Types of plug connectors. Types and types of sockets: from classic designs to modern multifunctional models

If there are several mains voltage standards in the world, then, accordingly, there is a wide variety of standards for sockets and plugs for them.

As we already know from the previous article, two main voltage and frequency standards have become widespread on the globe. One of the standards, the so-called American with a voltage of 110 - 127 V and a frequency of 60 Hz, is distributed in conjunction with the standards for plugs and sockets type A and B. The second standard, the so-called European with a voltage of 220 - 240 V and a frequency of 50 Hz, is distributed with sockets and plugs C – M.

Some countries strictly adhere to a single standard, but there are a number of countries where plugs and sockets of different standards have been used.

In total, there are only 14 standardized types of plugs and sockets on Earth. And also there are various specialized designs used in narrow industries. This was done on purpose so that it would not be possible to connect specialized devices to a household network, for the parameters of which they are not designed.

Type A

Type A sockets and plugs have become widespread in North and Central America, as well as in Japan. But American and Japanese standard are slightly different. In the Japanese version, the two parallel flat pins of the plug are exactly the same size, but in the American version, one pin is slightly wider than the second. This was done so that when turned on, the polarity was clearly observed. The first networks in the Americas were direct current. This type is also called Class II. Japanese plugs plug into Canadian and American sockets without problems, but you will not be able to use an American plug with a Japanese socket. Well, except that a little file a wide pin.

Type B

This type, like the previous one, is used in Canada and the USA, as well as in Japan. It is these sockets and plugs that are used to connect powerful household appliances with a current consumption of up to 15 A. This type, in addition to the designation B, in some catalogs is also designated Class I or according to the international code NEMA 5-15. We can say that in Canada and the USA type B has replaced type A. In old houses, of course, the old type A is still common, without a “grounding” contact in the middle, and in new buildings you are unlikely to find anything other than type B. The industry has long produced electrical appliances only with a modern type B plug, so it is not uncommon to see a modern electrical appliance in an old house, but with a sawed-off third terminal so that you can connect it to an old electrical outlet.

Type C

Type C, or according to the international designation type CEE 7/16, of plugs and sockets has become widespread throughout almost all of Europe, with minor exceptions, which we will consider further. Such electrical sockets and plugs were standard, including throughout the USSR. Many of our compatriots still call them “Soviet”. In Europe, type C has been replaced by new versions of sockets and plugs that meet modern requirements for grounding electrical appliances. These are such types as E, F, J, K and L. During the transition to the new standard, the possibility of using type C plugs for inclusion in new socket designs was taken into account, but, to the great regret of most residents of old houses, not vice versa.

Type D

Plugs with D-type sockets are still common in the former British colonies: India, Nepal, Namibia and Sri Lanka, although they are, in fact, an outdated British-made design used in the UK until the middle of the last century. This type is also designated BS 546.

Type E

In France, Belgium, Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Tunisia and Morocco, plugs and sockets of type E or CEE 7/7 according to the international standard have become widespread. Connecting to such an outlet, as already mentioned, an outdated type C plug is not difficult.

Type F

F-type plugs and plugs (CEE 7/4 or GOST 7396 in the USSR) are distributed mainly in Austria, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and Eastern Europe. Recently, this type is becoming more widespread in all countries of the former USSR. You can freely plug the "Soviet" C-type plug into the F-type socket. But since the diameter of the pins of the type C plug is 0.8 mm smaller than that of the type F, this compatibility must be used with extreme caution. Since the contact may not be sufficient, and as a result, heating at the contact point and ignition is possible.

Type G

This type is used in the UK, Hong Kong, Ireland, Malaysia, Singapore, Cyprus and Malta. The international designation of plugs and sockets type G is BS 1363. By the appearance of plugs of this type, it is immediately clear that these are power connectors, because they are capable of passing current up to 32 A. If you come across this type of plug when traveling to Cyprus in a hotel, then you will be offered an adapter so that you can connect your phone charger or laptop.

