Brilliant design: RCA student radically improves the UK plug

Tiny bit of history:<p>The reason plugs in the UK are so big is that each one must be individually fused. And the reason for that is something called a "ring circuit".<p>In a ring circuit you have, say, a 40 amp fuse at the mains/box. From this you send out two wires, each rated only for 20 amps, going in a circle around the house. You can now supply 40 amps worth of power using only cheaper 20 amp wires. (Since the current can flow over both wires at once.)<p>But this means that the wires going to an individual appliance are far too small for the main breaker, so each appliance gets a fuse in the plug.<p>Ring circuits have serious drawbacks, but they helped during a time when there was a copper shortage.<p>And ever since then the UK has been stuck with huge plugs.

Previous discussions:<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=927714" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=927714</a><p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=782236" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=782236</a>

This thing comes up every 6-12 months on HN. Vaporware, from the looks of it.<p>Wake me up when it actually gets implemented and becomes available for real.

Brilliant design, but ganging up unfused plugs like that spells 'fire'.<p>It's like plugging in a cascade of extension cords.<p>I don't like the mobile pieces either, they are:<p><pre><code> - structurally fragile - likely to break off and decrease safety - in the case of the contacts a source of contact resistance which causes energy to be lost as well as an increased fire risk - if they are 'wired' a spot where the wiring will break because of fatigue issues </code></pre> Good industrial design takes in to account the function and safety issues as well.<p>Electrical plugs are a source of some amusement in Europe, in spite of being a 'union' we are not even capable of designing a plug that satisfies everybody and for some this has become symbolic of the dissent in the various states against EU conformity.<p>Have a look here how crazy the situation is:<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets</a><p>If we can't even design a common AC plug that everybody will actually adopt that's food for thought.

That design has been around for a while now, I very much like it but I believe that they will find it very hard to have it CE marked. I work as a product designer in the UK and have been involved in the design of a device that plugs directly into a wall socket, the regulations on the design of the UK plug are very stringent and this probably doesn't pass. With that said though I think this is a very good design and would love it if the regulations were changed and this was achievable.

I saw this when it first did the rounds on Twitter a while agi, and I have wondered about it since; I'd love to get my hands on one.<p>The FAQs on his site claims it will be released this year: <a href="http://www.madeinmind.co.uk/faq.php" rel="nofollow">http://www.madeinmind.co.uk/faq.php</a> - I sure hope so.

Here is an alternative for the Duct Tape Programmer:<p><a href="http://www.brightyellowcow.com/blog/A-thin-13A-Plug.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.brightyellowcow.com/blog/A-thin-13A-Plug.html</a>

<p><pre><code> Min-Kyu Choi impressed every passer by with his neat, apparently market-ready plug that folds down to the width of an Apple MacBook Air. </code></pre> Considering that a MacBook Air is 32.5 cm (12.74 inches) wide, I'm not impressed.

I want the italian type L plugs, except it uses flat pins vs. rounded pins (rounded pins always seem to fall out at the slightest force, it's extremely frustrating) and have a plastic covering for part of the live wires like the british plugs do. Outlets would have 4 to 6 plugs standard instead of one or two. The Schuko plugs are huge monstrosities.<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Type_L" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AC_power_plugs_and_sockets#Type...</a>

Here are previous submissions so people can catch up on earlier discussions:<p>+ <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=841068" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=841068</a><p>+ <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=927714" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=927714</a> &#60;- This one has some comments worth reading.

My problem with this design is that it doesn't provide coverage for the pins making it less safe. A similar design which included the shield but tilted the pins could retain most of the safety characteristics of the standard design without being vulnerable to (say) kids sticking fingers near partially inserted pins.

Has <i>anyone</i> not seen this already?<p>It was posted on Reddit a few years ago. It's been posted on HN twice already, it's gone around twitter.<p>Are you all new to the internet?

I'm surprised that Apple UK don't buy exclusive rights to that design.

Beautiful design.

Awesome.

They should just switch their infrastructure to the "Euro"-plug as soon as they can, like the rest of Europe already uses since ages. Not only is the "Euro"-plug by far the most solid, durable and safest plug, but it will help the Brits and the rest of Europe to be in-sync with eachother on the consumer electronics compatiblity front. Now that the UK has already taken the step to 230V like the rest of Europe, they should complete the rest of the move.

very dandy but...<p>the female plugs in the adapter are not to spec to female outlet plugs. so it can't be legally sold there. (me thinks. in Brazil you can't sell outlet stuff that are not up to government spec)<p>no matter how well it fits or looks. Unless he managed to implement the shutter activated by the earth plug and minimum depths for the live contacts in that little box. Then i would be honestly impressed.