this because it’s not necessary if your installation is sanely built

        • witty_username@feddit.nl
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          18 hours ago

          This is the reason why uk home electrical wiring has fuses everywhere. It is a safety measure that mitigates other problems like poor design and bad installation practices

        • piccolo@sh.itjust.works
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          14 hours ago

          appliances should be designed in such a way

          Such as… putting a fuse in the appliance making repairs more difficult. A breaker box stops extreme overcurrents, but a measly 0.5 amps could still cause a fire.

        • dustycups@aussie.zone
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          17 hours ago

          A fuse/breaker at the fuse box needs the current capacity for all, or at least most devices on at the same time. The individual fuses can be rated much lower.

          • fullsquare@awful.systems
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            17 hours ago

            uk fuse in fuse box can’t be sized properly because old uk installations used ring circuits in order to save copper during ww2 shortages, everybody else has this problem sorted out by now (initially by using aluminum wiring, or waiting for more copper). modern wiring is arranged in star-type topology with a few outlets per leg, and it can be fused properly, but the far out parts of circuit don’t transmit power at all times which is why it was looked down upon during shortages

            example would be 16A circuit that has 5-10 16A outlets, has wires suitable to carry 16A and 16A fuse. it’s okay because you’re not expected to draw full power at all outlets at the same time, and most of the time much less than that. if you do and you know it in advance you’re expected to split it over more circuits, or make it bigger. uk ring circuit would have wires that carry only 8A in each direction, and fused 16A. it can fail in a way where one side disconnects, but the other side becomes overloaded. plug fuses are for protection of these shitty circuits from shortcircuit in appliance

            • dustycups@aussie.zone
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              1 hour ago

              Do UK ring circuits rely on a single breaker at the fusebox? I assumed that they would have a breaker for each leg of the ring (8A + 8A in your example).
              That sounds really dangerous as a cut ring would be fused at double the current capacity of the wire. Would the wire in your example be rated at 8A or 16A?
              I have little to no knowledge of the UK power setup but have heard that its meant to be pretty safe. What am I missing?

      • rtxn@lemmy.world
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        17 hours ago

        Polarized live/neutral is still insane to me. All it takes is one cheap electrician or overconfident DIY to introduce a potentially lethal false sense of security.

  • remotelove@lemmy.ca
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    20 hours ago

    • Carry electrical current

    They could have thought of a better sales point than that.

    As a side thought, while ground shouldn’t normally carry current, it’s probably the most important prong when it actually needs to.