Type H

Plugs and sockets type H (SI 32) you will find only in Israel. But the developers of this standard took care of tourists in advance and provided for the possibility of including “Soviet” plugs, type C, in this type of sockets.

Type I

In Australia, Argentina, China, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, I-type plugs and sockets are common, which are also designated according to the international standard AS 3112. Visually quite similar types I and H are in fact absolutely not compatible.

Type J

Switzerland and Liechtenstein have their own special standard - this is type J or SEC 1011 according to the international standard. If you find yourself in one of these countries, you will be free to plug your Type C mobile phone charger into local outlets.

Type K

In Denmark and Greenland, type K plugs and sockets (international designation 107-2-D1) have become widespread. You can plug type E and F plugs into this socket, as well as type C without much difficulty.

Type L

Type L is distributed exclusively in Italy. But it should be noted that the probability of meeting them in some countries of North Africa is also very high. Type C plugs are compatible with L or CEI 23-16/BII sockets as they are designated internationally.

Type M

The penultimate type in our review is M. These plugs with sockets are widespread in Lesotho, Swaziland and South Africa. Type M is clearly similar to type D. Type D plugs can be freely plugged into an M-type socket.

Type N

And finally, the last of the considered types - N. Used in Brazil and South Africa. Type N plugs actually have two versions with 4 mm pins, rated up to 10 A, and 4.8 mm pins, up to 20 A. The middle pin is designed to ground electrical appliances. Type N sockets completely freely accept type C plugs. But with type J, despite the visual similarity, they are completely incompatible, since the middle contact is located closer to the central axis.

It so happened historically that different countries mainly use their own specific sockets and plugs that meet their standards, although some types are still compatible with each other.

Will unification be achieved throughout the world and one common standard adopted? Most likely, yes, but not as soon as many would like. Initially, it is necessary to come to one voltage standard, and this is a huge cost for re-equipment and re-equipment of transformer substations, not to mention the adaptation of household electrical appliances.

In the 60s of the last century on the territory of the Soviet Union they switched from the 127 V standard to 220 V. Specially, all new household appliances were equipped with switches that allowed you to select the operating voltage of the electrical appliance, which essentially turned off part of the primary winding of the power supply transformer when the switch was moved to position 127 Q. And how many electric shavers were burned when, for example, a person came on a business trip to another city, where there were already 220 V in the sockets, and forgot to switch the razor switch from 127 V to 220 V. But this, as they say, is a completely different story ...

Modern life is unthinkable without electricity. The abundance of electrical appliances that require connection to the network makes it highly desirable to have sockets that satisfy all the needs of the latest devices and gadgets. Electrical outlets are a place where a branched system of wires and cables, hidden from outside eyes, reveals itself in the tangible world of home interiors and allows a person to use their amazing conductive qualities for the benefit of everyday life. You cannot do without this device in any apartment where there is at least one powerful household appliance, such as a refrigerator or a washing machine.

To connect electrical equipment to power networks, various types of plug connections are used. It consists of two parts (socket and plug).

Sockets are constantly under pressure. It has the form of a socket with a closed arrangement of conductors to prevent accidental contact with foreign objects.

Plug is connected to the source of electricity consumption by a cable or forms a common housing with it. The end of the plug has the form of pins corresponding to the location of the sockets on the socket.

At the dawn of the widespread use of electricity, a single standard for the equipment used was not created. Therefore, the shape and technical characteristics of the connectors in different countries turned out to be different.

Standards

A— American standard without grounding. This type is also used in Japan.

B- American standard but with grounding.

C- European standard without grounding (in Russia this is the old version of the sockets - in the new version there is grounding). This type of connectors is common in Europe and in Russia and in the near abroad, etc.

D— Old British Standard.

E— French standard.

F— European standard with grounding. Modern execution of sockets.

G— British standard with grounding. Modern execution of sockets.

H- Israeli standard with grounding.

I— Australian standard with grounding.

J— Swiss standard with grounding.

K— Danish standard with grounding.

L— Italian standard with grounding.

M— South African standard with grounding.

