6 Feb
2011
6 Feb
'11
7:52 p.m.
On the subject of plugs and receptacles, quite a
number of
professional building contractors around here use 3-prong "twist-
lock" aka "Hubbel" connectors for their corded tools. One advantage
Ove here, 'Hubbel connector' is used as a generic term for _any_
American-type mains connector by some people. Hubbel make a lot mroe than
twist-n-lock plugs after all. I think most of the 230V plugs in my
PDP11s were made by Hubbel, for example.
But I guess it's like the example Philip (I think) stated of calling the
BS4343 plugs 'Commando Plugs'.
is that the plugs won't simply pull out. The
twist-lock connectors
are also quite common in things such as RV hookups and portable
generators and can be had in various sizes of 3 and 4 prong versions.
They were quite common in comptuer data centers, but I don't know if
that's still true.
I'e seen the odd one or two, I think. maybe one of my old paper tape
units has a twist-n-lock connector for the mains input, I think some BRPE
punches did, for example. That would be a 3 contact one with a central
earth pin and 2 different-sized curved hooked plades for the live and
neutral wires.
They are certainly not commonly used in the UK.
-tony