John Rumm wrote:
wrote:

secondly, you can see any attempt at size reduction will
be thwarted by the first wall wart to come along.


I dont understand that. Wall warts would have no effect on the use
of
smaller plugs as well as the present standard.

The way I see the size question is we dont to see want a long row
of
sockets on teh wall, but we do want more sockets to use nowadays.
Fitting 6 sockets in the space of 1 double would solve that, and
since
both systems would be fully compatible, it would not affect the use
of
present plugs in those sockets, they would be usde as now at the
same
density as now. And the new plugs would fit the present old sockets
too, so there would be no compatibility problem.

If you are maintaining compatibility, then you will need the same pin

layout and spacing. So yes you could put them closer together
(especially if you oriented each rotated 180 degrees), you could make

the plugs skinny, triangular, and have the cord exit from the top
(i.e.
US style) rather than the edge.

thats all been addressed


You could squeeze four (maybe even as
many as eight) into the space of a current double socket.

yes, 6, a lot more useful, lower cost and looks better.


However if you
plug an exiting design wall wart into one you would probably obscure
four sockets in one hit.

Thats right, but its not a problem as you appear to think. Wall warts
plug in at the same space density as today, nothing is lost, 2 per
double socket. Todays plugs will also continue to be used, the new ones
do not obsolete the old.

But those appliances that will be on the newer plugs achieve much
higher density, 3x. In any house there will be a mixture of the 2 plug
types, and where old sockets are replaced with new, houses will
suddenly be able to plug around twice as many things into the sockets,
without needing to add any spurs.

This what Britain needs. It will:

- reduce the use of adaptors, improving safety and cost
- reduce the cost of mains plugs on some new appliances
- reduce the cost of house wiring a bit
- provide householders with twice as many sockets as now
- reduce material and energy use in manufacturing our present
inefficient mains plugs.

And there will be no compatibility problem.
Appliances with new plugs plug into the existing sockets.
The new sockets will all accept both types of plug.


The trouble is I'm too busy with other things to do much with this.


NT