"N_Cook" wrote in :

Jim Yanik wrote in message
4...
Jeffrey Angus wrote in
:

On 8/5/2011 10:06 AM, N_Cook wrote:
While at it, are the holes in each flat pin , for anti-tugging
latch pins ?

That's to make it easier to connect solid wire from the outlet box
directly to the plugs when you're too cheap to buy a new
receptacle.

Jeff



IIRC,a new receptacle costs less than $1 at Wal-Mart.

BTW,I've seen a lot of US power plugs with ground pins that are
folded sheet brass that has the half-round/half-square,or U-shape
cross- section,with a bevel at the end. Maybe cheaper to make than a
solid round pin?

the holes in the flat blades are probably a leftover originally
intended for some sort of detent (ball detent?)to help retain the
plug.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com


I should have said I am in the UK

I think you did.

Now you say that I've seen a plug with a U channel ground pin
,somewhere along the way. I could see that arrangement maybe giving
some sort of sprung/ tolerating fit. But how does a cylindrical brass
pin make good contact with an unsprung receptacle pin ?



AFAIK,the receptacle female contacts are one-piece,formed from sheet
stock,and the blade or ground pin goes in between the sides,spreading them
apart slightly.
the female contacts have some springiness built in. They are like a very
deep U shape.

BTW,I checked a "hospital-grade" plug,and it's ground pin is U-shaped flat
stock,as I described earlier. Pretty heavy gauge stock,around 1/16" thick.

--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com