Re: Rigger's Diary

In article <fV45K0OBJxbE-pn2-5CGr0iHORNCS@localhost>,
dave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx says...

On Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:36:02 UTC, "Bill Wright"
<insertmybusinessname@xxxxxxx> wrote:


"Graham." <me@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:h5qa4g$m1l$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Bill posted a picture on Mon 00:09, that included two of the
5A variant. Those things didn't travel well, where did you
find them Bill?

The picture on Photobucket was of the collection of plugs I used to have to
carry in order to use my electric drill in customers' houses.

Many many years ago I was in an R&B band. We had spotted that places
used different plugs and had the same problem - except of course we
had more stuff to plug in. We solved it, we thought, by buying a N way
strip and a "fit all" plug. Our first gig was in the Brixton School of
Building. Apart from having to lug the kit up N flights of stairs, a
Vox bass amp was a two man lift so we were knackered before we even
started, we found a strange socket that of course our "fit all"
wouldn't. We ended up with wires around matchsticks pushed into the
socket. It was either that or no show. :-)

The socket was really strange. IIRC three round pins. The live and
neutral the size of 15A but spaced roughly at 5A and an earth smaller
than 15A - but with a groove down it. Never saw one again.

That sounds like the dreaded Dorman-Smith 13A plug much favoured on
council estates.

The live pin was a screw-in 13A fuse and, if it came lose withe repeated
plugging and un-plugging, it was quite possible for the fuse to be left
behind, stickinging out of the wall socket!

Can't find a picture of the plug but this is the socket:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:DandS.jpg

Did you have the MkI version of the Fitall plug? The fibre lever which
selected the different groups of live and neutral pins didn't quite
cover the 5A live pin when 13A was selected. This was a problem in most
cases but if you used it in a metal clad 13A socket, the 5A live pin
contacted on the cladding and blew the fuse in the consumer unit!

The first time it happened to me, in the posh new Civic Hall in Grays,
it was fortunate that some of the sockets on the stage were fed from a
different circuit!

An improvised cardboard mask ensured it never happened again (to me)
but, on my travels, it was interesting to see the number of metal clad
sockets with the tell-tale splattered brass mark as these plugs
proliferated!

A later MkII version had a redesigned shutter ...!

--

Terry
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Riggers Diary
    ... The picture on Photobucket was of the collection of plugs I used to have ... strip and a "fit all" plug. ... we found a strange socket that of course our "fit all" ...
    (uk.tech.digital-tv)
  • Re: Change spark plug
    ... >>> longer spark plug socket. ... >>> As you said, buy a longer spark plug socket, the likely candidate ... More opinion, he probably got his plugs in by now... ...
    (rec.autos.tech)
  • Re: broadband wall sockets
    ... With a typical BT wires-only ADSL install you just have a phone socket (the ... Into this you plug an ADSL ... There are various types of microfilter - some look like phone splitter ... It can be worth paying for a better-quality filter (costing a tenner or so, ...
    (uk.comp.homebuilt)
  • Re: Insomnia and stupidity
    ... Don't you just plug it in? ... Yeah, ... picture, changing the sound, then I start watching. ... Then go back to the TV and switch to auto mode. ...
    (alt.2600)
  • Re: 2000 BMW Professional Radio and MP3
    ... official Aux Audio Input connector: http://www.my330i.com/mod26.php ... I have always wanted to connect my iPod to my stereo in my E46 330ci, ... I noticed that the AUX-in jack plug was recommended to be fitted ... in this socket difficult, ...
    (alt.autos.bmw)
Loading