When installed permanently, the sockets have a housing for overhead or recessed installation. There are also portable options.

Often a product purchased overseas cannot be connected to your network without using the required adapter. Appliances produced for export sales are usually adapted to local conditions.

Specifications for plug connections

The elements of the plug connection must comply with the characteristics of the electrical network. In Russia and Europe, voltages of 220 and 380 Volts are used, in the USA and Japan - 100-127 Volts. Most countries use an AC frequency of 50 or 60 Hz.

An important characteristic of plugs and sockets is the maximum rated current, which is directly related to the power of the connected equipment. Household electrical outlets are designed for a current of not more than 16A. To connect powerful equipment, they mount the appropriate industrial connectors. They must have a ground electrode. In household networks it is allowed to do without it.

Electrical sockets: types

• Standard electrical outlet, this is the most common type of socket and is found everywhere in every room, from the living room to the bedroom and closet, where the most popular appliances are connected, such as a TV, hair dryer, etc. Created, this is enough for common medium-sized devices and fixtures. More powerful electrical appliances
  require special types of outlets for their connection to the network. These sockets are designed to work with a current of 5 Amperes and a voltage of 220 Volts, they have 2 connectors on their front panel. They can be grounded or not.

There are various options for wiring the electrical network in residential premises, differing both in the type of branching and in the current strength. The socket must meet the specific needs in each individual case. That is why there are many types of sockets on the market with a wide variety of declared current strengths that they can withstand.

• Grounded sockets are used in circuits with circuit breakers that must be checked on a regular basis. In every house there are rooms with an increased risk of short circuits. These are kitchens and bathrooms, which by all rights must be equipped with earthed sockets. Such sockets are easy to distinguish by their massive body and a semicircular hole with an iron border at the bottom between the 2 main connectors.

• There are special sockets, designed to connect dryers. Such electrical components are able to withstand significant power with a voltage of 120 to 240 volts. Tumble dryer sockets often have up to 4 sockets.

• Sockets for electric stoves also have an increased margin of safety and the ability to work in extreme power and high voltage mode. These sockets must work in conjunction with an electrical fuse and grounding.

• Waterproof sockets successfully find their application in personal plots, in outdoor summer cafes and in swimming pools. They are made of metal resistant to corrosion and sunlight, their internal conductive parts are securely hidden from liquid penetration.

• Socket outlets with protection against foreign objects specially designed to prevent children and some adults from inserting objects that are not intended for this through the holes. The principle of operation is that special shutters are built into the connectors, which move away only when they are exposed to a plug of a certain shape. As soon as the plug is pulled out, the holes are closed again.

• Combined sockets are used in cases where it is necessary to economically use space. They combine 2 functions at once in one device. For example, it could be a grounded socket with a switch and a 15-amp duplex with light indication.

• To connect several consumers of electric current at once, sockets with a built-in surge suppressor . They will perfectly protect the devices from problems in the contact network.

• stand apart sockets for computer networks, radio and telephone . They are designed for low currents and low voltages up to 30 volts.

Depending on the conditions of use of sockets, they may have additional functions.

• Electrical sockets with mechanical timer able to turn off the device at the right time without human intervention.

• Socket outlets with convenient plug ejector allow you to do without the extra effort that often leads to loosening of other types of built-in sockets in the wall.

• Illuminated electrical sockets easy to find at night.

• Electrical sockets with built-in residual current device open the circuit when a leakage current is detected.

Not all electrical outlets are designed to connect to all types of electrical conductor materials. Some connectors are not designed to work with copper plugs, others will not work with aluminum ones. On the reverse side of each socket, a special marking is made indicating the type of conductor, in most cases both materials will be suitable.

In the world there are many types of framing of electrical outlets. Because for the whole variety of current consumers, a different set of specific properties and functional features is required. The abundance of modern sockets allows you to make the best choice for each case and make the operation of the devices as convenient and safe as possible.

General requirements applicable to all types of plug connections

• Reliable isolation of the housing and current-carrying parts from each other.
• Ensuring tight contact corresponding to the allowable value of the passing current.
• Protection against incorrect connection, electrical safety in case of incomplete contact and at the time of connection and disconnection.
• Fire safety.

