Re: Origins of UK standard 13Amp plug

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Mike Harrison by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <mike-at-whitewing.co.uk>

On Fri, 26 Apr 2002 11:39:36 -0600, you wrote:

>Original poster: "Colin Dancer by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>"
<CMD-at-dataconnection-dot-com>
>
>I'm sure I read in a book that it was the result of a BSI (British Standards
>Institute) effort to come up with a replacement for the old 5A & 15A round
>pin plugs (which you can still find in some older houses).  
>
>The socket / plug combination includes a number of significant advances over
>the previous designs:
>
>*  a mandatory earth pin which is longer than the other two pins and
>connects first / disconnects last
>*  an integrated shield over the live / neutral pins which only opens when
>the earth pin is engaged (stops little Johnny having fun with knitting
>needles)
..or BOTH L/N are inserted simultaneously - this has become more
common these days.