Talk:BS 546
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[edit] Photo - group shot
Here is a group shot of some BS 546 plugs, an inline 5A 2 pin socket and a couple of adaptors. I have more of these plugs & sockets than are shown here including some wall sockets. If anyone can think of some good photos to take for this article (angles, group shots, insides, etc.) then I can do so. Ziltro 16:23, 3 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] BS 546
this is a very good article. A few points to add for completeness: -
Each of the three sizes - 2, 5 and 15 amp - had a 2 pin and 3 pin version. Unlike other plug systems (e.g. Australian) the 2 and 3 pin versions differed by gauge and diameter so were not compatible. I have no idea why the design deliberately ruled out compatibility - this seems pointless. The 2 and 15 amp 2 pin versions dropped out of use as a result, while the 5A version remained in use for longer, both because of its use as a shaver plug and because of the widespread availablility of adaptors (strictly speaking, these 2-pin variants probably pre-dated BS546 and were not covered by it).
The BS 1363 standard first made an appearance in 1947 and gradually replaced the BS546 types - in the UK, Ireland, most of the countries that were still ruled by the British at the time, plus a few others - e.g. Saudi Arabia (alongside the US system). India, Pakistan and South Africa were by then independent, so did not adopt BS 1363. For some reason the replacement by BS1363 was slower in Hong Kong than elsewhere. Whilst adaptors that allowed different BS546 types to mate used to be very common, those allowing mating between BS1363 and 546 were less so, other than those allowing the 5A, 2 pin size to be used in 13 A sockets.
- on the subject of adaptors apparently socket doublers with 15A pins and 13A sockets are considered a rare and highly prized (and hoarded) item in the theatre lighting industry. Plugwash 23:57, 15 June 2006 (UTC)
- Nice to know, I got given one recently! I shall have to photograph it. I thought they were quite common in some other country/ies though? Ziltro 04:20, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Tone?
Someone has requested that this be cleaned up for tone. I assume the problem is particularly with the discussion of 2a 2 pin, which is indeed quite familiar. But is there anything else folks think needs improving? Bryson430 00:21, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Diagrams
I eventually decided to learn SVG and measured & created these drawings. They are pretty close sizes for comparison, but are not the sizes from the regs because I don't know what they are! If anyone knows what the 'official' dimensions are then I can update these files with them. Shown looking at the socket (note titles if you view the SVG) but measured diameters are taken from the pins. Ziltro 04:20, 8 December 2006 (UTC)
 2A 2P |
 5A 2P |
 2A 3P |
 5A 3P |
 15A 3P |
[edit] BC plugs
Nowhere in this category can I find any mention of British BC plugs, which were very popular up until the 1970s. Theyre not BS546, so dont belong in this article. These bayonet cap plugs fitted into bulb holders, and were how upstairs appliances such as irons, electric blankets, and heaters used to be powered. AFAIK they never conformed to any BS, and were thus effeectively banned in the early 70s.
I'd put this mention elsewhere, but there isnt really anywhere else to put it. Tabby 16:58, 29 June 2007 (UTC)
British BC plugs don't conform to any British Standard, which is why they vanished from the market place when conformance with British Standards became mandatory for all electrical accessories. It would have been up to one of the manufacturers to get them added to BS 5042 (the then standard for BC lampholders, now replaced by BS EN 61184), but presumably no manufacturer thought the cost of the effort worth what they would make in sales. BC plugs can still be found in some other countries which use BC lampholders. Occasionally they can be found for sale in the UK, but strictly it's illegal to sell them now.
81.187.162.109 20:03, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
[edit] 5 Amp BS 546 in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Namibia,
In theory 15 amp plugs were proposed to be used for larger appliances (e.g. electric heaters) while smaller appliances (e.g. radios, table lamps etc) were supposed to use 5 amp. In practice this was found to be inconvenient and in many households the 15 amp plug was used for everything.
How widespread is the 5 Amp version of BS 546 in these countries ? Is the 5 Amp version always used for low current applications or is (as was the case in the UK) 15 Amp universally used for everything ? -- 80.229.222.48 (talk) 19:14, 16 November 2007 (UTC)
[edit] South Africa
The 15A 3Pin is the only current domestic wall socket standard in South Africa. In the article there is a statement about it "almost always" having a switch in countries where it is the current standard. In the case of South Africa the "almost" can be deleted as the regulations make a switch mandatory. Heavier current items such as stoves and geysers are "hard wired" into the supply with a dedicated trip-switch on the distribution board. The 5A 2Pin type is still found on older appliances but has been replaced by the Europlug in current trade and manufacture. The 5A 3Pin plug is becoming very rare and is no longer made or sold at all although many people still have adapters for them. The CEE 7/7 plug has also appeared on appliances, usually in 2pin non-polarised form. Adapters for 15A3Pin to Europlug and CEE7/7 are widely available. Roger (talk) 19:26, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
- No longer made or sold at all is a very strong statement do you have evidence to back it up or are you just going on what you see in your local wholesalers or worse DIY stores? Plugwash (talk) 23:58, 25 January 2008 (UTC)
- You're asking me to prove a negative? If you show me just one example of a 5A 3Pin plug or socket in a current South African manufacturer's catalog, I will withdraw my statement. Roger (talk) 06:59, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