Adapter for English socket- the most necessary thing in England! Money, reservations, documents - it's all clear. This is essential for any journey. As for the UK, you will definitely need adapter for english socket. Their sockets are absolutely not compatible with ours and with the so-called "euro" too.

Yes, you certainly may buy this adapter in england. But, firstly, it still needs to be found there, and secondly, it costs a lot of money there. For example, at Manchester Airport I saw adapter for 14 pounds. In Russia, in any radio store you can find a whole set adapters neatly packed in a beautiful, convenient box at a price of 150 rubles. If suddenly you didn’t have them in the store - English socket adapter easy to find in Chinese online stores.

Without this adapter, you will not be able to charge your phone, camera or shave.

Voltage in the UK electrical network compatible with our electrical appliances and complies 230 Volts at 50 Hertz.

Adapter for an English socket in a convenient box

This is what the adapter looks like

Whole set

This is how it works

sp-force-hide(display:none).sp-form(display:block;background:#d9edf7;padding:15px;width:100%;max-width:100%;border-radius:0px;-moz-border -radius:0px;-webkit-border-radius:0px;font-family:Arial,"Helvetica Neue",sans-serif;background-repeat:no-repeat;background-position:center;background-size:auto). sp-form input(display:inline-block;opacity:1;visibility:visible).sp-form .sp-form-fields-wrapper(margin:0 auto;width:470px).sp-form .sp-form- control(background:#fff;border-color:rgba(255, 255, 255, 1);border-style:solid;border-width:1px;font-size:15px;padding-left:8.75px;padding-right :8.75px;border-radius:19px;-moz-border-radius:19px;-webkit-border-radius:19px;height:35px;width:100%.sp-form .sp-field label(color:# 31708f;font-size:13px;font-style:normal;font-weight:bold).sp-form .sp-button(border-radius:17px;-moz-border-radius:17px;-webkit-border-radius :17px;background-color:#31708f;color:#fff;width:auto;font-weight:700;font-style:normal;font-family:Arial,sans-serif;box-shadow:none;-moz- box sh adow:none;-webkit-box-shadow:none).sp-form .sp-button-container(text-align:left)

Mains adapters for plugs and sockets are divided into two main types:

• for equipment brought from abroad, the plugs of which do not fit into Russian standard sockets;
• for sockets that will be needed in another country to connect devices with Russian standard plugs.

Almost all adapters are manufactured by ANTEL. Available in any quantity!
We sell socket adapters to organizations and individuals - we work for cash, as well as by bank transfer.

Those who travel to different countries are often faced with the incompatibility of plugs on electrical appliances with sockets. Therefore, more experienced tourists foresee such a situation in advance and put one or two adapters into an outlet in their travel suitcase - a simple device into which our plug is inserted, and the device itself is inserted into a “foreign” outlet. And often the opposite happens: the equipment brought from abroad does not want to be inserted into our socket. And the voltage is suitable, and everything else suits, but the pins on the plug are not the same or not so located. There are more than a dozen different standards for household sockets in the world, some of them are joined without anything, but basically adapters are needed for such cases. ANTEL has carefully studied this issue and produces adapters for sockets for almost all occasions.

A little help on the types of adapters to the outlet:
- 2 flat parallel pins, used in North America, Canada, Japan, Cuba, etc.,
- 2 flat parallel pins and a third round pin in the middle,
- 2 round pins (Russian standard),
adapter type "D" - "old British" - three round pins,
adapter type "E" - on the plug there are two round pins and a hole for grounding,
adapter type "F" - a common socket for us with grounding spring contacts,
- three thick flat pins, used in England, Singapore, Cyprus, etc.,
adapter type "H" - three flat pins diverging from the center at an angle of 120 degrees,
- two flat pins rotated 60 degrees, or three pins (Australian standard);
- three round thin pins, the central pin is slightly offset, used in Switzerland, etc.,
adapter type "K" - on the plug there are two round pins and a thick ground socket,
- three round thin pins in one line, used in Italy, etc.,
- two thick pins and the third central one is even thicker, used in India, South Africa, etc.,
adapter type "N" - two flat pins at an angle of 120 degrees.

Socket adapters can be simple, designed to connect one type of connector to another. And there are also combined universal adapters (for example, the so-called), designed to be compatible with several combinations of sockets and plugs at once. When choosing an adapter for a socket, you need to pay attention to the quality of the contact group: the plug must enter the socket with force, sit tightly in the socket and be removed with force. You also need to pay attention to the permissible current load. If you have any doubts about whether the plug adapter will withstand your load, contact the experts for advice, you can find all the contact information on our page "".

When we talked about that, we briefly stopped at an overview of the types of devices. There is a wide range of types and types of electrical outlets, however, in domestic conditions, plug-in models are most often used. Next, we will tell you what types of products are in Russia and other countries of the world.

Variety of connectors

The most basic difference between the types of products is how the connectors for connecting the electrical plug are arranged. The fact is that each state has its own connector standards. You can clearly see the types of sockets in all countries of the world in the photo below:

Description of each type:

• A is American. In addition to the USA, this version is used in Japan. There is no ground contact.
• B - American model, with grounding.
• C - European standard. The euro socket is used not only in Europe, but also in the CIS, including Russia. The only drawback of this variety is the lack of grounding. However, it should be noted that there is no ground contact on the Soviet C5 models, but it is present in the euro version of the C6.
• D - this type of electrical outlet can be found in Britain.
• E - French standard.
• F - Euro socket with grounding. A modern type of execution, which is most often used in European countries, as well as the CIS.
• G - English version.
• H - Israeli.
• I - Australian.
• J - Swiss.
• K is Danish.
• I - the original type of execution, which is used in Italy.
• M - South Africa.

So you learned what sockets are in different countries of the world. Next, we will focus on the types of electrical plug products type C and F in more detail.

Specifications

As you already know, the operating voltage in the network can be 220-240 or 380 Volts, in America and Japan it is customary to use a voltage of 100-127 Volts. Euro sockets for 220 V are used to connect electrical appliances with a power of not more than 3.5 kW. This is due to the fact that power sockets can withstand a current not exceeding 16A. In these types of electrical accessories, it is permissible to connect a TV, refrigerator and other, not too powerful household appliances.

Industrial three-phase sockets are designed for a current of 32 A and therefore are used in everyday life to connect powerful equipment.

Also, electrical outlets are designed for an alternating current frequency of 50 or 60 Hz. In Russia and the CIS countries, the first type of execution is used.

type of instalation

The next type of electrical outlets is the housing version. There are overhead products that are used when and recessed - for wiring in a hidden way.

The latter type, in turn, can be mounted not only on the wall, but even on the floor or countertop in the kitchen. Floor-standing household devices for connecting appliances look like this:

A separate type of electrical outlets is portable. A very convenient option, however, it has not yet gained much popularity in Russia.

Additional functions

Also, electrical outlets can be divided into types depending on the additional functions that they have. For example:

1. Waterproof. Euro sockets from 44 and above have a cover that will protect the connectors from water ingress. This type of socket is most often used in bathrooms.
   
2. Model c - shuts off power when a dangerous electrical leakage is detected.
3. Timer model. Using this type of electrical accessories, you can simply set the time after which the power will turn off. Very convenient for connecting heaters that do not have their own shutdown timer.
   
4. Power outlet with wattmeter. An original solution that allows you to see how much electricity is consumed by the connected device. The indication changes depending on the power consumption: blue is the minimum power consumption, red is the maximum.
   
5. With fork ejector. If you often have, we recommend choosing a special model with an ejector that will help you gently pull the electrical plug from the sockets.
   
6. Euro socket with backlight. This type of product is very convenient because in the dark you can easily find where to connect the charger from the phone or another device.
7. Model with USB output. Great solution for charging mobile devices.
   
8. GSM and